University of Johannesburg secures spot in Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings' global top 30

University of Johannesburg Vice-Chancellor Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi said the prestigious rankings 'measure a university's contribution towards the realisation of sustainable development; it is the impact we have as a university on people'.
The University of Johannesburg is now the leading sub-Saharan Africa institution in addressing global challenges through the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This is according to the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings.
The University of Johannesburg's (UJ) strong performance in the 2025 rankings, climbing 13 places from its 2024 position of 36th to an outstanding 23rd place globally, highlights its excellence in areas such as environmental sustainability, social inclusion, economic growth and global partnerships — affirming its role as a transformative force in higher education.
The university is now ranked among the top 30 universities in the world out of 2,318 institutions evaluated.
UJ also performed well in the individual SDG top 10s, taking second place for SDG 1 (no poverty), fourth place for SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and joint fourth for SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals).
'We want UJ to be the best university for the world'
Daily Maverick spoke to the UJ Vice-Chancellor Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi, who said this milestone was not easy to attain; however, it showed the impact that the university had on people from different communities in South Africa.
Mpedi gave examples of some of the work done.
'Through the UJ societal impact project in Limpopo, we adopted villages and a high school, working with generous donors. We are addressing food insecurity.
'We've got carriages that we have set up there, helping gogos, but there are children in a high school called Hanyani High School; they leave home at 4am to be at school at 8am. We have assisted with internet and water,' said Mpedi.
Another example included work done in the Eastern Cape.
'There's a village where we set up hydro panels. There was a water issue, and through these hydro panels we harvest water from the atmosphere; these hydro panels harvest 8,000 litres of potable water,' said Mpedi.
Speaking about eradicating poverty, Mpedi said challenges such as poverty, hunger, and unemployment must be dealt with by coming up with new solutions.
'Many of our students are the first generation to come to varsity, and student hunger is a big issue. We have a feeding programme for our needy students, and it's not a lousy meal. It's like Cheesy Rice and peanut butter, and we work with generous donors; also, the university invests some of its money…
'We've got lots of free land that is not being used. The aim is to show people that you can grow your food,' said Mpedi, who has held several senior academic and leadership positions. He served as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law, followed by his appointment as Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic. Since 2023, Mpedi has been the vice-chancellor and principal of the university.
For the Impact Ranking achievement, he thanked the students and his staff who had worked brilliantly.
'I would say to them, 'Thank you so much. The hard work is making a huge difference out there. It's giving people hope.' We are transforming lives,' said Mpedi.
Among other African universities that have made it to the top 100 is the University of Pretoria, which is now ranked 63, down from 42. Nigeria's Afe Babalola University is in joint 84th position, up from the 101-200 band. DM

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily Maverick

16 hours ago

• Daily Maverick

University of Johannesburg secures spot in Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings' global top 30

University of Johannesburg Vice-Chancellor Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi said the prestigious rankings 'measure a university's contribution towards the realisation of sustainable development; it is the impact we have as a university on people'. The University of Johannesburg is now the leading sub-Saharan Africa institution in addressing global challenges through the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is according to the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings. The University of Johannesburg's (UJ) strong performance in the 2025 rankings, climbing 13 places from its 2024 position of 36th to an outstanding 23rd place globally, highlights its excellence in areas such as environmental sustainability, social inclusion, economic growth and global partnerships — affirming its role as a transformative force in higher education. The university is now ranked among the top 30 universities in the world out of 2,318 institutions evaluated. UJ also performed well in the individual SDG top 10s, taking second place for SDG 1 (no poverty), fourth place for SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and joint fourth for SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals). 'We want UJ to be the best university for the world' Daily Maverick spoke to the UJ Vice-Chancellor Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi, who said this milestone was not easy to attain; however, it showed the impact that the university had on people from different communities in South Africa. Mpedi gave examples of some of the work done. 'Through the UJ societal impact project in Limpopo, we adopted villages and a high school, working with generous donors. We are addressing food insecurity. 'We've got carriages that we have set up there, helping gogos, but there are children in a high school called Hanyani High School; they leave home at 4am to be at school at 8am. We have assisted with internet and water,' said Mpedi. Another example included work done in the Eastern Cape. 'There's a village where we set up hydro panels. There was a water issue, and through these hydro panels we harvest water from the atmosphere; these hydro panels harvest 8,000 litres of potable water,' said Mpedi. Speaking about eradicating poverty, Mpedi said challenges such as poverty, hunger, and unemployment must be dealt with by coming up with new solutions. 'Many of our students are the first generation to come to varsity, and student hunger is a big issue. We have a feeding programme for our needy students, and it's not a lousy meal. It's like Cheesy Rice and peanut butter, and we work with generous donors; also, the university invests some of its money… 'We've got lots of free land that is not being used. The aim is to show people that you can grow your food,' said Mpedi, who has held several senior academic and leadership positions. He served as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law, followed by his appointment as Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic. Since 2023, Mpedi has been the vice-chancellor and principal of the university. For the Impact Ranking achievement, he thanked the students and his staff who had worked brilliantly. 'I would say to them, 'Thank you so much. The hard work is making a huge difference out there. It's giving people hope.' We are transforming lives,' said Mpedi. Among other African universities that have made it to the top 100 is the University of Pretoria, which is now ranked 63, down from 42. Nigeria's Afe Babalola University is in joint 84th position, up from the 101-200 band. DM

The South African

4 days ago

• The South African

Global child labour: Millions exploited worldwide

Global Child Labour Joint Report of 2025 by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) affirms that almost 138 million children globally are victims of forced labour. Of these, 54 million are doing life-threatening work; some of them are under 12 years old, and they are handling chemicals and using dangerous tools in harsh conditions. Sub-Saharan Africa is the most affected area, with 87 million child labourers, or almost two-thirds of the world's total. Children in war zones are 21% more likely to end up working than kids who live in other places. According to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Target 8.7, UN member states pledged in 2025 to end child labour by 2025. UNICEF reports that 59% of working children do not attend school, and 71% of children in Asia-Pacific experience complete school exclusion. The African Union's plan to eliminate child labour by 2030 provides a roadmap for the entire continent, aligning with Agenda 2063. However, progress is still uneven, and UNICEF is demanding free, high-quality education, stricter enforcement of labour laws, and more investment in education and child protection in rural areas. UNICEF's Regional Child Protection Advisor for East and Southern Africa, Nankali Maksud, highlights both challenges and progress. Children's labour is common in informal agriculture, domestic work, and street vending. Poverty is one of the key drivers, often forcing children to contribute to household income when families can't afford basic needs. South Africa has made commendable efforts through legislation, education, and social grants, all components which lead to the reduction of child labour. However, not only in South Africa but also throughout sub-Saharan Africa, more focused action is required. In its 2024-2025 Global Education Monitoring Report, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) reports that 251 million children globally are still not attending school, a 1% decrease since 2015. Director-General Audrey Azoulay points out that by the time they are ten years old, three out of four children in developing nations are illiterate. She advocates for community-led, inclusive leadership in education, addressing gender disparities and assisting school administrators. According to the report, collaborative models that help keep kids in school and enhance learning outcomes should replace strict hierarchies. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news

IOL News

5 days ago

• IOL News

New report reveals high levels of food insecurity persist in South Africa

The Socio-Economic Rights Institute (Seri) report reveals that food insecurity remains a challenge in South Africa. Image: Supplied Despite South Africa being food secure at a national level, household food security remains a challenge, with increasing food security rates. This is according to the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (Seri) report, which revealed that 23.1% of South African households experienced inadequate or severely inadequate access to food. The report titled Food for Thought: Reflections on Food Insecurity, aims to better understand how vulnerable communities in the country experience hunger and food insecurity, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The report shows that these issues preceded the Covid-19 pandemic but have been exacerbated by the economic fallout of the pandemic and have continued to persist thereafter. The outcomes of the report come from interviews Seri conducted with partner organisations representing informal workers, recyclers, domestic workers and residents in informal settlements. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The report also shines some light on the intersecting relations of exploitation and oppression that shape marginalised people's experiences in the food system. Seri also made a submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food. This submission was based on the report. The report stated that 69% of adults who are obese live in households that are food insecure and have little information about the food they eat and its nutritional value. It added that high rates of stunting are evident in children five years and younger with 30% of boys and 25% of girls in this age bracket being stunted. The report stated that these high levels of food insecurity persist despite South Africa producing enough food to feed the population. 'In addition, it is estimated that 10 million tonnes of food are wasted annually in South Africa, which constitutes about one-third of all available food (of the 31 million tonnes produced). It has been estimated that food waste costs South Africa R61.5 billion per annum, which translates to 2.1% of the annual gross domestic product (GDP). Three-quarters of food losses (76% or 8.4 million tonnes) take place before food reaches wholesalers, retailers and consumers, while these entities and individuals are responsible for the remaining 24% (or 2.7 million tonnes) of food wasted,' read the report. Seri recommended the drafting of national framework legislation in relation to the right to food in South Africa (e.g. a Food and Nutrition Security Act) in line with the recommendations under General Comment 12, as well as South Africa's National Policy on Food and Nutrition Security. The organisation said this would set out the roles and responsibilities of the different actors in relation to food security in South Africa, including an inter-departmental body with oversight responsibility. It has also been recommended that the government and large retailers should investigate and consider implementing the ten budget-friendly food items initiative that presents a double discount on a selection of food items that are protein-rich. The government has also been requested to implement the universal basic income grant and acknowledge food system workers, for example, farm workers and informal traders, and ensure and monitor that they have fair and safe working conditions, and receive living wages. Seri said the General Household Survey (GHS) shows how the percentage of households that reported that they had limited access to food decreased from 23.6% in 2010 to 17.8% in 2019, only to climb again to pre-pandemic levels at 23.1% in 2023, adding that food insecurity is therefore a daily reality for many South African households. The report added that South Africa is also faced with a triple burden of malnutrition - undernutrition, overnutrition (obesity) and macro-nutrient deficiency. 'This has substantial implications for the public health system as malnutrition has been linked to the rise in non-communicable diseases in South Africa, including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, certain types of cancer and mental health disorders. In fact, in 2015 five of the leading causes of death in South Africa were linked to nutrition.'