Johannesburg - The family of South Africa’s first lady of song Dr Sibongile Khumalo is “humbled and filled with gratitude” after the late singer was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Music by Wits University.
The doctorate was conferred on Wednesday during the virtual graduation ceremony.
Ayanda Khumalo, the daughter of the singer, who died on January 28, accepted the late Wits alumna’s honorary degree on behalf of the family.
During the ceremony the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities Professor Garth Stevens said Khumalo came from a musical dynasty and her father, Professor Khabi Mgoma, was also awarded an honorary doctorate in 1987 by Wits University for his contribution to the preservation and development of South African music.
“She was an ardent proponent of arts education and how it can be used for social upliftment and justice. She inspired the creation of new music by South African composers, both in the classical and jazz genres,” he said.
Stevens added that Khumalo was far more than just a singer as she served in various arts industry structures, which served to uplift communities through arts.
Ayanda delivered an address, partly penned by her mother, where she said the family was humbled and filled with gratitude and pride at the honour of receiving the award on behalf of her mother.
“I remember how ecstatic she was when she received the news that she would be conferred with this Honorary Doctorate all the way back in 2020. Sadly, she never got to experience this moment physically, but I know that she is with us in spirit,” the daughter said.
Khumalo’s speech reflected the singer’s days as a child in Soweto and the music programme that operated from Room 2 in Orlando High School.
“Spending time in Room 2 was not only a place to acquire knowledge about music, it was centuries away from the many dangers of life in the township. A haven in which we could and would often dream about life outside the confines of Soweto. Where we could aspire to be something more than what we saw and what we were,” Khumalo penned in her speech.
Ayanda said her mother valued education so much that she questioned the state of South Africa’s education system and the quality of education the country’s children received.
She added that in an ideal world a university education should be an indicator of how well someone can think independently and expand minds to show the interconnectedness of different disciplines.
“We need to commit ourselves to a loving, joyful and compassionate world,” Ayanda said.
She added that as the Wits graduates contemplated their futures, the challenge was upon them to harness all that their imaginations direct them to do in order to bring healing to South Africa.
The Star