Professor Njabulo Ndebele is a novelist, essayist, and cultural commentator.

He earned a BA cum laude in English & Philosophy from the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland in 1973, followed by an MA in English Literature from Cambridge (1975) and a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Denver (1983).

His acclaimed short‑story collection Fools and Other Stories (1983) won the prestigious Noma Award in 1984. He has also published essay collections (Rediscovery of the Ordinary, Fine Lines from the Box) and novels including The Cry of Winnie Mandela (2003/2004).

Ndebele’s academic career includes leadership roles at the University of Lesotho, Witwatersrand, Western Cape, and North (now Limpopo), before serving as Vice‑Chancellor of the University of Cape Town (2000–2008). In 2012, he became Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg. He has chaired major educational commissions and led organisations like the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Mandela Rhodes Foundation. As of December 2023, he is the chairman of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

He holds numerous honorary doctorates, including an Honorary Doctorate in Law from the University of Cambridge.