The Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Honourable Buti Kgwaridi Manamela, graced the Faculty of Management Sciences Welkom graduation ceremony held on 04 April 2019.

“Savour this day, be proud of all you’ve achieved, but know that another ocean lies before you and another shore await you,” these were the words of Dr Clement Moreku, acting Deputy Campus Director: Welkom Campus as he opened the Welkom Campus 2019 graduation ceremony. 

For the first time in the history of the Welkom Campus, the Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Honourable Buti Kgwaridi Manamela, graced the Faculty of Management Sciences Welkom graduation ceremony held on 04 April 2019, which was one of the three sessions held over two days. His presence not only made the day extraordinary but also made the graduates feel special. For this autumn ceremony, Welkom Campus graduated a total of 845 students including five masters and four doctoral candidates.  

In attendance were also Mr Nkosenjani Speelman, Executive Mayor of Matjhabeng local Municipality, Mr Francis Mahlangu, Goldfields TVET College Principal and Mr Veli Mabena, Maluti TVET College Principal.

When delivering his congratulatory speech to the graduates, the Deputy Minister said he was excited to be part of the graduation ceremony because it gives him great pleasure to see student realising their dreams and reaching their goal. “I believe in success, and achievements like these should always be recognised and celebrated. This is a special day for our graduates but more importantly, their parents, family and friends. Graduation is a culmination of hard work, long hours of studying and applying yourself to your selected area of study and therefore today, we are here to celebrate your milestone. One thing about this day is that it gives you not only a sense of purpose, but it also reflects a journey that you have travelled and thus, worthy of cherishing.

“Your certificate is not just a piece of paper, it signifies the struggle and sacrifices you and others went through to get to this point. It is a culmination of a goal that you set for yourself in a mission to your desired career path. It transmits your aspiration and desires to escape poverty, to create a better life for you and your family, to be a recognised professional in your chosen field and to make your mark in your community and society. Your graduation certificate is also an entrance ticket into the labour market, and it’s something we have to show off because no one can take it away from you.”

Mr Manamela, who is currently studying towards his postgraduate, said that about 83% of those who are employed essentially have some form of qualification and the growth in postgraduate enrolment in 2017/2018 was standing at 173 000 and is expected to increase by 2, 5% in the coming year. “As you graduate today, I hope this is not the last time that you will be graduating. I am still studying but it’s not only that, we need as many of you as possible to pursue your postgraduate studies and we also need as many of you as possible to replace aging staff who are part of the academic community, we need you to take the future of our country to greater heights and all of that starts with you.”

The Deputy Minister further encouraged new graduates to continue learning new skills, challenge themselves and specialise. “Your graduation today must set you on a new path to achieve better and greater lengths. I hope I will not see any of you standing in the streets with a placard stating ‘I’m a graduate of CUT and I’m unemployed’ because that’s not what our university system is about. CUT has prepared you to be the best that South Africa expects you to be and as you go out there, you need to be self-sufficient, think beyond the formalities of employment, make an impact in your communities, take advantage of opportunities presented to you and build a better society.”

Delighted to be graduating from left: Sophie Seipati Pitso, Kele Lengau and Eunice, Thembiwe Shushu.

When sending them off, Prof. Henk de Jager, Vice-Chancellor and Principal said that as CUT community, they are proud to share and celebrate the day with graduates and their loved ones and thanked them for choosing CUT as their academic home. “You are leaving this ceremony today with a duty to uphold the good name of CUT as your alma mater. Make wise use of the tools and the knowledge you acquired and be the change in society. We would like to see you back as postgraduates, and until you get that red gown one day, your journey still continues.”