Registrar

Professor Engela Schlemmer was appointed as Registrar at the University of Pretoria from 1 January 2026. 

Professor Schlemmer has a record of academic excellence and leadership spanning over three decades in higher education. She joined the University of Pretoria from the University of the Witwatersrand, where she served as Dean and Head of the School of Law within the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management. Professor Schlemmer holds the following qualifications: BA (Law), LLB, LLM, and LLD from the former Rand Afrikaans University (now the University of Johannesburg); and an LLM from the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in Münster, Germany.

Her extensive academic career includes professorships at the University of South Africa, the Rand Afrikaans University, and the University of the Witwatersrand, where she has contributed significantly to research, teaching, and academic leadership. Professor Schlemmer has also served as a visiting scholar at leading international institutions, including the Universities of Konstanz, Saarbrücken, Tokyo, Leuven, and Antwerp, among others. She has published extensively in accredited law journals and contributed to over 50 scholarly publications and over 30 conference papers. Her expertise in international trade law, banking law, insurance law, and public law has earned her recognition as an NRF-rated B3 Researcher.

Beyond academia, Professor Schlemmer has made significant contributions to the broader higher education and legal sectors. She has served on various focus and expert groups for the Council on Higher Education and the Department of Justice, and notably as the academic representative on the Judicial Service Commission. In addition, she has served as both a member and a convenor of the Law Panel of the National Research Foundation (NRF), responsible for evaluating the rating applications of legal researchers.

Professor Schlemmer has also contributed to the advancement of legal education, research excellence and governance in South Africa through her involvement on editorial boards, professional associations, and national policy task teams. In addition, she has served as both a member and a convenor of the Law Panel of the National Research Foundation (NRF), responsible for evaluating the rating applications of legal researchers.

Professor Schlemmer has also contributed to the advancement of legal education, research excellence and governance in South Africa through her involvement on editorial boards, professional associations, and national policy task teams. The University of Pretoria looks forward to her strategic leadership and continued commitment to excellence, academic integrity and institutional advancement in her new role as Registrar.

(Click here for the Office of the Registrar)