INSPIRING GREATNESS

GRADUATION SPECIAL 2013 • A SOUVENIR PUBLICAT ION

GRADUATION SPECIAL

MAY 2013

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GRADUATION SPECIAL 2013

THE University of KwaZulu-Natal conferred an impressive9 486 degrees at the

University’s 21 Graduationceremonies which was held overeight days. The ceremoniescommenced on Monday, April 15, andended on Tuesday, April 23. A notable61 percent of the graduands werewomen and 607 were internationalstudents. A total of 175 doctoraldegrees were conferred. Womenconstituted 56 percent of the 396graduands who graduated cum laudeand summa cum laude respectively.Sixty seven graduands withdisabilities received their degrees.

Approximately 1 646 degrees wereconferred in the College ofAgriculture, Engineering andScience; 907 in the College of HealthSciences; 4 832 in the College ofHumanities; 2 101 in the College ofLaw and Management Studies.

In addition, the Universityconferred honorary doctorates onnine leading and accomplishedindividuals for their outstandingcontributions in the human rights,scientific, arts and culture, socialsciences, political, and academicsectors. These individuals havethrough their vision, humanitarianefforts, resilience, social conscienceand innovation in their respectivefields, made a profound change in thelives of people both in South Africaand globally.

Honorary degrees conferredinclude: Dr Ela Gandhi – Doctor ofSocial Science, Dr Ranjith Kally –Doctor of Literature, Professor HughAfrica – Doctor of Education(posthumous), Dr Uche Amazigo –Doctor of Science, Dr Johnny Clegg –Doctor of Music, Dr Daisaku Ikeda –Doctor of Social Science, DrMosibudi Mangena – Doctor of

Science, Professor Welile Shasha –Doctor of Medicine and Dr CarlWright – Doctor of Administration.

Eminent guest speakers includedProfessor Shirley Walters and JudgeDhayanithie Pillay who addressedgraduates on Tuesday, 16 April at19:00 and Friday, 19 April at 10:00respectively.

Two leading academics DrAnthony Collins and Dr CorrieSchoeman received the University’sDistinguished Teachers’ Award for

teaching excellence. Theseprestigious awards recogniseinnovative and outstanding teachingcommitment.

Four prominent academics weremade Fellows of the University,Professors Gerald West, Leana Uys,Jacek Banasiak and Marie-LouiseNewell. University Fellowships areconferred annually on outstandingacademics for research excellenceand distinguished academicachievement.

GRADUATION 2013

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SSIITTHHEEMMBBIILLEE SSHHAABBAANNGGUU

TWO women Health Sciencesacademics were honoured withUniversity of KwaZulu-NatalFellowships during the College ofHealth Sciences Graduation on 18 April.

Professors Leana Uys and Marie-Louise Newell were awardedFellowships in recognition of theirresearch excellence and distinguishedacademic achievement.

Professor Uys served as Professor ofNursing and Head of the School ofNursing from 1986 to 2001 and as DeputyVice-Chancellor and Head of theCollege of Health Sciences from 2004 to2009.

She was rated as a B-categoryscientist by the National ResearchFoundation (NRF) in 2008 – the firstnurse to achieve this level. According tothe NRF, researchers in this category“enjoy considerable internationalrecognition by their peers for the highquality impact of their recent research”.

On retirement in September lastyear, she was CEO of the Forum ofUniversity Nursing Deans of SouthAfrica.

Professor Newell – the Director ofthe University of KwaZulu-Natal’sAfrica Centre for Health andPopulation Studies at Hlabisa since2005 – has a background in medicine,demography and epidemiology whileher research has focused on maternaland child health, particularlyinfections and HIV transmission frommother-to-child.

Newell initiated a broad, innovativeprogramme of research addressing theimpact of HIV infection at population,community, household and individuallevels.

She established a partnership withthe Department of Health in theHlabisa sub-district to provide HIVtreatment and care, resulting in morethan 24 000 HIV-infected people startingon treatment by the end of 2012.

Newell is rated as a B1 researcher bythe NRF and has published extensivelyin her field.

UKZN FELLOWS

SSIITTHHEEMMBBIILLEE SSHHAABBAANNGGUU

MATHEMATICS Professor,Jacek Banasiak, washonoured with a UKZN

Fellowship at this year’s College ofAgriculture, Engineering andScience’s Graduation ceremony.

University Fellowships areconferred annually onoutstanding academics forresearch excellence anddistinguished academicachievement. Banasiak is one offour academics to receive the titleof UKZN Fellow this year.

Banasiak joined theDepartment of Mathematics andApplied Mathematics at theUniversity in 1992, movingthrough the ranks to become aSenior Professor in 2008 andResearch Professor in 2011. He

was the Head of the School ofMathematical Sciences between2005 and 2007.

His research interests are innon-local, integro-differentialmodels of applied sciences,including kinetic theory,mathematical biology andfragmentation-coagulation theoryand also asymptotic analysis ofmultiple scales problems forwhich he received the habilitation(DSc) conferred by the Universityof Warsaw in 1999 and the statetitle of Professor conferred by thePresident of the Republic ofPoland in 2007.

Banasiak has been a NationalResearch Foundation B1 scientistsince 2008 and in 2012 received theSouth African MathematicalSociety Award for ResearchDistinction.

Highly-rated Mathematicianjoins ranks of UKZN Fellows

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SSIITTHHEEMMBBIILLEE SSHHAABBAANNGGUU

SENIOR academic ProfessorGerald West was named a Fellowof the University of KwaZulu-Natal during the HumanitiesGraduation ceremony inPietermaritzburg on 22 April. Thefellowship recognises researchexcellence and distinguishedacademic achievement.

West is a Senior Professor inthe School of Religion,Philosophy and Classics, with hisprimary area of research,teaching and communityengagement being Africanbiblical hermeneutics.

Within this field, West haspublished extensively in areassuch as the use of the Bible inAfrican liberation struggles, therole of ordinary readers of theBible in liberation hermeneutics,the history of the Bible’s

reception by indigenous Africans,and the various ways in which theBible is present in the Africanpublic realm.

He has been involved in thework of the Ujamaa Centre – aresearch and communitydevelopment body within UKZN –for more than 20 years. Throughthis centre he has conductedpioneering work on therelationship between Africanbiblical scholarship and the waysin which the Bible is interpretedin local African communities.

West’s work has beenrecognised around the world. Heis frequently invited to lectureabroad and significant numbersof international postgraduatestudents come to work with him.Last year, the College ofHumanities presented him withthe DVC’s Award for ResearchExcellence.

Senior HumanitiesProfessor awardedUKZN Fellowship

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UKZN Fellowships for twoHealth Sciences Academics

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PPrrooffeessssoorr MMaarriiee--LLoouuiissee NNeewweellll

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RRAAYYLLEENNEE CCAAPPTTAAIINN--HHAASSTTHHIIBBEEEERR

THE University of the WesternCape’s Professor Shirley Waltersaddressed distinguished guests atUKZN’s Humanities Graduationceremony on Tuesday, 16 April onthe Westville campus.

The founding Director of theDivision for Lifelong Learning atthe University of the Western Cape,Professor Walters has publishedwidely on issues relating to gender,popular education, communityeducation, lifelong learning inHigher Education, learning regionsand education for democracy.

Referring to a folktale often usedby renowned environmentaleducator and artist Dian Marino,Professor Walters illustrated thatwe can achieve our end-goal usingdifferent skills, understandings andattitudes.

The folktale tells the story of awar general who tires of fightingbattles and spends a decade at amonastery perfecting the art ofarchery. He eventually leaves themonastery and, even though he hadlived a peaceful life for 10 years,becomes enraged when in a near-byvillage he comes upon hundreds ofarrows, each of which had found itsmark, and had entered their targetsas perfect bulls-eyes.

He insists on meeting the skilledperson who had expertly shot thearrows, and is surprised to discoverthe marksman is a little girl. Sheexplains to the general that shewould take aim at a target, let thearrow fly, and would then draw thetarget around the arrow once it hadlanded.

The tale illustrates that we canlearn from one another and canteach one another acrossgenerations. Learning is for life –

from birth to death, and through allthe transitions in between,explained Walters.

Professor Walters posed somepertinent questions to theHumanities graduates concerningthe role of women in society: ‘If wego into a family homestead or acommunity, in the towns or villages,who do we see running thekitchens, the classrooms, thecrèches, the clinics, the communityorganisations, the economicenterprises, the offices, and child-headed households? Who ismediating the violence, the pain,the illness, the food production, thepoverty?’

Walters explained that in manycases, girls and women are leadingand ensuring the sustainability offamilies and communities. Butsociety continues to reinforce thenotion that we do not have manyfemale leaders.

Congratulating the graduates,Walters said, ‘I encourage you toidentify yourselves as leaders forlearning in your homes, yourcommunities and your workplaces.’

DISTINGUISHED TEACHERS’ AWARDS PHD GRADUATES

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DR CORRIE SCHOEMAN wasthe recipient of a Universityof KwaZulu-Natal’s

Distinguished Teachers’ Award at aGraduation ceremony held recentlyon the Westville campus. Theannual award acknowledgesexcellence and innovation inteaching, and is managed by theUniversity Teaching and LearningOffice (UTLO).

Schoeman, a Senior Lecturer inthe School of Life Sciences in theCollege of Agriculture,Engineering and Science, wasrecognised for his innovativeapproach to teaching.

The selection committee wasunanimous that the award shouldbe given to Schoeman who isacknowledged for the additionalsupport he provides to his students,reaching out to under-preparedstudents from disadvantagedbackgrounds to ensure theysucceed in their studies.

According to Professor RenukaVithal, DVC: Teaching andLearning, Professor Schoeman wasrecognised for using a broadselection of teaching methods and a

wide variety of multimedia in arange of modules at different levels.He supports his teaching through

diverse tuition and learningmaterial which have beendeveloped to enact his teaching

strategies and emanate from hisphilosophy of teaching.

Dr Anthony Collins, a lecturer

in the School of Applied HumanSciences in the College ofHumanities, was also named as anawardee.

Dr Collins is especiallyrecognised for distinguishedcontribution to the area ofcurriculum development but alsofor the scholarship demonstrated inthe way he teaches these inpractice.

Upon reviewing his teachingportfolio the Committee noted heteaches a variety of class sizes,some being very large. He isconstantly reflective of this andadapts his teaching practicesappropriately.

He is an outstanding teacherwho uses a variety of methods,texts, visuals and online resources.Peer and student evaluations wereused to effect significant changes.He contributed to the developmentof teaching and learning materialsin psychology and introduced theseonline as well as translations intoisiZulu.

The distinguished teachers arenot only outstanding practitioners,but are also recognised for theirscholarship and contribution toresearch.

Awards for Teaching Excellence

SSIITTHHEEMMBBIILLEE SSHHAABBAANNGGUU

ADDRESSING Law graduates atthe University of KwaZulu-Natal,defender of human rights andexpert in labour law, JusticeDhayanithie Pillay, appealed tostudents to use their education tomake a difference, no matter howsmall, in their communities.

Pillay was addressing graduatesat the College of Law andManagement’s 19 April Graduationceremony, to which she was invitedas guest speaker.

She highlighted therevolutionary changes ininformation access anddissemination brought about by theInternet and the human rightschanges brought on by thecountry’s Constitution.

She said although not everychange initiated by students waslikely to be quite as dramatic oreffective as the internet or theConstitution, it was important toremember that every little changecounted.

‘You are the microchip to makeSouth Africa grow … the power isin your hands,’ she said.

Pillay was appointed a judge ofthe High Court in Pietermaritzburgand Durban in 2010. Prior to thisshe was a judge of the LabourCourt of South Africa for 10 years.

She told graduates that shenever imagined that she would livein a free South Africa, but is nowhappy in the knowledge that “wehave a government that cares for allof us”. She called on graduates tohelp government to perfect itsdelivery.

Admitted as an attorney in 1982,

Pillay was drawn to the plight ofpolitical detainees, specialising inhuman rights and administrative lawdisputes arising from the variousemergency and security laws in forceat the time. She was recognised as ahuman rights defender by theAmnesty International SA DurbanGroup in 2005.

After turning to labour law andindustrial relations, Judge Pillaywas selected to be involved in thedrafting of key pieces of nationallegislation, including the PublicService Labour Relations Act, thenew Labour Relations Act, andclauses of the Constitution relating

to the Public Service Commissionand Electoral Commission. She hasbeen a Senior Commissioner (part-time) of the CCMA since 1996.

Judge Pillay’s legal acumen hasbeen internationallyacknowledged, most recentlythrough her appointment as avisiting Professor for the OpenUniversity in the United Kingdom.She has published and presentedmore than 40 papers during hercareer.

Concluding her address, shewished students the best of luck,and urged them to be the best theycould be.

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Learning is for lifeJudge likens graduates tomicrochips for national growth

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GUEST SPEAKERS

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2013 GRADUATION THROUGH THE LENS

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ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

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HONORARY DOCTORATESTHE University conferred

honorary doctorates onnine leading and

accomplished individuals fortheir outstanding contributions inthe human rights, scientific, arts

and culture, social sciences,political, and academic sectors.These individuals have throughtheir vision, humanitarianefforts, resilience, socialconscience and innovation in

their respective fields, made aprofound change in the lives ofpeople both in South Africa andglobally.

Honorary degrees conferredinclude: Dr Ela Gandhi – Doctor of

Social Science, Dr Ranjith Kally –Doctor of Literature, ProfessorHugh Africa – Doctor ofEducation (posthumous), Dr UcheAmazigo – Dr Johnny Clegg –Doctor of Music, Dr Daisaku

Ikeda – Doctor of Social Science,Dr Mosibudi Mangena – Doctor ofScience, Professor Welile Shasha –Doctor of Medicine and Dr CarlWright – Doctor ofAdministration.

DURBAN-BORN photojournalistRanjith Kally dedicated hisHonorary Doctorate in Literature to

all his colleagues who may not have beenrecognised for their role in documentingthe struggle during apartheid.

‘I am humbled by the magnanimousgesture of UKZN in recognising my workover many years. This event is aculmination of my dreams and that of mycommunity of fellow photographicjournalists,’ he said.

Kally, who was admitted as an Associateof the Royal Photographic Society in 1967,has been a witness and archivist of some ofthe most poignant moments in SouthAfrican history, including the 1956 TreasonTrial, the awarding of the Nobel PeacePrize to Chief Albert Luthuli in 1961, theRivonia Trial in 1963 and the momentousresistance events of the 1970s and 1980s,including the aftermath of the MaseruMassacre.

Over the years his pictures havedocumented the pain of forced removals,the loss of innocence associated withgangsterism, the simple life of Groutvilleand the everyday contradictions of racialdynamics such as two white men drinkingat a local shebeen in Cato Manor, an areaclassified as “non-white” during theapartheid era.

His work also captured importantpersonalities in South Africa’s history,including Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo,Monty Naicker, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Billy Nair, Miriam Makeba and

many others. He said looking back, the leader who

made the greatest impression on him wasChief Albert Luthuli. ‘To me he was a trueleader. The persecution that he sufferednever got him to flinch. He never gave in nomatter how hard the apartheid governmentmade it. He kept his dignity and worked forpeaceful change.’

DR Ela Gandhi, who was awardedan Honorary Doctorate in SocialScience from UKZN, urged

academics to use their knowledge tobuild a humanist society informed bythe philosophy of Ubuntu.

‘In the days of the struggle we wereguided by academics and by manyphilosophies which our youngacademics pondered over before wedecided on a course of action. Then, theissues were about liberation fromapartheid, building an egalitariansociety, building unity, mobilising themasses. But it was the knowledge basethat helped us ensure that our process ofstruggle was scientifically determined ...we acted on the basis of strategy andtactics.’

Gandhi said although many of thesame issues remain today, there is a‘scramble for scarce resources leading toviolence, wars and selfishness’.

‘There is chaos,’ she said. ‘It oftenseems that we are indeed walking on thepath of the philosophy of the survival ofthe fittest.’

During her lifetime, Gandhi hasconsistently espoused the relevance herlegendary grandfather MahatmaGandhi’s philosophy of non-violentaction for justice, peace anddevelopment, and she has activelypromoted education about non-violentmethods of resolving conflict andbuilding positive relationships betweenpeople of different races and faiths.

Dr Ela Gandhi Dr Ranjith Kally

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UKZN’s College of Humanitiesconferred a posthumous HonoraryDoctorate in Education on the late

Professor Hugh Paul Africa at the UKZNGraduation ceremony on 16 April.

The well-known educationist, whoplayed a significant role in thetransformation of South Africa’s educationsystem, died in November last year at theage of 76.

Accepting the degree on his behalf, hiswife Mrs Louise Africa described Africa asan “excellent educator” who was ‘blessedwith the ability to articulate with amazingeloquence’. Had he been alive, she said, hewould have received his honorary degreewith great pride, since it was UKZN’spredecessor, the University of Natal thatawarded him his Bachelor of Arts andHonours degrees in the early 60s.

‘My family and I are proud that Hugh’slegacy has been recognised by thisUniversity, the Institution that representsthe start of his long and productiveacademic career,’ said an emotional MrsLouise.

She reflected on his contribution to thedevelopment of Higher Education for over50 years and her years spent with him.

‘His mother taught him that educationis a greater and more reliable investment,whereas material wealth can be lostovernight. My husband took his mother’slessons to heart. He was not afraid ofadventure or risk.’

Describing their decision to leave South

Africa for Zambia after their marriage inJanuary 1963, Mrs Louise said Hugh wasunhappy about staying in South Africa ‘tohave his children labelled from birth’ andchose instead to be part of the project ofbuilding free, independent countries inAfrica.

Africa went on to make major anddistinguished contributions to advanceHigher Education, transformation andscholarship in the region.

Professor Hugh Paul Africa

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RENOWNED Anthropologist, dancer,singer and songwriter Johnny Clegghad the UKZN audience singing along

to one his traditional war songs afterreceiving an Honorary Doctorate in Musicfrom the University on 16 April.

Clegg was honoured during the College ofHumanities’ Graduation ceremony for hissensitive and inspiring promotion of SouthAfrican culture, music and history at homeand abroad, and for his success in unitingSouth Africans and bringing pride and hopeto South Africa.

‘The tradition of street music I stumbledupon had been forged over decades ofexperimentation as the ebb and flow ofmigration to Johannesburg and Durbanexposed the migrants to new ideas andformats,’ he told his audience about his earlymusical years.

‘I was amazed at the innovative manner inwhich western instruments were thoroughlyAfricanised. The guitar developed from astrumming style (ukuvamba) to a highlysophisticated picking style (Ukupika).Whereas the guitar could simply be re-tunedand strings changed around, the concertinahad to be physically taken apart and all thebuttons changed around in order to play Zulumusic,’ said Clegg.

Clegg’s career includes lecturingAnthropology at the University of theWitwatersrand where he worked on blendingEnglish lyrics and Western melodies withZulu musical structures. South Africanmusical producer Hilton Rosenthal thensigned up Clegg and his musical associateand friend, Sipho Mchunu, at a time whenthere was official prejudice against mixedrace groups.

Dr Johnny Clegg

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NIGERIA-BASED publichealth specialist Dr UcheAmazigo has received an

Honorary Doctor of Sciencedegree from the University ofKwaZulu-Natal inacknowledgement of her work onOnchocerciasis (River blindness),a disease that affects millions ofpeople in sub-Saharan Africa.

River blindness is a diseasetransmitted by small black fliesthat live near fast-flowing rivers infertile farm lands in 30 countriesof sub-Saharan Africa. ‘In theearly1990s, 120 million Africanswere at risk, with 37 millioninfected and 1.5 million blinded orvisually impaired,’ Amazigo said.

Addressing graduates, parents,University staff and otherdistinguished guests, Amazigoexplained the challenges oftackling the disease. ‘For centuriesour people believed that certain

bewitched rivers eat the eyes.Hundreds of villages borderingfertile agricultural land wereconsequently abandoned, many

preferring to protect theireyesight. Prospects forovercoming river blindness werebleak,’ she said. The diseasebrought immeasurable personalharm as well as socioeconomicdamage throughout sub-SaharanAfrica.

Amazigo said it was a "distincthonour and privilege" to talkabout something to which she wasextremely dedicated, namely, theneed to identify - and exploit to thefullest - multisectoral solutions toimprove the health of all sectors ofsociety, in particular, the health ofpopulations, those, for whateverreasons, are ignored by, orunderserved by national healthservices. ‘When the poor in oursub-region are underservedbecause of unfair distribution ofhealth system structures, humanrights are violated bygovernments,’ she said.

Dr Uche Amazigo Dr Daisaku Ikeda

DR Welile Shasha, a medicalscientist andinternationally-recognised

public health specialist, receivedan Honorary Doctorate inMedicine from his alma mater, theUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal, at aGraduation ceremony held on theWestville campus.

Dr Shasha is currently themanager of health system reformat the Letsema Circle Trust, anNGO based in East London whichhelps communities fortify thehealth system by collaboratingwith local governmentdepartments. He also conducteda programme evaluation toconsolidate and synchronisehealth research in Kenya andserved as a leading facilitator for aPublic Health course for studentsfrom the United States, Botswanaand South Africa, sponsored bythe WK Kellogg Foundation.

Shasha’s address centred on

the removal of apartheid, therapid rise of the disease burden,unwise interventions, good policyand political commitment, as wellas the exciting role of healthprofessionals as change agents.

‘This University played a keyrole in the process [of the removalof apartheid] in many ways. Yes,apartheid police would chase usaround the buildings - verypainful, yet exciting as we realisedthe certainty of victory! OurConstitution was then in place,and we felt the land of milk andhoney was at hand.’

Shasha explained that by thetime apartheid was removed, ithad already created very fertileconditions for the rise of thedisease burden, especially TB andHIV. ‘The virus killed youngpeople of child-bearing age, andfunerals are still the order of theday, leaving thousands oforphans.’

He added that a third anddevastating problem was unwiseinterventions such as employingpeople not suitable for the job inleadership positions, especially asheads of governmentdepartments.

Dr Welile Shasha

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‘Iappeal to you, the youngergeneration, to take forwardthe radical new agenda I

have set out here today before you– an agenda for hope.’

This was the call of HonoraryGraduate, Dr Carl Wright, whoreceived a Doctor ofAdministration, honoris causa,during the College of Law andManagement Studies’ Graduationceremony.

Wright said: ‘It is wonderful tosee such a dynamic universitycommunity assembled here andthe many talented younggraduates present.’ He urgedgraduates to come together todevelop new political and socialstrategies for a new global order.

Wright has earned widespreadrespect for his commitment todemocracy and international co-operation, for his defence ofhuman and labour rights, and forhis promotion of social and

economic development, especiallyin the area of publicadministration and localgovernment.

As Secretary-General of the

Commonwealth LocalGovernment Forum (CLGF), aposition to which he wasappointed in 1995, he has played asignificant role in the promotionof local democracy and good localgovernance globally.

‘It will come as no surprise thatI feel that local democracy,achieved through local democraticelections and consolidated bystrong, accountable, transparentand inclusive structures, isfundamental for the achievementof a true democracy,’ he said.

Although primarily anadministrator and policy-maker,Wright has not shied away fromactivism, especially in the area oflabour and trade union rights. Hisimpressive career spans policyand representational positions insuch bodies as the United Nationsand the European Union,including the international tradeunion movement.

Dr Carl Wright

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JAPANESE educator,Buddhist philosopher andpeace activist Dr Daisaku

Ikeda received a Doctor of SocialScience (honoris causa) degreefrom UKZN recently and in turnpaid homage to his mentors androle models for his achievements.

Ikeda said he received thespecial honour in the spirit ofsharing it with his fellowmembers of the internationalBuddhist lay association SokaGakkai, of which he is President.He described Soka Gakkaimembers as ‘striving each day tocontribute to the betterment oftheir respective communities andcountries as good citizens’.

He dedicated the award to histwo mentors -- TsunesaburoMakiguchi and Josei Toda, thefounders of value-creatingpedagogy, or Soka education.

Ikeda shared with the audiencethe struggles that his mentorsunderwent. Both were arrestedduring World War II because theyheld true to the principle of life’sinherent sanctity in both beliefand deed, openly defying theJapanese militarist regime and itssuppression of freedom ofthought and conscience.

‘My two mentors fought to ridthe world of misery and believedthat people and nations shouldengage in what Makiguchi termed“humanitarian competition”rather than competing as militaryor economic rivals. If they were

here today, I am sure they wouldbe enormously proud of thislaurel of recognition bestowed onme from UKZN, a towering symbolof the inalienable rights andequality of all human beings.’

He said he was aware that theUniversity had fostered ‘countlessleaders of wisdom and couragewho have devoted their lives todefending freedom, peace and thedignity of life for all,’ touchingbriefly on the struggles of his rolemodels Nelson Mandela, SteveBiko and Mahatma Gandhi.

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Dr Mosibudi MangenaSOUTH Africa’s first Minister

of Science and Technology,Dr Mosibudi Mangena,

received an honorary Doctor ofScience degree from UKZN inrecognition of his contribution tothe social upliftment ofcommunities, service to the state,commitment to academicexcellence and contribution tonational and internationalresearch and developmentinitiatives.

Speaking at the College ofAgriculture, Engineering andScience’s Graduation ceremonyon 23 April, Mangena encouragedgraduates to be innovative and todream big.

‘The point is that I do not thinkwe dream enough as a nation. Yes,we do dream a little, but nowherenear enough. And you are whatyou dream. No dreams, nomovement, no progress,’ he said.

During his term as Minister,Mangena presided over theformulation of groundbreakingpolicies and the introduction ofinitiatives which drove thenational research, developmentand innovation agendas. Hisenduring achievements includethe development of the SouthAfrican Ten-Year Innovation Planand the National System ofInnovation Policy, theestablishment of the TechnologyInnovation Agency, the launch ofthe South African SpaceProgramme and the bid for theSKA (Square Kilometre Array).

He was also involved in thecommissioning of the SouthAfrican Micro Satellite and theSumbandile Sat, the developmentof the South African electric car,the launch of the South AfricanResearch Chairs Initiative and theprogramme for Centres ofExcellence.

Mangena was responsible forwinning and launching theAfrican component of theInternational Centre for GeneticEngineering and Biotechnology.His tenure also saw the expansionof relations between the SouthAfrican science and technologysystem and those of othercountries. He chaired the SADCministers responsible for scienceand technology, and thecontinental African Ministers’Council on Science andTechnology.

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GRADUATION SPECIAL 201312

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