Dr Vincent Maphai was inaugurated on 12 April 2024.

Madam Justice Mahube Molemela (2016 - 2023)

Dr Boet Troskie (2010 – 2015)

Mr Mosiuoa Patrick Lekota (1997 – 2009)

Vincent Maphai started his career in 1979 as a lecturer at the St John Vianney Seminary and St Peter’s Seminary in Pretoria. Today he is a celebrated academic, business leader and public servant. 

Born to working-class parents in Bantule, Pretoria, Vincent was the first of his family to matriculate. His parents instilled in him and his eight siblings the appreciation that education is a right, sadly denied to many, and should never be taken for granted.

Unable to afford university studies on a full-time basis, he was offered a secretarial job by a Catholic priest, who encouraged him to register part time, with the incentive that he would be refunded 80% of the fees for every course passed – an opportunity he seized with great zeal.

Today, Vincent holds a BA and BA (Hons) in International Politics from the University of South Africa; a BPhil (cum laude) and MPhil (magna cum laude) from the University of Leuven, Belgium; and a DPhil from the University of Natal. 

By the time he was 38 years old, he was an associate professor at the University of the Western Cape. Two years later, he was appointed as professor at the University of Cape Town, and later as Extraordinary Professor of Political Science at the University of Pretoria. 

Part of his academic journey included being a visiting professor at the Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts; a visiting professor at Williams College in Massachusetts; an Honorary Professor of Philosophy and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Johannesburg; and a Visiting Research Fellow at Oxford, Harvard, Stanford and Princeton universities.

He held several corporate roles, most notably as Director of Corporate Affairs at South African Breweries, and Corporate Affairs and Transformation Director at SABMiller. 

Vincent has served as Board Chairperson of companies such as BHP Billiton South Africa and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), and is currently the Board Chairperson of Sibanye-Stillwater, a global mining company, and Stadio Holdings.

In the public sector, he chaired the Presidential Review and the SABC, following appointments by Presidents Mandela and Mbeki, respectively. President Zuma appointed him to the National Planning Commission. 

He authored two books, contributed chapters, and articles in several publications.

Despite all these achievements, what this game and macadamia nut farmer cherishes the most, is time spent with his family, in particular his three sons, daughter, and six grandchildren.