Day in the Life: Professor Tawana Kupe

Vuyiswa Fumba

Prof. Kupe is a prominent figure at the University of Pretoria. Not only in his position as vice-chancellor and principal of the institution, but also due to his many interactions with students who have either come across him on campus or at various UP events. PDBY spent a day with Prof. Kupe and gained insight into his life and how he spends his days.

Prof. Tawana Kupe is a Zimbabwean-South African scholar. He started his tenure at the University of Pretoria in January 2019 and is widely published, boasting several articles and journalistic contributions. Prof. Kupe has garnered many accolades to his name, including most recently, being appointed a Knight of the French Legion of Honour in February 2023.

Prof. Kupe spends his mornings conducting and participating in meetings that are often accompanied by long agendas. At these meetings, he has to make extremely impactful decisions on a variety of matters, ranging from the management of the official UP social media pages and arrangements for Giving Day, to plans for the Health Sciences Faculty. His job includes overseeing the large-scale happenings at UP and coordinating between departments to ensure the smooth running of the institution.

When asked what time he usually clocks out of work, Prof. Kupe explained that it is not a normal 9 to 5 and that the amount of hours differs every day. Some days he might leave his office at 17:00 to head home and others, he might have an event to attend in the evening. This is one of Prof. Kupe’s favourite things about the job: no two days are the same. He explained, “The joy of the job lies in the diversity of experiences and people I come When asked about the most interesting person he has met through work, he responded, “It’s very diverse, from first-year students excited to start their university journey, to postgraduates, to the athletes on the sports campus who have won Olympic medals.”

Prof. Kupe cannot imagine a job with the same amount of freedom and the same opportunities to interact and connect with such diverse groups of people. Here he gets to work in myriad locations and make speeches before crowds in different situations. across on a day-to-day basis.”