The professor who never stops learning

“If all parents instil the love of education in their children while they are still young, the world would be a better place to stay. This will help them to create opportunities for themselves if they cannot find employment.” These are the words of highly respected and distinguished academic Professor Mutendwahothe Walter Lumadi.

This professor, whose thirst for acquiring academic knowledge never stops, holds a Secondary Teachers Diploma, Further Diploma in Education, Bachelor of Arts degree, two honours degrees, three master’s degrees and two doctorates.

Limpopo Mirror hooked up with Prof Lumadi while he was doing community work at Tshikuyu village, outside Musina.

Lumadi launched his teaching career at Hanyani High School in Tshipise Tsha Sagole village. He then worked at several institutions, including being a lecturer at Venda College of Education (VECO) and later as campus rector for the Westminster College of Education. He also worked at the South African College for Teachers Education, the University of Venda and at the University of the North West, where he was an associate professor.  He is currently a full professor at the University of South Africa (UNISA), where he was appointed in 2010. 

Apart from working at UNISA, Prof Lumadi also does work (academic citizenship) for various universities across the world. These include the universities of Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, Melbourne Australia, Singapore, and Brazil. He has also travelled across the globe, attending conferences, and delivering academic papers on various topics.

A village boy, Prof Lumadi attended primary school at Sagole Primary School and completed his high-school education at Malilele High School in Shakadza village.

When asked what motivated him to acquire so many academic qualifications, Prof Lumadi said: “Knowledge is power, and it simply means that if you have it, you can have complete control of your life by using that knowledge. Besides that, education is evolving every day and it is important for us to get new knowledge every now and then.”

Asked if the outbreak of the coronavirus had had an effect on his academic career, he responded: “As an experienced academic, I have been working from home for the past nine years, using technology to interact with various academic institutions. I do most of my work online and most of the time, there is no need for me to visit these academic institutions physically. Covid just gave the world a wakeup call that we should use technology to the best of our abilities to be in touch with other people out there.”

He says achieving academic excellence did not have anything to do with your background or where you come from. “My late father passed the then standard 6 and my mother, who is still alive, cannot even write her name. I believed in myself and told myself that I want to be a better person in life. Anyone can achieve academic excellence through hard work, perseverance, and effective time management. That is why I can easily shuffle between my roles as a family man, academic, and community worker.”

Date:23 May 2021

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