Home-brewed academic is Univen's new registrar

Between the early 1990s and the early 2000s, Dr Joel Baloyi was among the young students at the University of Venda (Univen), optimistic about building a bright future for themselves through higher learning. As fate would have it, the academic has returned to Univen, well armed with a string of academic qualifications as the institution’s new registrar. His appointment became effective on 1 November.

Baloy’s humble beginnings started in the rural village of Lombard Mtititi outside Malamulele, where he completed his primary schooling at Tinyiko Primary School in 1985 and his matric at Shitlhangoma High School in 1990. After that, he went on to study for his BIuris degree at Univen, where he later also obtained his LLB degree.

He has since acquired a list of other impressive qualifications and occupied many influential positions in the workspace, including six years as a senior law lecturer at the University of South Africa and another six years as deputy registrar: governance.

Baloyi brings a wealth of experience with him as Univen’s new registrar, being well versed in the intricacies of higher education, having contributed to international publications in the field of copyright law, and having published articles in peer-reviewed journals.

He described his appointment as a homecoming. “I am glad to be back home. This is the institution that shaped me to be who I am today. It is time to give back to my alma mater, and I am looking forward to collaborating with the management, student body, academic and administrative staff, and the broader university community to propel the University of Venda to even greater heights,” he said.

Univen’s vice-chancellor and principal, Dr Bernard Nthambeleni, described Baloyi as a “great catch” for his institution. “We firmly believe that his wealth of experience from different sectors will significantly contribute to taking the university to greater heights. We call upon all the internal and external stakeholders to support the new registrar during his tenure at Univen,” he said.

Date:18 November 2023

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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