The College of Law recently appointed Prof Mpfariseni Budeli-Nemakonde as the Executive Dean. She joined Unisa in 2008 as a senior lecturer. Soon after that, in 2009, she was admitted as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa. Within three years of being employed at Unisa, she was promoted to an associate professorship, and a year later, she was promoted to a full professorship. Budeli-Nemakonde holds a PhD in Commercial Law from the University of Cape Town. She also holds an LLM degree in Labour Law, which she obtained with a distinction.

Prof Mpfariseni Budeli-Nemakonde

An esteemed scholar, she has authored several peer-reviewed books, book chapters and articles in accredited journals. Since she believes in imparting knowledge and mentorship, she has also co-authored academic articles with emerging researchers. She has supervised a number of doctoral and master’s students to completion. In 2018, Budeli-Nemakonde was appointed by the President of South Africa to serve as a commissioner in the South African Law Reform Commission. She sits on the editorial boards of numerous accredited journals. She is also one of the founding members of the South African Young Academy of Science and a recipient of the South African National Department of Science and Technology Women in Research Award in the Distinguished Young Women in Social Sciences and Humanities category. In 2008, in recognition of her work on freedom of association and trade unionism, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) invited her to join the Network of Experts on Workers’ Rights, and she has been a member of this network to this day.  

A home-grown academic

Budeli-Nemakonde has served in various managerial positions at the College of Law, namely, as the Head of the Department of Mercantile Law, the Director of the School of Law, the acting Deputy Executive Dean and the acting Executive Dean. On her appointment as Executive Dean, she described herself as "a home-grown academic". She reiterated her loyalty to the university, asserting that she intends to continue serving with pride, dedication and devotion.

She says she places her term within the current Unisa 2016–2030 Strategy, which aims, among other things, to reposition Unisa as the leading decolonised, detribalised, deracialised and depatriarchalised Africa-centred and African university that should be home to everyone. She believes that Unisa should contribute to the African Renaissance in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, and she is proud to have an opportunity to contribute to the agenda.

Commitment towards improving the college's rating

Budeli-Nemakonde commits to working hard to contribute to implementing the college’s vision: "Towards the leading college of law and justice in Africa". One of her goals for the College of Law is for it to become one of the most competitive colleges at Unisa and one of the leading colleges or faculties of law in South Africa, Africa and the rest of the world through fostering partnerships with universities and professional bodies in the African region and abroad.

The College of Law is excited to have an academic researcher at its helm who will bring her wealth of knowledge and experience to serve the staff members and the important stakeholders of the university and local and international students. As a home-grown leader, Budeli-Nemakonde is alive to the enormous potential and challenges of the College of Law. As she assumes her new role as the Executive Dean of the College of Law, elevating African scholarship and advancing the effective use of technology to improve teaching and learning practices are at the top of her agenda, and she intends to continue the trend to enhance the college’s ranking.  

* By Ngwako Mokgotho, Communications and Marketing Specialist, College of Law