NWU history professor to serve on National Research Foundation

A history professor from the faculty of Human and Social Sciences at the Mafikeng Campus has been appointed to serve on the National Research Foundation (NRF).

Prof Bernard Mbenga from the Department of History, Peace Studies & International Relations, has been appointed in the Historical Studies Specialist Committee (SC). This committee evaluates applicants in history for NRF rating.

An NRF-rated scholar himself with a C3 rating, Prof Mbenga has co-written several history books on South African history, of which The Cambridge History of South Africa, Vol. 1, Early Times to 1985, and New History of South Africa are prescribed and compulsory reading in most South African universities' History Departments.

Asked how he feels about the appointment, Prof Mbenga stated: "It means a lot of work, but I feel honoured and pleased that the results of my hard work are being recognised nationally. To be not only an NRF-rated academic, but also a member of an NRF specialist committee that selects the academic winners is an achievement which, in turn, enhances the image of the campus and the university."