Strengthening Collaboration and Future-Focused Strategies

Senior human resources leaders from South Africa’s universities gathered at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal, on 23-24 October 2025 for the latest meeting of the Human Resource Directors’ Forum (HRDF), convened under the auspices of Universities South Africa (USAf).

The two-day engagement provided a strategic platform for HR directors to share best practices, reflect on current challenges, and advance collaborative initiatives that shape the human capital landscape of the Higher Education sector.

Ms Susan Robertson, Chairperson of the forum and Director: People and Culture at Rhodes University, welcomed participants and highlighted the importance of collaboration and HR leadership in universities.

Advocate Paul Finden, Executive Director: HR at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), opened the session with a warm welcome and introduced the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Health Sciences, Professor Busi Ncama, who delivered an address on behalf of Vice-Chancellor Professor Nana Poku. Ncama highlighted the pivotal role of HR leadership in enabling universities to deliver on their teaching, research, and transformation mandates.

Ncama, an alumna of UKZN, underscored the role HR practitioners play in building systems that protect and empower academic and professional staff by investing in development and well-being and championing integrity. “Your duty extends beyond compliance and policy – it is a moral and strategic responsibility to uphold the dignity of scholarship to protect spaces for reason and debate, and to ensure that our institutions remain engines of research, societal transformation, economic prosperity and human dignity,” said Ncama.

Robertson facilitated a reflective session on the forum’s structure, leadership rotation, and programme of work. The discussion reaffirmed the HRDF’s commitment to remain an agile and collaborative platform that supports people management excellence across the sector.

Stakeholder engagement formed a significant part of the programme. The forum received briefings from the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Department of Home Affairs on critical developments impacting Higher Education.

Ms Ntombizodwa Matjila, Registrar of the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO), outlined the unit’s mandate and looked at the national register for sexual offences. She reflected on compliance and safety in the sector and underscored the importance of vetting employees annually.

Ms Phatheka Vikwa from the Department of Home Affairs presented plans to develop and implement a bespoke online framework to streamline visa processing for international staff and students – a development delegates see as a crucial step toward improving administrative efficiency.

The forum focused on advancing ongoing sector projects, including:

• The completion of the Integrated Talent Management Framework, developed by Professor Nicolene Barkhuizen and presented by Mr Meko Magida, Executive Director for HR at the University of the Western Cape, which aims to align recruitment, development, and retention practices across the sector.
• Mr Milton Nyamadzawo presented on the Digital Academy initiative at North-West University, which equips staff and students with artificial intelligence (AI) skills to prepare for the future of work. Nyamadzawo said that people fear being replaced by AI, but emphasised that “you can only fear it if you don’t use it.”
• Updates on the establishment of a sector-wide information sharing portal, led by USAf, to enhance collaboration and knowledge management among HR practitioners.
• A briefing from Mr Leon Roets, Chairperson of the Employee Health and Wellness Forum, on recent wellness initiatives supporting staff wellbeing.
• Ms Heriet Matlakala, Chair of the Skills Development Facilitators Forum, presented a proposal on a Competency Framework Training and Coaching Programme submitted to the Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP SETA) for funding.
• Dr Manoshni Perumal, Director of HRD at UKZN, recommended that Higher Education Institutions adopt a standardised set of descriptors linked to Occupational Categories that will provide direction to the scarce and critical skills needed in the sector.
• Feedback from the Employment Equity Managers’ Forum, presented by Ms Lucina Reddy and Ms Neo Bila, highlighting sectoral progress in equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• A report from the Employee Relations Forum, delivered by Mr Thabo Lebakeng, outlining ongoing efforts to strengthen labour relations and dispute resolution mechanisms across universities.

The Chairperson thanked all participants for their contributions and reaffirmed the forum’s collective commitment to nurturing responsive, ethical, and future-ready HR leadership within South Africa’s Higher Education sector.

The 2026 HR Directors’ Forum meetings will be hosted by the University of the Free State (UFS).

About the HR Directors’ Forum
The HR Directors’ Forum is one of several professional communities co-ordinated by Universities South Africa (USAf) to promote collaboration, policy alignment, and sector-wide capacity building among university executives and practitioners. Through regular meetings and shared initiatives, the forum serves as a key platform for strengthening the human resources function across South Africa’s public universities.

Words: Raylene Captain-Hasthibeer

Photograph: Albert Hirasen