UCT marks spring graduation with multilingual thesis orations

The University of Cape Town (UCT) took its transformation efforts to new heights when two doctoral graduates had their thesis titles orated in an African language relevant to their research topics during the spring graduation.

In a historic moment, Msakha Mona and Babalwa Yashe-Molate, both from the School of Education, had their respective titles read in translanguaging, a mixture of English with isiSwati and in isiXhosa, during the Faculty of Humanities’ graduation ceremony on Wednesday afternoon – to rapturous applause and admiration from the audience.

The title of Mona’s thesis is “Indlela le-decolonial yekufinyelela i-curriculum lene bulungiswa besimo sebuntfu? Lucwaningo-sigameko ngesifundvo lesivamile semnyaka wekucala enyuvesi lensha ngemuva kwe-Aparteyti eMzansi Afrika” (Decolonial approach to a socially just curriculum: a case study of a first-year common course in an emerging post-apartheid university in Mzantsi Africa. 

The title of Yashe-Molate’s thesis is “Ukuchasana neenkolelo ezongameleyo malunga nolwimi nelitherasi ngokubonakalisa ubulwimininzi bekhaya nokwakheka kwalo” (Resisting dominant language and literacy ideologies through family multilingualism and the making of ikhaya).

The oration of their thesis titles is another positive step for UCT towards its campus-wide drive to embrace multilingualism following the approval of its new Language Policy by Council in December 2024.

Mona and Yashe-Molate were among the approximately   students, who were conferred with their degrees in six ceremonies this week.

Servant leadership

Presiding over the last graduation ceremony, UCT Chancellor Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe called on graduates to ensure that their education enriches not only their lives but also those of others. “Our nation and the world need leaders who listen and empathise, and act with courage.  South Africa faces profound inequality, contested histories and questions of identity and belonging. Your knowledge, creativity, and critical thinking skills are invaluable in communities of Khayelitsha, Alexandra, Ekurhuleni, Soweto and right here in Cape Town. I urge you to embrace servant leadership.”

UCT Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela echoed her sentiments and told graduates that their technical knowledge is important, but in a world that is complex and so volatile, it’s not going to be enough. “We need you to also bring a strong sense of values to what you do – values of compassion, kindness, respect, empathy, integrity and good ethical culture and practice.”

Remarkably, staff members, including the dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Professor Lionel Green-Thompson, were among those who celebrated the completion of their studies, a clear message to encourage continuous learning among academic and support staff. Prof Green-Thompson graduated with a Master of Business Administration.

“Your knowledge, creativity, and critical thinking skills are invaluable in communities of Khayelitsha, Alexandra, Ekurhuleni, Soweto and right here in Cape Town. I urge you to embrace servant leadership.”

And, as has been the case over the years, the university upped its ante to support graduates living with disabilities. The long-awaited official renaming of Jameson Memorial Hall to Sarah Baartman Hall was also done at the last graduation ceremony.

While cheering and ululations were the order of the day, UCT’s South African College of Music (SACM) and Opera UCT, together with the Marimba band and the praise singer, added to the celebrations.