Cape Town - Struggle veteran Ahmend Kathrada, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela and Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke were on Thursday honoured by the University of Cape Town (UCT) as figures who embodied the values of the Constitution.
“We have seldom had three such distinguished people as honorary graduands,” said UCT Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price.
Price said the selection of the honorary graduands was “especially important” in illustrating the values of the university at a time when “those values and the values of our constitution are threatened”.
Honorary doctorates were conferred by the university to South Africans regarded by the institution as pioneers in their fields of law, human rights, political activism, history, and the arts.
All received their honourary doctorates from UCT’s law and commerce faculties.
Liberation icon and proponent for non-racialism “Uncle Kathy” Kathrada was honoured just more than half a century after the Rivonia Trial.
Madonsela also holds honorary doctorates from Rhodes and Stellenbosch University whilst UCT was Moseneke’s sixth.
Chancellor of UCT Graça Machel presided over the ceremony.
Further honourary doctorates would be conferred to other prominent figures including Professor John Wright, Research Associate at the University of the Witwatersrand and Professor Okwui Enwezor from the Haus der Kunst Gallery, Germany.
ANA