by Phaphama Tshisikhawe
As the autumn graduation season commenced at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) on 1 April 2025, the University’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Tinyiko Maluleke, penned an inspiring message to the newly minted graduates, praising their resilience and determination throughout their educational journeys.
Foregrounding the grit and the tenacity of the graduates, Prof Maluleke said:
“The Tshwane University of Technology is fully appreciative of the stony road that many of our 64,000 students have trod on the journey towards graduation day. We are aware of the many rivers our students have had to cross; the mountains they have had to scale and the hurdles they have had to negotiate. TUT students are some of the feistiest and the most resilient in the higher education sector.”
The 2025 autumn graduations will see 11 389 students cross the stage to receive their degrees and diplomas. This includes 9 922 undergraduate students, 1 265 postgraduate students, 163 Master’s graduates and 39 PhD candidates.
Quoting Nelson Mandela, Prof Maluleke said: “It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another,”.
Prof Tinyiko Maluleke, Vice-Chancellor and Principal with
Dr Gloria Serobe, TUT Chancellor.
Using Nelson Mandela’s words to conclude, Prof Maluleke said:
“Accordingly, to the ‘daughters of peasants’ and the ‘sons of mine workers’ and ‘children of farm workers’ who are graduating today, we say: go on and make your knowledge work for your country and the world,”.
These words struck a deep chord with graduates from humble beginnings.
To read the full speech by Prof Tinyiko Maluleke, please click here.
