The Pan Afrikanist Watchman

The University of Botswana (UB) has appointed Prof Onkgopotse JJ Tabane as adjunct professor at the Department of Media Studies in the Faculty of Humanities.

Professor Tabane, a South African, holds a PhD in Media Studies from Wits University, South Africa. He also holds a BA Degree from the University of Limpopo, BProc Degree from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and a Master’s Degree in Political Economy from Nelson Metropolitan Mandela University (NMMU) now Nelson Mandela University (NMU), South Africa. He is currently Professor of Communications at the UNISA School of Business Leadership.

Throughout his career, Professor Tabane has completed leadership courses at Wits Business School and University of Cape Town (UCT) Business School. In 2010, he was admitted as an associate of the prestigious Institute of International Business (IIB).

Professor Tabane is skilled in strategic communications, something he crafted in 1989 when, at only 25, he became a ministerial spokesperson of the then Department of Constitutional Development in South Africa under former Minister Mohammed Valli Moosa. In 2002, he was selected the inaugural joint winner of the Government Communicator of the year.

Following this accolade, Professor Tabane was in 2003 appointed Communications Advisor for the then Chamber of Mines representing almost all mining companies in South Africa. Another position he held was as Communications Advisor for the African Development Bank (ADB) for the African Peer Review Mechanism African Union (AU) governance advisory body.

He helped the organisation to craft a Communications Strategy as well as to set up a continent-wide communications forum representing 40 countries. In 2006, Professor Tabane held the position of Vice President of Communications for the South African Airways where he was also in charge of strategy, business development all domestic airports and customer care under the leadership of Dr Khaya Nqula.

Other roles include being a consultant to Brand South Africa and Water Research Commission and convenor of the National Communications Task Team. Professor Tabane has also served as First Chief Information Officer of the Congress of the People (COPE). After these and many other roles he went on to become Chief Executive Officer of an investor relations company, Graphicor Pty Ltd, a subsidy of a Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed ADcorp.

In 2007, he joined the multibillion Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed company, Altron and served on its main board and the subsidiary boards of Powertech, Altech and Bytes Technologies as Group Executive Corporate Affairs with a mandate to drive a five-year transformation strategy. From 2014 to date, Professor Tabane became a non-state actor in the AU.

From 2019, Professor Tabane served as Chairperson of the University of Western Cape (UWC) Media Society. Other roles include serving as board committee Chair of Finance at UWC and Transformation at North-West University and has spoken at various international conferences since his youth including as Convenor of the International Anglican Youth Network with offices in New York and London.

Since 2006 when he penned his first column for the City Press Newspaper, Professor Tabane has been a columnist of the Huffington Post, The Mail and Guardian, Daily Maverick, The Star and the Sunday Times penning more than 300 opinion pieces both in his name and guest writer for his numerous clients in his communication companies that he founded and ran over the years.

He remains the CEO and shareholder of reputation management company, Sgwili Media Group. Professor Tabane is an author of “Let’s Talk Frankly”- Letters to Influential South Africans on the state of the nation (Pan MacMillan) and has just launched a biography of Major Madisa Mfeka “Yes I am a pilot” (Seriti sa Sechaba publishers).

In 2023, he launched his first academic guidebook – a workbook of strategic communications.  In 2013, Professor Tabane launched a media career serving as Editor of Leadership and BBQ Magazines and Anchor at eNCA.

Amongst his extensive portfolio, Professor Tabane has been Executive Producer of Water is Life on Tshwane TV as well as being host of numerous programmes on television and radio – Frank Dialogue on Ubuntu Radio, Power Perspective on Power 987, Frankly Speaking on SABC 3 and 404, “Your View” on Newzroom Afrika channel 405 and “Power to Truth” on eNCA.

He is also, Chief Facilitator and Convenor of Frank Dialogue as well as editor of top business publications: Leadership magazine and BBQ magazine. Professor Tabane has also served as Sessional Lecturer in African Media Studies Honours Class: Media and Politics Honours class and Academic Champion for Government Communications Course at Wits Business School.  He is founder of Communications Master Class series recently staged at the University of Botswana and on the side lines of the SONA in Cape Town. Professor Tabane is married to Nonhlanhla Xaba and has three kids: Resego, Oreabetse and Musa.

About the University of Botswana:

The University of Botswana is a leading institution of higher learning in Botswana, committed to providing quality education, research, and service to the nation and beyond. The University seeks to improve economic and social conditions for advancing itself as a distinctively African university with regional and international outlook.