---

The University of the Free State (UFS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Prof Bonang Mohale as its new Chancellor. The announcement was made at a special meeting of the UFS Council on 20 March 2020.  

Prof Mohale’s appointment follows an extensive selection process by the Council to succeed Dr Khotso Mokhele, whose term as Chancellor comes to an end on 3 June 2020. Dr Mokhele served as Chancellor for two terms.

Announcing the decision of Prof Mohale’s appointment during the meeting on the Bloemfontein Campus, the Chairperson of the UFS Council, Dr Willem Louw, said the university was fortunate to be able to appoint someone of such calibre in the position. “The Council is proud that Prof Mohale will be fulfilling the role of titular head of the university,” he said. Prof Mohale will take up his new role on 4 June 2020, serving a five-year term.

A Professor of Practice at the Johannesburg Business School’s College of Business and Economics, Prof Mohale is a successful and respected business leader who has held chairmanships and directorships at some of South Africa’s top companies.

He is a former Chief Executive Officer of Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), where he steered several programmes to attract foreign investment and create jobs in the country. He played a pivotal role in the Job Summit hosted in 2018, where R290 billion was raised in investments. As CEO of BLSA, he hosted the Presidential Special Investment Envoys and accompanied them on both local and global roadshows. Prof Mohale also helped launch the BLSA Connect, SA SME Fund, and Youth Employment Services programmes during his time at BLSA. In November 2001, he received the Presidential Award for his “servanthood in South African industry and the economic empowerment of previously disadvantaged individuals.”

In 1996, he was the Managing Director of Otis Elevators: Africa (the world’s biggest and oldest elevator company). From January 2009 to June 2017, he was the Vice-President of Upstream and Chairman of Shell South Africa (Pty) Limited. In his long and illustrious career, he also served as Chairman of the Southern African Netherlands Chamber of Commerce, the Marketing Association of South Africa, the Institute of Marketing Management, and as deputy chairman of the national Heart Foundation. Further to that, he held directorships at Bidvest Group Limited, the Airports Company of South Africa, Sanlam, and the Tourism Business Council of South Africa.

Prof Mohale, who is also a published author, has been recognised locally and internationally for his business acumen and skills. He is the recipient of several South African Facilities Management Association awards for his contribution to facilities management in South Africa and was recognised by CEO Magazine as a country and regional winner of the ‘Titans Building Nations Award’. In 2012, he was awarded the Institute of People Management’s (IPM) ‘CEO of the Year’.