Durban - Business mogul Richard Maponya, who received an honorary doctorate from the Durban University of Technology on Thursday, has urged young South Africans to doggedly pursue an education and rid themselves of a sense of entitlement.
Maponya has been a leading entrepreneur for decades. His first job in 1950 was as a humble stock-taker and he overcame many obstacles to become one of South Africa’s most respected entrepreneurs.
“We are a wonderful people. We have great leaders and I see a crop of strong businessmen emerging. But there is something which worries me a little – our youth and their sense of entitlement. We need to talk to them about being self-reliant. They must want to do things for themselves, not depend on handouts from the government. We need that kind of spirit inculcated,” Maponya said in an interview before Thursday’s graduation ceremony.
He said that to see so many students graduate was heartening and referred to them as South Africa’s young lions and lionesses.
“That to me represents hope for our future. Education is the most important weapon. To be educated is a gift that nobody can take away from you.”
While addressing the graduates gathered in the hall on DUT’s Steve Biko campus on Thursday, Maponya also spoke out strongly against xenophobia. During his interview he said South Africans needed to be mindful of the fact that they were “part of a global family” and that xenophobic attacks had hurt the country’s image and threatened its business dealings on the continent.
Maponya, the founder and first president of the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry and first chairman of the Johannesburg African Chamber of Commerce, also holds honorary doctorates from the University of Johannesburg, and the Tshwane University of Technology.
He nearly became a teacher before taking a job as a stock-taker at a clothing manufacturer. His first business venture was selling clothing in Soweto.
In 2007, he opened the Maponya Mall in Soweto.
Asked on Thursday if he had started to slow down, Maponya said: “Believe you me, I’m still a hands-on man as far as I’m concerned. I don’t know what the word retirement means.
“The Lord has given me good health, and I want to be of benefit to my country and community.”
He is one of two distinguished South Africans to be awarded an honorary doctorate by DUT this week. An honorary degree was also awarded to Joseph Shabalala, the founder of the Grammy-winning Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
More on this story at the link: https://youtu.be/VvoyfW3oBjU
The Mercury