UCT Vice-Chancellor’s robing ceremony at a special graduation

13 December 2018 | Video Nico Badenhuizen. Photo Michael Hammond.

Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng was officially robed as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town today, 13 December, having served in the post since 1 July this year. UCT Chancellor Mrs Graça Machel invested Professor Phakeng with her robe of office at a ceremony that was held as part of a special graduation in Memorial Hall.

The Vice-Chancellor celebrated her robing in the company of some 100 inspirational and special graduands from all six academic faculties, many of who were able to graduate thanks to donor funding which cleared their student debt. Among the congregation was a group of Golden Graduates, returning to their alma mater 50 years after their graduations in 1968.

Professor Phakeng is UCT’s 10th vice-chancellor and only the second woman to hold the office after Dr Mamphela Ramphele, who served from 1997 to 2000.

The December graduation season will see 1 885 students capped, including 118 doctoral and 780 master’s students.


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December graduation 2019


The University of Cape Town will be celebrating the graduation of 1 960 of its students over six graduation ceremonies on 12, 13 and 23 December, which include the conferral of three honorary doctorates and the presentation of the UCT Book Award and the UCT Creative Works Award. This graduation season, we also bid a fond farewell to our chancellor, Mrs Graça Machel, who has been the titular head of the university for the past 20 years. Her compassionate and dedicated service to the university will be deeply missed.
Farewell Chancellor Graça Machel
 

Our stories: inspirational graduates


UCT part of PhD graduand’s destiny As Olivia Matshabane prepared to receive her PhD from UCT this month, she said the highs have outweighed the lows during her journey. 20 Dec 2019
Former Miss SA’s road to graduation Tamaryn Green will graduate with her MBChB from UCT on Monday, 23 December, and says she will forever remember the “challenging yet fulfilling” seven-year journey. 19 Dec 2019
Through dysphoria to a doctoral degree Velile Vilane’s journey to a PhD from the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment goes beyond the degree – it’s about coming into being. 12 Dec 2019
Balancing a baby and the books Rejoice Gorni, a student at UCT’s Graduate School of Business, returned to lectures just days after giving birth to complete her PGDip in management. 12 Dec 2019
‘Education was my only hope’ Monica Damane, who will graduate on Thursday, 12 December, with her MSc in engineering says the road to this achievement has been far from easy. 11 Dec 2019
‘I refused to be called a failure’ Having endured personal setbacks and defied the odds, Furaha Abwe will graduate with his PhD in Architecture and Planning on Thursday, 12 December. 11 Dec 2019
Swimming upstream – the second-chance graduand This week UCT celebrates its inspirational graduands, students such as staffer Nombuso Shabalala who reclaimed her life after a traumatic event had left her becalmed. 10 Dec 2019
Burn the boat to win the island Having worked her way through to her doctoral studies, Delta Ndou will soon don the sought-after red robe to receive her PhD in Media Studies at UCT. 10 Dec 2019
Dream big and apply yourself fully Musa Kika arrived at UCT to study for an LLM, but his master’s was upgraded and he will be graduating in December with a PhD. 09 Dec 2019
Graduation speakers
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