Prof. Letlhokwa George Mpedi

Vice-Chancellor and Principal, University of Johannesburg

A scholar-administrator and architect of societal impact, combining a deep commitment to social justice with a strategic vision to harness the Fourth Industrial Revolution for tangible community benefit.

Professor Mpedi represents a distinct model of modern academic leadership. His ascent from a researcher to the highest office of the University of Johannesburg makes him a quintessential "insider," with an unparalleled understanding of its history and strategic imperatives. His leadership is profoundly shaped by his personal history and his intellectual journey as a world-renowned scholar of social and labour law.

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The Scholar: Social Justice and 4IR

Professor Mpedi's leadership is founded on a distinguished and prolific career as a legal scholar. His work, which consistently addresses the vulnerabilities of marginalized communities, is validated by his rating as an Internationally Acclaimed Researcher (NRF B-rated).

His research has pivoted to the intersection of artificial intelligence and law, a move that directly informs his institutional strategy and led to the launch of UJ's AI and the Law Institute.

His scholarly identity has evolved from a traditional focus on social justice to a forward-looking engagement with the legal and ethical challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Key themes in his work include:

  • Social Protection: Critically evaluating social insurance models for workers in the informal economy.
  • Migrant Worker Rights: Researching the portability of social security benefits for migrant workers within the SADC region.
  • AI and the Law: Co-authoring the book Artificial Intelligence and the Law and spearheading institutional research into the regulation and ethics of AI.

The Vice-Chancellor: A Vision for Societal Impact

Appointed Vice-Chancellor in March 2023, Professor Mpedi has articulated a clear vision for the university's next chapter: "Global Excellence and Stature (GES) 4.0 for Societal Impact." This strategy harnesses UJ's established identity as a leader in 4IR and deliberately redirects its focus toward generating tangible, positive, and measurable outcomes for society.

This vision is substantiated by high-impact flagship initiatives, including:

  • 4IR for Development: A pioneering project using 3D printing technology to construct a complete house in a single day, offering a scalable solution to homelessness.
  • The Gwakwani Smart Village: A partnership that transformed a "forgotten village" with no infrastructure into a sustainable community powered by solar energy.
  • Pan-African Collaboration: The "Africa by Bus" program, which takes students on road trips to other African nations to foster cultural exchange and collaborative engineering projects.

His leadership provides a compelling case study in how deep institutional knowledge, scholarly expertise, and a clear, human-centric vision can steer a major university toward a future of both global excellence and profound local relevance.

An Institutional Leader, "Through and Through"

Professor Mpedi frequently describes himself as a "University of Johannesburg man through and through." His career represents a remarkable ascent through nearly every academic and administrative level of the institution and its predecessors, from Junior Lecturer to his current role.

This long and dedicated tenure has endowed him with an unparalleled degree of institutional memory and cultural fluency. His methodical progression—from Researcher, to Head of Department, to Executive Dean of Law, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor—has given him a granular understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing all constituencies of the university, solidifying his role as a trusted custodian of UJ's past and the chief architect of its future.