University of Fort Hare’s 94th graduation ceremony
The University of Fort Hare will on the 4th to 5th May in East London and 10th to 12th at its heritage campus, Alice, conferre degrees, diplomas and certificates to 2804 graduands of which 71 of them will receive their PhD’s. The number of PhD’s is expected to sky rocket later in the year as the university will be having its spring graduation. The 94th graduation ceremony will be preceded by the inaugurations of the new Chancellor and Vice Chancellor with the chancellor’s dinner later on the 3rd.
The chancellor’s dinner is meant to be a strategic networking session which brings together different people from across disciplines. Fort Hare acquired services of Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza as Chancellor and Professor Sakhela Buhlungu as Vice Chancellor earlier in the year.
The ceremonies will see a number of guest speakers on different days, notable amongst them is a struggle veteran and one of the two remaining treason trialists, Denis Goldberg in Alice on May 12th. South Africa’s mining magnate, Patrice Motsepe will feature on 10th May as guest of honor at the same time will be receiving honorary doctorate in commerce - “honoris causa”.
The university will also honor, posthumously another struggle veteran and former treason trialist, Raymond Mhlaba with honorary doctorate in Social Science-“honoris causa”. Oom Ray was the first to be elected Premier of the Eastern Cape Province in the democratic dispensation and has the newly formed Raymond Mhlaba local municipality named after him in honor and recognition of his work, it covers Alice, Fort Beaufort, Seymour, Adelaide and Middle drift.
Other speakers would include Vuyisile Msina, Agrrey Mahanjana and Bonga Mavume in Alice. Professor Bongani Mayosi will be in East London on the first day of the ceremony. Manyosi is an NRF- A rated professor making him one of the international leading researchers. In 2009 the President of the republic bestowed in him one of the national orders, the order of Mapungubwe.
Justices in making will also be inspired on the 5th by one of the legal eagles, Yvonne Mokgoro. She was appointed to the bench in 1994 by Nelson Mandela as the first black woman of the constitutional court.
By Mawande Mrashula