The University of Pretoria has confirmed that Vice-Chancellor and Principal Tawana Kupe has resigned with immediate effect. 

Kupe's term was scheduled to end in January next year.

The university council made the sudden announcement of Kupe's resignation on Tuesday morning. 

It added that Kupe has resigned from his position with effect from 31 July.

Council chairperson Kuseni Dlamini said: "We express our gratitude to Prof Kupe for his contributions throughout his tenure."

Dlamini added that the council would immediately initiate the process of finding a suitable successor to lead the institution.

"We are committed to conducting a comprehensive search to identify a suitably qualified individual who will lead the university into the future," he said.

"Appropriate interim arrangements that will help facilitate the smooth functioning of the institution will be put in place. An interim vice-chancellor and principal will be appointed in due course."

In an internal email sent to staff and students on Tuesday morning, Dlamini said that the process to find Kupe's successor would begin immediately, and appropriate interim arrangements would be put in place.

"We all remain committed to upholding the university's mission, values and long-term objectives and will work tirelessly to maintain our momentum," he wrote. 

Kupe was appointed as vice-chancellor in January 2019. 

He holds BA Honours and Master’s degrees in English from the University of Zimbabwe, as well as a DPhil in Media Studies from the University of Oslo in Norway.

He served as executive dean of the University of the Witwatersrand’s Faculty of Humanities for six years after heading the then-Wits School of Literature and Language Studies.