Professor Tawana Kupe is the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria. He holds a BA Honours and Masters degree in English from the University of Zimbabwe, and a DPhil in Media Studies from University of Oslo, Norway. An Honorary Doctorate in Humanities was bestowed on him by Michigan State University in December 2019.

Prof Kupe has a notable publication record, having authored journal articles, books and book chapters in his main discipline, Media Studies and Journalism. He is an active member of several Civil Society Organisations, including the AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism and is Chairman of the Board of Media Monitoring Africa. He has been a judge and convenor of multiple major journalism awards in South Africa and is a member of the Council of the International Association of Media and Communication Research.

He has recently been appointed as a council member and trustee of The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Council, as well as a member of the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) in South Africa, and the Advisory Committee of the South African Sustainable Development Goals Policy Support Initiative.

Professor Kupe is a popular invited speaker, academic expert and regular commentator on issues of media performance on radio, television and the print media in South Africa for local and international media.