By Lebone Rodah Mosima
The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) will confer honorary doctorates on three South African trailblazers in business, medicine and mathematics during its Winter Graduation ceremonies this week.
Wits said 2,282 graduands, including 137 PhD graduates, would be capped during ceremonies that started on Monday and will run to Friday, 17 July.
Dr Reuel Khoza
Business leader and academic Dr Reuel Khoza will receive an honorary doctorate in commerce on Tuesday, in recognition of his contribution to corporate governance, ethical leadership and economic transformation.
“Khoza studied psychology before forging one of South Africa’s most influential business careers, championing ethical leadership, corporate governance, and economic transformation,” the university said.
“One of the architects of the King Codes on Corporate Governance, he has led major institutions including Eskom and Nedbank, shaped leadership thinking across Africa through academia and authorship, and dedicated his career to advancing good governance, African humanism, and social development.”
Khoza has chaired major institutions, including Eskom and Nedbank, and has served the higher education sector as an academic and as chancellor of three universities.
His academic qualifications include undergraduate and honours studies in psychology at the former University of the North, now the University of Limpopo, a master’s degree in marketing from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom and an Engineering Doctorate focused on business leadership from Warwick University.
He is also a Chartered Director and has received several awards and honorary doctorates.
Khoza has written several books, including Attuned Leadership: African Humanism as Compass, published in 2012, and Let Africa Lead: African Transformational Leadership for 21st Century Business, published in 2006. He is also a lyricist and music producer.
Professor Kubedi Patrick Mokhobo
Wits will also honour Professor Kubedi Patrick Mokhobo, a pioneering physician widely recognised as the first Black cardiologist in southern Africa.
Mokhobo will receive an honorary doctorate in medicine on Wednesday.
Born in Potchefstroom on 5 July 1932, Mokhobo qualified as a medical doctor at Wits in 1957 and later became the first black registrar specialising in paediatrics and internal medicine at Baragwanath Hospital.
“During this period, he set up his solo practice in Daveyton, Benoni, and became a founding member of the Pan Africanist Congress. Mokhobo’s influence extended beyond South Africa,” Wits said.
“As the first medical specialist in Swaziland and a founding figure of Lesotho’s medical institutions, he played a significant role in establishing professional bodies, medical journals (including the Lesotho Medical Journal), and congresses that strengthened regional healthcare systems.”
Mokhobo later served as health minister in the former Bophuthatswana, where he introduced community-based healthcare systems, expanded the training of nurses as clinicians and helped decentralise services to reach underserved communities.
In May 2026, he received the Order of the Baobab in Silver for his contribution to medicine, cardiology and community healthcare.
Joseph Albert Mashite Mokoena
Wits will also posthumously award an honorary doctorate in science to mathematician Joseph Albert Mashite Mokoena on Wednesday afternoon.
Mokoena became the first black South African to earn a PhD in mathematics from a South African university when Wits formally conferred the degree in April 1959.
“His PhD thesis and scholarship reflect a profound intellect and a commitment to pushing the boundaries of mathematical inquiry,” Wits said.
Mokoena lectured at the University of Fort Hare and worked at several institutions across Africa and the United Kingdom, including the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria, Aston University, and the universities of Rhodesia and Zambia.
He also helped develop mathematics curricula while serving as a lecturer for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
Wits said his work helped advance academic excellence and inspire generations of students across the continent.
“In recognition of his pioneering achievements, the South African government posthumously awarded him the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold in 2004,” Wits said.
“By conferring an honorary doctorate on Dr Mokoena, who tragically passed away at the age of 49, Wits University celebrates his extraordinary contributions to mathematics, education, and the pursuit of equity in knowledge production.”
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