By Charmaine Ndlela
Autumn graduation season has started at South African universities, with Wits, UJ and Rhodes already hosting ceremonies, while Limpopo, the University of the Free State, Mpumalanga and Pretoria are due to hold graduations in April and May.
The University of the Witwatersrand has opened its autumn graduation season, with 5,565 students set to graduate between 18 and 27 March.
Wits said the ceremonies cover the faculties of Science, Commerce, Law and Management, Humanities, and Engineering and the Built Environment, while Health Sciences will graduate later in the year.
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Wits will also confer an honorary Doctor of Science in Engineering on African entrepreneur and computer scientist Sir John Wilfred Lazar on 27 March. Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal Zeblon Vilakazi said: “Graduation is a powerful reminder of what it means to push beyond limits and emerge stronger on the other side. As we celebrate our graduands, who are stepping into the next chapter of their journeys, we are equally honoured to recognise Sir John, whose life’s work exemplifies innovation, leadership, and meaningful impact.”
At the University of Johannesburg, autumn graduation ceremonies are also under way. The university recently conferred an honorary Doctorate in Philosophy (Honoris Causa) on former Namibian first lady Monica Geingos, recognising her advocacy on health equity, youth empowerment and structural inequality. In remarks published by UJ, Geingos told graduates: “The critical skills needed for the future are the ability to package, internalise, work and process information quickly.”
The University of Limpopo has announced that its autumn graduation ceremonies will take place from 7 to 15 April at the Onkgopotse Tiro Hall.
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The University of the Free State is scheduled to hold its ceremonies from 10 to 18 April, while Rhodes University’s March graduations run from 25 to 27 March.
The University of Mpumalanga has published graduation information showing a special ceremony on 5 May, followed by its main graduation sessions from 6 to 9 May.
The University of Pretoria, meanwhile, has scheduled its autumn graduation ceremonies from 4 to 29 May, according to its official academic calendar.
