The University of South Africa (Unisa) is set to confer honorary doctorates on two eminent South Africans who have left indelible footprints in the commercial and socio-political landscape of the country. The awarding of the honorary doctorates will take place on Monday, 02 October and Tuesday, 03 October 2023 respectively.
Sizwe Nxasana, a trailblazing South African businessman, educator and chartered accountant will be conferred with the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Accounting Sciences (Honoris Causa), whilst the late Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu, a renowned South African freedom fighter, struggle activist and operative of the ANC military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) will be conferred with the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (Honoris Causa), posthumously.
A trailblazer par excellence, Sizwe Errol Nxasana is one of the first black individuals to qualify as a chartered accountant in a profession historically dominated by white practitioners. His significant contributions to the discipline of Accountancy include the establishment, in 1989, of the pioneering black-owned chartered accounting firm, Sizwe & Co Chartered Accountants. He was also a founding partner of the fifth largest audit firm in South Africa and which has played a pivotal role in the training of numerous black chartered accountants, Nkonki Sizwe Ntsaluba (later renamed Sizwe Ntsaluba Gobodo). In recognition of his exceptional contribution to the professional field of Financial Accounting, mentoring and promotion of young aspiring financial executives, economic upliftment of previously disadvantaged sectors groups through self-initiated financial support programmes as well as life-long commitment to opening doors for young financial professionals, he is a worthy candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Accounting Sciences (Honoris Causa).
The details of the graduation ceremony are as follows :
Date : Monday, 02 October 2023
Time : 18:00
Venue : ZK Matthews Great Hall, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Building, Unisa Muckleneuck
Campus, Pretoria
Note : The Chancellor of Unisa, His Excellency former President Thabo Mbeki will officiate during the conferment of the honorary doctorate and the rest of this graduation session.
Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu skipped the country to join the ANC’s military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe and received military training in Zambia, Tanzania and Angola. His bravery led to his appointment as the commander of the detachment which was deployed back to South Africa to lead the commemoration of the first anniversary of the 1976 uprising. He was arrested by the security police in 1977 and tried under the Terrorism Act. He was executed on 6 April 1979 at the then Pretoria Central Prison (now Kgoshi Mampuru Prison). His defiant battle cry as he walked to the gallows : “Tell my people that I love them and that they must continue the fight. My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. A luta continua!” became one of the motivational and rallying calls of the struggle for liberation. For his bravery and unrelenting determination to fight for the liberation of the oppressed masses in South Africa, he is deserving of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (Honoris Causa), posthumously.
The details of the graduation ceremony are as follows:
Date : Tuesday, 03 October 2023
Time : 18:00
Venue : ZK Matthews Great Hall, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Building, Unisa Muckleneuck
Campus, Pretoria
Publish date: 2023/10/02