Tribute to Prof. Chabani Manganyi
- Wits University
Prof. Manganyi, an academic and the first black psychologist, made an invaluable contribution to the discipline and higher education.
Wits University is deeply saddened by the passing of Prof. Noel Chabani Manganyi, a prolific author, scholar, biographer and higher education leader. Manganyi passed away on 31 October at the age of 84.
Manganyi who already had a reputation of academic excellence, joined Wits in 1981 as a senior research fellow and visiting professor at the then African Studies Institute. He spent a decade at Wits where he continued with his research and teaching opening up new areas of scholarly enquiry. His work at Wits culminated in the publication of the book Political Violence and the Struggle South Africa adding to earlier publications offering insight into the black experience, including Exiles and homecomings: A biography of Es'kia Mphahlele. He remained a friend of Wits University post his tenure and served on the board of Wits University Press (WUP) at the invitation of then-chair, Prof. Belinda Bozzoli, due to his intellectual integrity and passion for the preservation of South Africa’s rich cultural and scholarly heritage.
“He displayed these qualities – and more – in abundance during his long tenure from 2005 to 2018. With his gentle manner and deep insight as a psychologist and academic, he offered guidance to the Press as it sought to renew its identity and place in the local scholarly publishing ecosystem,” said WUP in a statement.
His exceptional writing skills meant that he wrote a number of books, five of which were published by the WUP over the years; they have taken on the status of classics in their fields.
Manganyi was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Literature by Wits in April 2008.
Born on 13 March 1940 in Louis Trichardt, Manganyi earned a BA, BA Honours, Masters and Doctorate from UNISA. From 1973 to 1975, he held a post-doctoral fellowship in clinical psychology at the Yale University of Medicine.
He developed expertise in political violence and would often be called upon to give expert evidence in political trials. The University’s archive attest to his enormous impact with the 2008 citation stating: “Manganyi’s oeuvre has made a substantial contribution to South African psychology, a contribution which has still to be fully acknowledged.”
An astute administrator, he contributed to higher education in South Africa by establishing a psychology department at University of Transkei (1976), served the vice-chancellor and principal of the University of the North (1990), director general of education under Minister Sibusiso Bhengu during Nelson Mandela's presidency, vice-principal (2003-2006) of the University of Pretoria, and as the chairperson of the Council on Higher Education (CHE).
Wits University send its condolences to the Manganyi family, and is honoured to have had the distinguished Professor serve not only Wits but South Africa and humanity.
Read a tribute by Wits lecturer and psychologist Dr Mpho Mathebula.
