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- The University of KwaZulu-Natal is hosting in-person graduations for the first time since 2019.
- The university, like most academic institutions, suspended in-person graduations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Ceremonies kicked off last week as overjoyed students graduated.
It was ear-to-ear smiles as students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) attended in-person graduation ceremonies for the first time since 2019, over the past few days.
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, like most institutions and universities, UKZN was forced to continue working online.
But last week, the university returned to in-person graduations under strict Covid-19 protocols.
The joy and excitement of graduating has taken the university by storm as many students revelled in their graduation and shared posts of themselves being capped, after fighting hard to qualify in their respective fields.
The university will confer 8 795 degrees, of which 6 094 are undergraduate and 2 701 are postgraduate qualifications.
There are 495 Masters and 213 Doctoral graduations. The percentage of women graduates remains high at 63.38%, and there are 84 graduates with disabilities.
The 30 graduation ceremonies will come to an end next week on 21 May.
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Top achievers at this year's graduation were Durban Metro Police Inspector Phindile Ntuli, and legal practitioners Mzwandile Khahula and Dudula Maoela. They were among the six students doing a Postgraduate Diploma in Forensic Investigation and Criminal Justice students to achieve distinctions.
Ntuli, a mother of three teenagers who joined the force in 2010 with the goal of bringing about change and showcasing women’s capabilities in the field of law and order, said the diploma had taught her the importance of paying attention to detail, working hard and collaborating to obtain the desired results.
Ntuli said:
Director at Poswa Incorporated, Khahula, 32, who specialises in public law litigation, construction law, town planning disputes and forensic investigations, believes that the newly-acquired qualification will give him and his practice a competitive edge.
With 24 years’ experience as a legal practitioner in the public and private sectors, Maoela said continuous professional development was a necessity.
"It is of paramount interest to continuously equip myself with a sound understanding of the sector I practice in. With commissions being the new order of the day in South Africa, one couldn’t help but take note of the booming industry in forensic investigations."
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Graduating with a postgraduate diploma in Maritime Studies on Friday was one-time taxi driver, and current chief harbour master, Rufus Lekala.
Lekala, who is now the head of the Maritime Service for the Transnet National Port Authority, started his career at the erstwhile Cape Technikon in 1995, when he was thrown a lifeline by Transnet in the form of a bursary to pursue a Diploma in Maritime Studies, after a five-year stint as a taxi driver in Mamelodi, Tshwane.
"There was nothing that inspired me to join the sector. I was in desperate need of a career that would take my family and I out of poverty. Fortunately, the maritime sector presented itself as a home that I will never trade for anything," Lekala said, after stumbling into the field.
Since then, Lekala has made his mark in various positions. He started out at Transnet as tug master in the Port of Cape Town and went on to serve as a marine pilot in the Port of Saldahna Bay.
He was the first black harbour master in the Port of East London in 2002, and later in Cape Town and Durban prior to his appointment as chief harbour master of the Transnet National Port Authority in June 2011.
As chief harbour master, Lekala is tasked with the serious responsibility of overseeing the planning and execution of port marine operations, such as designating where vessels should lie within the harbour, vessel traffic management services, provision of pilotage services, conservancy, and other marine-related operations.
He is currently studying towards a Master of Commerce in Maritime Studies degree through UKZN.
His study focuses on the impact of changing container vessel sizes at ports and is exploring the cascading effects from the perspective of the South African complementary container ports system in Durban, Ngqura, and Cape Town.
Lekala was born in the small Limpopo village of Kutupu, and is married with three children.
On his achievement he said:
The acting director of UKZN’s Unit of Maritime Law and Maritime Studies, Dr Dusty-Lee Donnelly, congratulated Lekala on his academic achievement and wished him well in his future research endeavours.
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