It’s not a joke, stand-up comedian Justice Kubheka obtained his National Diploma in Electrical Power Engineering at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) Autumn Graduation ceremony at the Olive Convention Centre yesterday morning (22 May 2023).

He was among the Durban graduands who were honoured at the opening ceremony of the Durban graduations which started on Monday, 22 May 2023 and is set to end next Wednesday, 31 May 2023. The DUT graduations commenced last week at the Indumiso Campus, and they were hosted over eight sessions in three days. The DUT graduation ceremonies will be held over 33 sessions in both Midlands and Durban.

Kubheka (38) from Thornville in Pietermaritzburg is proud of himself for finally managing to obtain his first qualification. He first enrolled for a National Diploma in Electrical Engineering: Heavy Current in 2004 at DUT but he did not complete his studies as his main focus was on his booming comedy career.

“First time around, I was only left with completing my in-service training in order to graduate. At that time, I had already engaged myself in comedy. I became a professional stand-up comedian, and I ended up putting my studies on hold. A few years later, I realised I needed to finish what I started at DUT. I did it so that even when my kids look back, they can say that dad was an entertainer, but he is also a qualified engineer,” said Kubheka.

He then returned to register and completed his studies many years later. The impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the entertainment industry made him realise the importance of having a qualification on hand.

“During COVID, we had a problem as events were not happening. If you had nothing on paper, survival was tough. I decided to go back to university. I am not stopping my entertainment career but now I want to also pursue my academic career. I will now apply for jobs; the good thing is that the country is facing the loadshedding crisis so it seems Eskom does need me. It’s either I go and help them tackle this problem or I establish my own Eskom,” said Kubheka.

According to Kubheka,  the people of Thornville also have high hopes that he will come up with solutions to address the electricity problem in their area. At the graduation ceremony, Kubheka said he was inspired by the other graduates who obtained their Master’s degrees and he hopes to further his studies in the future.

Kubheka has been a stand-up comedian for the past 16 years. Just like every entertainer, he is also trying to rebuild after the COVID-19 outbreak.

“ I have built a name for myself in the comedy industry. It’s easy for people to recognise me, once I say Justice Kubheka Comedy Nights, people know it’s going to be a great show. I am doing another show at the Golden Horse Casino, Pietermaritzburg on 14 June 2023, tickets are available at Ticket Pro. My career took a knock during COVID but I am trying to rebuild just like everyone else in South Africa,” concluded Kubheka.

Pictured: Stand-up comedian, Justice Kubheka.

Photographer: Khulasande Tshayile.

Simangele Zuma