By Bertie Jacobs
Dr Bismark Tyobeka leans back ever so slightly in his chair, gives a stern look with a knowing wink, and brandishes a make-believe stick in his right hand that he waves in a chastising manner.
He laughs, mimicking the way his father would reprimand him.
The vice-chancellor and principal of the North-West University (NWU) is affectionately recalling his upbringing in the small community of Welverdiend, about an hour’s drive away from Rustenburg. “I was born and bred in North West,” he says.
The renowned nuclear energy specialist is both worlds removed from and close to home, with a childhood that saw him herding cattle as a young boy, running between classes to feed his family’s livestock, and now serving as the head of one of the most prominent universities in the country.
“I was raised in a very strict Christian family. We adhered to strict values that shaped me, and still continue to shape the person that I am today,” he explains. Two paintings of cattle and one depicting village life adorn the walls of his office on the Potchefstroom Campus of the NWU. He still owns a house in Welverdiend, where his mother continues to reside. It is his sanctuary, and more than that, a reminder of where his sense of responsibility was embedded in him.
This is but one of the man’s facets. He cherishes the teachings of his past as much as he values what the future holds.
“When this opportunity arose to apply for the position of vice-chancellor of the NWU, I felt it was time to zoom back home. To act locally, but to make my presence felt globally. I wanted to make a contribution close to where I was born. To be near my roots.”
Before his appointment as vice-chancellor, Dr Bismark served as the head of the NWU’s Council. It was a homecoming that stemmed from his time as BSc student at the then University of Bophuthatswana, which would later merge with the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (among other institutions) to form the NWU.
“In my fourth year of study, we began focusing on nuclear physics. In my spare time I used to read more and more about what nuclear energy entails.”
This fascinating field, combined with his proclivity for exploring the unknown, made him appreciate the mammoth power that atoms hold. Their ability to shape worlds shaped his.
Soon, scholarships to complete his master’s and PhD degrees in Nuclear Physics followed, and he and his family based themselves in the United States and Germany, where he established himself as an expert in his field.
Then, home. “I look forward to the challenge of leading the university to greater heights without disrupting the good work that has been done by my predecessors. I have found so many exemplary things at the NWU.”
He aims to integrate, not exclude. To build, not to break. “If the university is well-run, it should have a direct impact on our province and its municipalities.
The NWU is a big and complex machine that has the potential to change the lives of the people in the province and the country. For me, that is an exciting opportunity. I want to enhance the successes of my predecessors and take their achievements to new heights. As an example, I want us to narrow our focus and spread our expertise to our health, agricultural and mining sectors. We need to eradicate unemployment among the youth, foster a culture where future industry leaders can excel and build international relationships. The promotion of an entrepreneurial culture among our students is crucial in order broaden their opportunities in the business market.”
The enhancement of multilingualism is one of his self-imposed directives. “We will invest more funding in the development of Setswana, Sesotho and isiZulu to the level of maturity as languages of instruction. Our institution remains a preferred and niche destination for Afrikaans-speaking students who seek quality education in their mother tongue. We are probably the last such remaining destination. While others view this as a threat and an aberration of our transformation efforts, we view this as an opportunity to demonstrate that transformation does not equal the extinction of indigenous South African languages, of which Afrikaans is one. Instead, our transformation and decolonisation efforts must use the Afrikaans language as a benchmark to prop up other languages.”
It is no surprise then, that tradition is at the centre of his being. Take that which is closest to his heart: family.
“Family is the first place where you express your excitement and also disappointment. They are the first ones to celebrate with you and they are also the first ones to take a knock with you when you experience failure or hurt. Family is your refuge. Family is where I start and where I end. There is nothing I like more than to go on a walk with my wife and kids. It gives me time to reflect, to think, to relax.”
In these times of communal solitude, when introspection and the bond that unites him with his loved ones come to the fore, his purpose is reaffirmed. This is when his father’s wisdom is manifested. There is no hesitation as he articulates what his father’s influence means.
“When I hear that I have inspired someone to do something positive, and to achieve more. When I can be a role model. That is what when I feel I am fulfilling my purpose.”
There is another painting in his office. It sits right above his desk and looks down on him with an eternal smile. Madiba.
“I can say what he means to me, but all South Africans can say that. I have another here, Martin Luther King Jr. He is one of the bravest men who ever lived.”
He paraphrases a speech Dr King gave on the day of his death. One where he said that he had been to the mountaintop and had seen the promised land, but that he knew he would not reach it. Then, on a sombre note: “We must not condemn ourselves to failure while we are still alive. We have too many young people who sit at home and who do not make use of the systems and opportunities available to them. We must not allow them to use excuses. I have seen how people grow at university. They defy their school record that used to define them.”
And for Dr Mzubanzi Bismark Tyobeka, this is the promised land. One the vice-chancellor and principal of the North-West University hopes we all will see.
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