Letlhokwa George Mpedi
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Letlhokwa George Mpedi is a South African academic, who is
Vice-Chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...
and Principal of the
University of Johannesburg The University of Johannesburg, colloquially known as UJ, is a public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant fundi ...
, as of March 2023, succeeding Professor
Tshilidzi Marwala Tshilidzi Marwala (born 28 July 1971) is a South African artificial intelligence engineer, a computer scientist, a mechanical engineer and a university administrator. He is currently Rector (academia), Rector of the United Nations University ...
.


Early years and education

Letlhokwa George Mpedi was born and brought up in a small village in
Hammanskraal Hammanskraal is a trans-provincial region anchored in northern Gauteng province, South Africa. The region consists of multiple residential, industrial, and commercial areas in a decentralized settlement pattern. History The historical roots of ...
, a region in northern
Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...
province, South Africa. Attending
Vista University Vista University, South Africa was founded by the apartheid government to ensure that urban black South Africans seeking tertiary education would be accommodated within the townships rather than on campuses reserved for other population groups. ...
, Mpedi completed his BJuris degree (1996) and LLB degree (1998), and he went on to earn his Doctor of Laws qualification from
Rand Afrikaans University The Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) (Afrikaans: ''Randse Afrikaanse Universiteit'') was a prominent South African institution of higher education and research that served the greater Johannesburg area and surroundings from 1967 to 2004. It ha ...
(now
University of Johannesburg The University of Johannesburg, colloquially known as UJ, is a public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant fundi ...
). He twice received the
Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD; ), founded in 1925, is a joint organization of German universities and student bodies to foster their international relations. Since 1 January 2020, the president has been Joybrato Mukherjee. Organis ...
(DAAD) award (in 2000 and 2001), to conduct research in Germany, and in 2003 he took a post-doctoral fellowship at the
Max Planck Society The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science (; abbreviated MPG) is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes. Founded in 1911 as the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, it was renamed to the M ...
in
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
. He served as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Law at the
University of Johannesburg The University of Johannesburg, colloquially known as UJ, is a public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant fundi ...
, where he was the first black law dean and one of only a few in South Africa. He sits on the board of governors of the International Association of Law Schools. His official inauguration as Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg took place on 10 March 2023. Mpedi contributes regularly to South African newspapers, including the ''
Daily Maverick ''Daily Maverick'' is an independent, South African, English language, online news publication and weekly print newspaper, with offices in the country's two most populous cities: Cape Town (the site of its headquarters) and Johannesburg. ...
'', as well as having written many peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He is also the author of the 2023 book ''From the Baobab to the Mosquito: Rethinking Leadership Through African Sayings''.


Awards and recognition

Awards that Mpedi has received include in 2023 an honorary doctorate from
Caucasus University Caucasus University is a private university in Tbilisi, Georgia (country), Georgia. The university was established in 2004. It is the successor to the Caucasus School of Business, founded in 1998 in partnership with Georgia State University, Atla ...
in Tbilisi, Georgia.


Personal life

Mpedi is married to Bessy (''née'' Kgobe) and they have a son.


Works


Books

* ''From the Baobab to the Mosquito: Rethinking Leadership Through African Sayings'', Tracey McDonald Publishers, 2023, . *(With
Tshilidzi Marwala Tshilidzi Marwala (born 28 July 1971) is a South African artificial intelligence engineer, a computer scientist, a mechanical engineer and a university administrator. He is currently Rector (academia), Rector of the United Nations University ...
) ''Artificial intelligence and the law'', Palgrave Macmillan, 2024.


Selected shorter writings

* N Smit, LG Mpedi. "Social protection for developing countries: Can social insurance be more relevant for those working in the informal economy?" ''Law, Democracy & Development'' 14 (1), 1–33, 29 2010. * MP Olivier, LG Mpedi. "Extending social protection to families in the African context: the complementary role of formal and informal social security in Social security in a long life society". 4th International Research Conference on Social Security, Antwerp, 5–7 14 2003. * M Nyenti, LG Mpedi. "The impact of SADC social protection instruments on the setting up of a minimum social protection floor in southern African countries". ''Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal'' 15 (1), 244–281, 13, 2012. * LG Mpedi. "The evolving relationship between labour law and social security". '' Acta Juridica'', 2012 (1), 270–285.


As editor

* (With Tineke Dijkhoff) ''Recommendation on Social Protection Floors: Basic Principles for Innovative Solutions'', 2016. * ''Santa Claus: Law, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Decolonisation and Covid-19'', African Sun Media, 2020, . * (With Mehmet Okyayuz, Junxiang Mao, Peter Herrmann) ''Human Rights in a Changing World: Reflections on Fundamental Challenges'', Springer, 2023. * ''Women: Wise, Optimistic, Motivating, Empowering & Nurturing'', UJ Press, 2024.


References


External links


"Prof Letlhokwa George Mpedi"
''AfricaLive'' interview.
"In Conversation: Prof Letlhokwa George Mpedi"
1 January 2024. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mpedi, Letlhokwa George Vice-chancellors of the University of Johannesburg Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century South African non-fiction writers People from Hammanskraal South African academics South African male non-fiction writers Rand Afrikaans University alumni