A significant academic dispute has emerged at Sol Plaatje University (SPU), leading to the resignation of a senior academic after the institution barred him from using the title “Professor”.
The academic involved is Professor Luvuyo Ntombana, who resigned from SPU on July 31, 2025.
The Core of the Dispute
The controversy centres on the difference between holding an academic rank at one university and having that title automatically recognized at another, particularly when an academic moves into a non-teaching, administrative position.
- Academic’s Stance: Professor Ntombana held the rank of Professor at his previous institution.
- SPU’s Stance: The SPU Registrar, Dr. Jody Cedras, informed him that the Research Director post he had accepted did “not include a [professorial] title.”
In the South African university system, the title of “Full Professor” is the most senior academic grade, typically granted based on extensive publications, postgraduate supervision, and academic leadership. However, SPU’s institutional statute likely requires the title to be formally granted by SPU itself, or only used within specific academic posts, which the Director position may not have been classified as.
The academic ultimately chose to resign from SPU following the instruction to cease using the title, highlighting a rigid enforcement of academic protocol that may have undermined his professional standing.
