Prof Emeritus Ngwabi Bhebhe is the current Chairperson of the ZIMCHE. He is a Zimbabwean historian and is the first Vice-Chancellor of the Midlands State University. He served as the Vice-chancellor for Midlands State University from 1999 to 2016. Prof Bhebe is the man who nursed the Midlands State University from its infancy in the early millennium right up to his retirement as the institution’s founding Vice-Chancellor in 2016. Previously he had served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe and has published on the Zimbabwe liberation war.
Professor Ngwabi Mulunge Bhebe is a distinguished scholar who obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Geography from the University of Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland (UBLS) in 1967. He received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Imperial History from the University of London in 1972.
A celebrated historian par excellence, Professor Bhebe’s academic employment dates back to 1974 when he lectured in history at Faurah Bay College in Sierra Leone, and later at the University of Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland (UBLS) as well as at the University of Zimbabwe from 1982. He served as Professor of History at the University of Zimbabwe from 1988 to 1999, and also as an external examiner at the universities of Botswana, Malawi, and Zambia. Professor Bhebe is a researcher of no mean accomplishments. He has published extensively and has to his name several books as well as articles in internationally refereed journals. In this area, he has received numerous academic honours and awards. He has also presented papers at international conferences.
With regard to administrative experiences, Professor Bhebe is a seasoned university administrator who has gone through the mill, serving as Chairperson of the University of Zimbabwe’s History Department from 1989 to 1992, as well as of the Research Board from 1984 to 1991. He also served as Senior Proctor and ultimately Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the same university from 1992 to 1995. In 1999, Professor Bhebe was appointed as founder Vice-Chancellor of Midlands State University, an institution, which has risen to dizzy heights under his ingenious leadership. Professor Bhebe has made a sterling contribution to the development of higher education both nationally and internationally. He also has a remarkable track record in community service.
Beyond Midlands State University, Professor Bhebe’s academic credentials, vision, and leadership have been noticed and recognized as evidenced by the fact that currently, he serves as:
- Zimbabwe representative on the UNESCO Executive Board
- Council Member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)
- Alternate Members of the Governing Board of the Association of African Universities (AAU)
- Founding and Executive Member of the Southern African Regional Universities Association (SARUA)
- Board Member of the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE), and Chairperson of the Council’s Funding and Finance Committee
- Board Members of ZISCOSTEEL Pvt Ltd Zimbabwe, Chairperson of the Human Resource Management Committee and Member of the Finance Committee.
- Country Researcher, and Member of the Management Board of the Hashim Mbita SADC Liberation Struggle Project,
- Non-Executive Director of Ngwabi Enterprises.
- Founding Member and second Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Universities Vice-Chancellor Association (ZUVCA).