Cheers of ululation, dancing and a bit of gloating marked the first session of the DUT Graduation Ceremonies which took place today (1 September 2016) at 9am.

Loud congratulatory cheers echoed through the hall as some graduates made their way to the stage, watched by excited loved ones and DUT academic staff.

“DUT is a University where we celebrate diversity,” said DUT Interim Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Dr John Volmink while delivering his keynote address at the ceremony. “We live in a country where we need to respect, affirm and support each other, and show that we can live in a vibrant society and be able to contribute to the economy and society to bring about change,” he said.

Dr Volmink also urged graduands to continue their studies in order to help South Africa move forward. He also paid tribute to the parents and guardians and all those who supported the graduates on their academic journeys; praising them for making many sacrifices that ultimately allowed graduates to reach their goals.

BTech graduate, Alvinette Sathyanand, was over the moon to receive her degree in Office Management and Technology. “It took a lot of hard work to get to this point and I am so happy to share this joyous moment with my two sons and hopefully inspire,’ she said.

The second session at 1pm will see an Honorary Doctorate in Management Sciences being conferred to women empowerment luminary, Ms Gloria T. Serobe in recognition for her outstanding contribution towards creating social and economic change for the empowerment of women, particularly those in the rural areas.

–          Waheeda Peters

Pictured: The proud DUT graduands at the University’s Spring Graduation Ceremonies first session. Also pictured are PhD graduands with Dr John Volmink, Interim DUT Vice-Chancellor and Principal.