Refugee earns degree at Stellenbosch

Christian (seun); John; Rose (vrou) en Japhia (seun)

Christian (seun); John; Rose (vrou) en Japhia (seun)

Published Dec 12, 2014

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Cape Town - A Rwandan refugee who fled the war “atrocities” in his home country 15 years ago, and then earning a living in South Africa by fixing appliances, has graduated from Stellenbosch University with an MSc in agriculture.

John Kadende, his wife and two sons walked, took trains and “used any means possible” to get to their new home, away “from the sound of heavy guns”.

Kadende said that although he held a degree in agriculture, he had to make a living fixing appliances, including fridges and microwave ovens.

But, Kadende, who is also a preacher at a church in Pinelands, said he wanted to contribute to the growth of South Africa, the country that had received him “as a tired and confused refugee”, and agriculture had always made him feel “closer to the people”.

In 2012 he walked into the agronomics department at the university, asking to further his studies.

“I simply put everything on the table, and I was helped.”

With the help of the university he was able to complete his MSc and graduated on Tuesday.

“I knew I had really achieved something,” he said about this graduation.

Kadende, who now lives in Maitland, said he still had to overcome one major hurdle - permanent residency - which he has been battling to get for years.

“It affects all aspects of my life, including job prospects.”

Meanwhile, two prestigious academic accolades were bestowed on a young maths boffin on Thursday.

Thomas Weighill, 24, received the Chancellor’s Medal - which is awarded to only one graduate per year and acknowledges the formidable performance by a final-year or postgraduate student - and the S2A3 medal for the most outstanding research thesis on MSc level in the natural, engineering and medical sciences.

The former Paarl Boys’ High School pupil managed to sustain an average of 91.1 percent during his six years of study at the university. His MSc thesis in mathematics, for which he earned 97 percent, was accepted without any revisions by three external international examiners.

Professor Ingrid Rewitzky, executive head of Stellenbosch University’s Department of Mathematical Sciences, said Weighill has an exceptional mind.

“He is capable of thoroughly understanding abstract concepts and constructions in pure mathematics and of producing ingenious solutions to complex problems.”

Weighill is leaving for the US next week to start his PhD at the University of Tennessee.

* More than 5 700 UCT students from across all six faculties will graduate from December 15 to 20.

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