The University of Zululand (UNIZULU) recently took a bold, historic step toward intellectual and institutional liberation by hosting a groundbreaking one-day scholarly workshop titled “Decolonising Human Resources, Reimagining the University for an African Century ”.
Held at the Council Chambers, the workshop convened leading academic voices to challenge the Eurocentric frameworks that dominate modern higher education and institutional practices in Africa.
Shifting from Compliance to African-Rooted Practice
Opening the event, Executive Director of Human Resources, Dr Connie Ngxito, highlighted the urgent need to evolve beyond standard Western HR metrics. While acknowledging the 13 institutional standards outlined by the South African Board for People Practices (SABPP) spanning talent management, remuneration and labour law, Dr Ngxito argued that modern HR must transcend mere compliance.
“We need an epistemology that is rooted in African values and grounded in practice,” Dr Ngxito urged. “It must be contemporary because HR evolves rapidly. Today, it is no longer just about compliance; it is about transformation, succession planning, coaching and management.”
Reflecting on her own doctoral research in performance management, Dr Ngxito outlined a model designed to support academic technical efficiency across four core pillars: teaching and learning; research and innovation; community engagement; and administration. She emphasised the importance of intentionally integrating Afrocentric and African-focused journals into university frameworks, expressing pride that UNIZULU is actively leading this charge.
Dismantling the Colonial Mindset in Higher Education
Programme Director Professor Sipho Seepe commended Dr Ngxito’s courage in initiating this critical dialogue. He contextualised the mission of the Node for African Thought within the harsh socio-economic realities of a post-colonial continent.
Prof Seepe pointed out a staggering paradox: despite Africa’s immense abundance of natural resources, fauna and flora as well as mushrooming of universities, the continent housed 80% of the world’s poor by 2025. In contrast, nations like China lifted over 800 million people out of poverty in less than 40 years by leveraging their resources effectively.
Prof Seepe noted that universities, as social institutions, are failing if they do not resolve society’s socio-economic ills.
“Evidently, the fact that conditions in Africa are worsening can only mean that those instruments that were put together to provide solutions are failing. They are failing because, in their establishment, they were always colonial institutions. UNIZULU is the first of its kind to say we are going to become a Node for African Thought so we can marshal our intellectual energies to be part of the solution.”
Education Without Apology
Invoking the legacy of Prof Herbert Vilakazi, who warned in 1986 that Western education often strips Africans of their cultural identity, Prof Seepe concluded that the Node for African Thought is a fundamental struggle for African humanity.
The initiative aims to produce graduates who do not apologise for being African and who reject the “resource curse”. Through this node, UNIZULU firmly commits to dismantling the colonial mindset, ensuring that institutional HR practices and academic outputs finally serve the true advancement of the African continent.
In closing, Thabo Lebakeng, Director: Employee Relations and Employee Wellbeing stated that UNIZULU has always been and remains a Node for African Thought. He opined that many of the continent’s most influential scholars and critical thinkers emerged from the institution’s corridors. He pointed out that Africa itself is the cradle of humankind and the birthplace of civilisation – from ancient Timbuktu manuscripts to the towering pyramids of Giza and the many intellectual traditions across the continent, its history is rich with learning and innovation. Hence, UNIZULU’s current mission is about reclaiming and amplifying that legacy.
He further challenged the Human Resources Unit, which is currently undertaking a review of its policies, to ensure that the spirit and purport of its policies align with UNIZULU’s identity as a Node for African Thought. Beyond this, the policies must centre African perspectives, value indigenous knowledge systems and embody institutional practices that nurture scholarship, critical thinking and intellectual leadership rooted in African heritage.
Lebakeng thereafter thanked all the participants for their attendance. He expressed gratitude to Prof Seepe who reminded participants about their sense of being and emphasised that being African is enough, therefore there is no need to assimilate foreign ways to be considered progressive. He also thanked Prof Akpome for his invaluable contribution to the engagement, which greatly enhanced the conversation. Finally, he congratulated Dr Ngxito for organising this important session.
Pictures: Samkele Sokhela
