Farewell

We say goodbye to Magda Engelbrecht and Robert Moropa and wish them the very best in all their future endeavors.

Magda Engelbrecht retired end December 2019

The Executive team members bid Magda Engelbrecht farewell with mixed feelings during a breakfast at the Courtyard Hotel in Arcadia on Friday, 15 November 2019.

After 18 years of dedicated service to the Library, Magda is setting her sight on a well-deserved retirement, to spend more time with her recently retired husband and their family.

Magda initially began her career at the Department of Library Services on a part-time basis at the Counter at level 3, but was then appointed as a full-time personal assistant for 2 Deputy directors, until December 2019.

Thank you to Magda for not only being a colleague, but also a friend. We will miss her, and will never forget her contributions to our library.  We wish her the very best in all her upcoming endeavours, and hope she will have a fulfilling retirement.

From left to right:  Una Mgwenya, Robert Moropa, Lindiwe Soyizwapi, Schalk & Magda Engelbrecht,

Diana Gerritsen, Lazarus Matizirofa and Elsabé Olivier

Robert Moropa retired end December 2019

Robert Moropa retired from the Department of Library Services (DLS), University of Pretoria, at the end of December 2019. His professional career as a librarian spanned more than four decades. He started off as regional librarian, in 1978, with the former Transvaal Provincial Administration where he worked for a short period before he took up the position of Junior Library Assistant at the University of Fort Hare at the beginning of 1979. In 1981 he moved to the University of Transkei where he was appointed to the position of University Librarian in 1990. He subsequently held senior positions at, among other institutions, the University of South Africa (Unisa) and the University of Pretoria. 

He contributed immensely to the growth and development of the Library and Information Science (LIS) profession in South Africa. He was one of the key role-players in the unification process of the LIS profession that led to the launch of LIASA in 1997.He served as President of LIASA from 2002 to 2004. He also played other professional roles of importance, amongst others as a member of the Sabinet Board of Directors, Chairperson of the Joint Bargaining Forum of the NLSA and Deputy chairperson of SANLiC. He also held leadership positions in several LIS professional organizations at international level. He served as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – Access to Learning Award 2006 and 2008

He received the Alumnus of the Year Award in 2005 from the Department of Library and Information Science at Unisa - the first recipient of this award. At the 2019 LIASA conference he received the Executive Director of the Year Award in recognition of his coaching and mentoring skills and his skill in building the capacity of people working with him or under his guidance.