THENSA Award Caps Distinguished Career for Prof Chiware

Recently retired Director of Libraries, Prof Elisha Chiware, has been honoured with the Leadership Achievement Award from the Technological Higher Education Network South Africa (THENSA).

The THENSA Leadership Achievement Award seeks to recognise and honour individuals whose exemplary leadership, sustained contributions, and enduring legacy have made a significant impact on the advancement of Technology-Focused Higher Education in South Africa, Namibia, and beyond.

“This recognition validates a lifelong commitment to advancing technology-focused higher education, not just in South Africa, but across the wider region, including Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. It reflects the value of collaborative, forward-looking leadership in reshaping academic libraries into modern enablers of learning, research, innovation, and digital scholarship. To be acknowledged by my peers through THENSA is a deeply humbling capstone to my career,” said Chiware.

Before joining CPUT in 2009 as Director of Libraries, he served as the founding University Librarian at Chinhoyi University of Technology in Zimbabwe, where he established the institution's library services from the ground up.

“Since 2013, I have initiated and led the development of CPUT’s Research Data Infrastructure, culminating in the institutional repository eSango earning CoreTrustSeal certification as a Trusted Data Repository and gaining World Data System membership. In 2015, I initiated and led the National Higher Education Library Statistics Database in South Africa, creating a vital platform for evidence-based planning and accountability across the sector.”

He served as Lead Technical Architect and Chairperson of the Research Data Management and Open Science Working Group for the ILIFU Data Intensive Research Project and as Secretary General and Executive Board Member of the International Association of Scientific and Technological University Libraries (IATUL) from 2012 to 2018, hosting its annual conference in Cape Town in 2013.

Chiware completed a Bachelor of Arts in Economic History and Political Science at the University of Zimbabwe. Recognising the transformative role of information and technology in development, he pursued a Master of Library Science at Indiana University in the United States before later earning a PhD in Information Science from the University of Pretoria.

As he enters retirement, Chiware leaves behind a lasting legacy.

“My enduring legacy is leaving behind a resilient, digitally enabled ecosystem where academic libraries are active strategic partners in the research enterprise, rather than just traditional service centres. At CPUT, this is embodied in sustainable

systems like eSango, which positions the university among a select cohort of African institutions with internationally recognised research data repositories.

“Regionally and nationally, my legacy lives on through the frameworks established via the ILIFU project, the National Library Statistics Database, and the national Open Science policy contributions. Furthermore, through part-time lecturing and postgraduate supervision at the University of the Western Cape, I have dedicated myself to training the next generation of data stewards and library leaders to ensure the sustainability of these systems.”

Although he is retiring from an institutional role at CPUT, Chiware is looking forward to transitioning into professional consulting.

“While I am retiring from my institutional role at CPUT, I am looking forward to transitioning into professional consulting. Through Yodanalytics Digital Services based in Cape Town and Harare, I plan to continue supporting organisations across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the wider SADC region. “

Looking back on his career, Chiware hopes to be remembered as a visionary yet pragmatic leader who effectively bridged the gap between academic theory and real-world implementation.

“I hope my colleagues remember me as a collaborative partner, a dedicated mentor and a strategist who worked to ensure African universities possess the robust cyberinfrastructure and open-access frameworks required to compete globally."

Chiware was nominated for the Award by Prof Marshall Sheldon, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
Email: Frederickskennediji@cput.ac.za