Prof Narend Baijnath, former Unisa Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), passed away at the age of 61 on 1 May this year. Colleagues and friends paid tribute to his remarkable life and career at a commemoration hosted by UJ on 1 July.

Facilitated with great aplomb by programme director, Dr Kirti Menon, Senior Director of Academic Planning, Quality Promotion and Academic Staff Development at UJ, the commemoration featured song, heartfelt eulogies and striking images.

Click below to view a video produced by Unisa celebrating and commemorating the life of Prof Baijnath.

Following a performance by the Unisa Choir, the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, said that the South African higher education sector has lost a leader, a respected administrator, an educationist par excellence and a good friend to many. "We celebrate his generosity, professionalism and commitment," he said.

Friend, colleague and former CEO of the CHE, Prof Saleem Badat, said that Prof Baijnath’s sudden and tragic passing has been devastating for family, friends and colleagues, many feeling cheated by his much too early passing at age 61. "Hopefully," he continued, "warm, pleasant and uplifting memories will sustain family and associates and live on in minds and hearts. May his virtues and practices too live on in new generations of scholars and higher education administrators."

Prof Barney Pityana, former Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Unisa, said that Prof Baijnath’s sudden passing leaves his friends and colleagues with a sense of unfinished business. "Nothing that any of us could ever say could adequately capture the value of Narend," he said. "He meant so much to me as a brother, a friend, a colleague and a support system in the work we did. I found him charitable with his time and ideas but always kind and dependable. He was the consummate gentleman."

Reading a message by Prof Puleng LenkaBula, current Unisa Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Thenjiwe Meyiwa, Vice-Principal: Research, Postgraduate Studies, Innovation and Commercialisation at Unisa, stated that Prof Baijnath is celebrated by his Unisa colleagues for his great humanity and enduring friendship. "He was generous with his time and sought to encourage and support young scholars in their academic formation," she continued. "To those who knew him well, he had a great sense of humour, and was a joy to work with. He demonstrated the best of what it meant to be human. He was an exceptional human being with an astonishing capacity to embrace, love, forgive, serve and genuinely care for the peoples and places of Africa and the world. His celebrated career and sustained service to the nation have left us a rich legacy, which will no doubt endure and give us much to reflect upon and act on, in the decades to come."

Speaking on behalf of the family, Mohini Baijnath, Prof Baijnath’s daughter, said that it was evident from the various eulogies that her father took great pride in being an academic, and being engaged in the community as a whole. "He thrived in an environment where he could build, contribute to the higher education environment and be of service to the community," she said. "To our family he was the always witty, sometimes mischievous and incredibly loving father, husband, brother and uncle. Every now and again we would get a view of him as an intellectual and a professional. This window into his life outside of our home was always inspiring. One cannot separate his identity from his compassion and unwavering love of knowledge. Thank you to everyone for joining the family today to celebrate a giant among men."

Pictured with Prof Baijnath are (from left) Rohan (son), Mohini (daughter) and Indira (wife)

Also sharing their memories of the great man were:

• Prof Saurabh Sinha, DVC Research and Internationalisation, UJ
• Prof Patrick Deane, President of the Governing Council, Magna Charta Observatory
• Prof Asha Kanwar, President & CEO, Commonwealth of Learning
• Prof Pundy Pillay, Professor: Economics and Public Finance, Wits University
• Dr Genevieve James, Deputy Director Community Engagement, Unisa
• Vuyokazi Matsam, Director of Corporate Services, CHE
• Prof Shireen Motala, SARChI Chair Teaching and Learning, University of Johannesburg
• Nhlanhla Cele, University of Zululand
• Prof KP Dzimbo, CEO of the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education

* By Philip van der Merwe, Editor, Department of Institutional Advancement