Former NWU vice-chancellor’s death shocks academic community

Following the unfortunate passing of NWU’s former vice-chancellor, Professor Dan Kgwadi, family spokesperson Lester Mpolokeng has confirmed that his memorial service will take place in the Great Hall of North-West University’s Mahikeng Campus at 10:00 on Thursday, 4 May.

The funeral will be at the Ga Lowe in Mufufutso Village near Khunwanain Tswaing Municipality in North West on Sunday, 7 May. According to Mpolokeng, Kgwadi died in the late hours of Sunday, 30 April.

Prof. Kgwadi, born in Kraai-pan Village in North West, served as the principal and vice-chancellor of Vaal University of Technology (VUT) since 1 February 2022. Before that, he served in the same capacity at the North-West University (NWU) from April 2014 to 31 January 2022.

He was also the first rector of North-West University’s Mahikeng Campus. Prof. Kgwadi served as Campus Rector from 1 January 2005 to 31 March 2014.

He guided the campus through the challenges of trans-formation and a changing environment. With unwavering determination, he guided the campus and facilitated its transformation to a stable and diverse one with a vibrant academic and student life and financial stability.

Through his management skills, he established good relations and partnerships for the campus locally and internationally. His career reveals a deep commitment to academic excellence, community service and partnerships with the public and industry.

He was passionate about empowering and motivating underprivileged youth and sponsored some students through their college and university education.

Before his position as the Mahikeng Campus Rector, Prof. Kgwadi served as senior manager/assessment coordinator at the National Nuclear Regulator; the head of the Physics department at the Vaal University of Technology; lecturer and head of the Physics department at the University of North-West; research and teaching assistant at Ball State University and a physics teacher at Phatsima High School.

He obtained the Educational Opportunities Council scholarship (EOC), the United Nations scholarship, and a work-study scholarship (Ball State University) to pursue his physics studies in the USA. In recognition of his high scholarship in physics, he was admitted to the sigma-pi-sigma honour society.

He was a member of numerous professional bodies and chaired the education sub-group of the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP). Prof. Kgwadi supervised and served as an external examiner to Masters and PhD students in physics education and radiation physics.

Despite his tight schedule as a campus rector, he continued to teach a first-year physics class following his passion to teach and mentor budding academics and leaders. He was a member of the Umalusi Council and served as a chairperson of the Assessment Standard Committee.

Prof. Dan Kgwadi had the following degrees: BSc (Physics and Chemistry from the University of Bophuthatswana, RSA); MSc (Physics from Ball State University, USA); MPhil (Environmental Law and Management from the University of the North, RSA); PhD (Physics Ed from Potchefstroom University, RSA) and PhD (Management – hon-oris causa from Hanseo University, South Korea).

He completed the Oxford Executive Leadership programme at the Saïd Business School of the University of Oxford. He was a member appointed by the Minister of Higher Education and Training to represent South Africa on the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) Board of Governors.

Due to his courageous character, Prof. Kgwadi completed a sky-diving course and obtained a sky-diving certificate for successful jumps from the American Parachute Association. Like a real traveller, Dan Kgwadi did not believe in arriving.