The University of Zululand is delighted to announce the appointment of Azwidowi Mukheli, Director in the Protection Services Department.

Mukheli’s appointment came into effect on 1 June 2019 and reports directly to Prof Gideon De Wet, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation. Mukheli’s role entails the strategic leadership of the University of Zululand’s (UNIZULU) security portfolio, which will require optimum exploitation of the convergence of people, process and technology.

His leadership style can be summed up into two words: transformational leadership. He is a strong believer in change and owner-manager ideals and individual responsibility. “The ancient Pythagoras community brought much innovation by loathing inertia to change, and yes, by tinkering with ideas.  The result: the theorem of Pythagoras. There is just so much to learn and to do, and we will do,” said Mukheli.

Outlining his vision which includes prevention and detection of crime, he said: “I am extremely pleased with the challenge that is ahead of us as the PSD. The security mandate is constantly changing and my role is to interpret these changes, identify constraints and respond with a counter-strategy that secures and enhances the security of the institution– simultaneously ushering the institutional security portfolio to the artificial intelligence-based modern age. I am certain that with the support of all stakeholders, it is possible.”

Elaborating on what led him to pursue a career in security services, he explained that he grew up in a scholarly tradition and was struck by Plato’s conception of the ‘guardians’ in a polis. “Guardians are with us everywhere – be it at a state level, municipality, the academy or even in finance. It is an evolution since time immemorial. This fascination took him to the core of security, namely the intelligence sector, and the diplomatic and international security environment, and yes, even to the security department of academia. My presence at UNIZULU is a continuum in advancing the ethos of guardianship,” Mukheli elaborated.

He was born and raised in a small village called Lwamondo which is situated 20 Kilometers outside Thohoyandou, Limpopo. When he is not at the office, Mukheli spends his time jogging and working out at the gym. He is also a big fan of reading intellectual materials which simply endows him with so much fun – thanks to Socrates.