Visiting scholars and mou's

Foreign distinguished visiting professors have included Clarke Murdock of the State University of New York at Buffalo, who later moved from teaching to the US Department of Defence; John Garnet, Head of International Politics at Aberystwyth in Wales; Yehezkel Dror, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Newell M Stultz of Brown University; Eugene Meehan of the University of Missouri, St. Louis, USA; Walter Carlsnaes, of Uppsala University, Sweden and then editor of the prestigious new European Journal of International Relations; Jan-Erik Lane of Oslo University, currently at the University of Geneva; Douglas Rimmer of Birmingham University; Hans Keman from the Free University of Amsterdam; the africanist Gilbert Khadiagala from SIAS AT Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC, and John Gunnell, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the State University of New York at Albany.

Political Sciences has entered into two memorandums of understanding with sister departments at other universities.  The first is with the Department of Political Sciences at the Africa University in Mutare in Zimbabwe and the second is with the Department of Political Scinces at the Free University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Honourary doctorates awarded

Colin Legum was awarded the degree DLitt et Phil (hc) at a graduation ceremony, initiated by the Department of Political Sciences, held at Unisa on 17 September 2002, for his life time work in the field of African Politics. Dr Legum was a prolific writer on the politics of Africa and was renowned for amongst many other writings, his editing of Africa Contemporary Record and Third World Reports. He was described in many ways as ‘Mr Contemporary Africa’ and as a "legend in the politics of Africa". Sadly , Dr Legum passed on in 2003.

The Department of Political Sciences was a participant in May 2004 in the awarding of the degree DLitt et Phil (hc) to Sir Ketumile Masire, former President of Botswana. Sir Ketumile Masire was awarded the degree for his outstanding contributions on the continent of Africa to democracy, economic progress, peace and justice, and conservation.