Durban - THE University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) hosted its annual Spring Graduation ceremonies this week, with former public protector Thuli Madonsela receiving an honorary law doctorate yesterday and Premier Sihle Zikalala obtaining his Master of Commerce in Leadership degree .
UKZN conferred degrees on 1977 graduands. Among them was Durban metro police Superintendent Khanyisani Mthembu, 38, who obtained his Bachelor of Law degree.
“I’ve always wanted to be a cop because law is my passion. When I was 18 years old I joined the SAPS in 1999, and I thought I got what I wanted.
“As the years went by, I wanted more and then I left the SAPS to join the metro police. I decided to do a diploma in policing and that’s how I ended up being the educator at the training academy.
“I realised that I needed to know more about law and justice. When I found an opportunity to do my LLB, I took it, thanks to metro department,” he said.
Mthembu said it was time for people to stop thinking that police officers were not educated and that officers must use the opportunities given to them to better themselves.
Meanwhile, Madonsela was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree for her outstanding contribution to the betterment of society. She is an advocate and professor of law, and was instrumental in drafting South Africa’s constitution. During her tenure as public protector, she brought to light the R246million worth of upgrades at former president Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla homestead.
The premier successfully completed a full research dissertation for his Master of Commerce in Leadership degree titled: “Exploring the Impact of Rating Agencies on South Africa’s Governance and Fiscal Policies”.
“Beyond seeking a qualification, my embarkation on this academic journey was informed by the need to actively contribute to the further development of a body of knowledge around the issue of rating agencies and their impact on our country’s governance and fiscal policies.
“This is especially true since in recent times we have seen an increased interest from these agencies in the affairs of South Africa, which automatically elevated them to a subject of much public interest,” said Zikalala.
His research was conducted under the supervision of Dr Emmanuel Mutambara from the UKZN Graduate School of Business.
The premier also holds an Honours in Administration degree, obtained cum laude from UKZN in 2017.