This afternoon (23 April 2015), DUT will confer an Honorary Doctorate to Dr Richard Maponya, founder and first president of the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NAFCOC) and first Chairman of the Johannesburg African Chamber of Commerce.

Dr Maponya, a teacher by profession, will be honored during the Faculty of Management Sciences’ graduation ceremony to be held at the Steve Biko Campus’s Fred Crookes Sports Centre.

DUT confers honorary doctorates in recognition of a recipient’s prestigious work. Dr Maponya’s Honorary Doctorate will acknowledge his contribution to the business sector in South Africa.

Dr Maponya spontaneously took a job as a stock-taker at a clothing maker. Dr Maponya’s business venture started off when he sold soiled clothing and offcuts in Soweto which had been handed down to him by his then boss.

After numerous attempts to open a clothing retail shop in Soweto, Dr Maponya was denied permission. That however did not derail his passion for business. He went on to establish his dairy shop which was called Dube Hygienic Dairy which created employment for the boys in his community.

Dr Maponya’s business achievement speaks in volumes. He has won numerous awards including the Small Business Excellence Award (2007), World Enterprise Award in 2008, was a recipient of the Top 100 Companies Award: Business Times (2008), Lifetime Achievement Award and a BEE Entrepreneur Award.

Dr Maponya has received an Honorary Fellowship Award from the Mangosuthu University of Technology in 2012 in recognition of being a pioneer in business against the odds. The 95 year old currently owns Maponya Mall in Soweto with more than 200 stores and a cinema complex.

– Noxolo Memela

Pictured: Respected SA business mogul Dr Richard Maponya who will receive an Honorary Doctorate from DUT this afternoon (Thursday, 23 April 2015).