By Staff Reporter
BLOEMFONTEIN-Education MEC Dr Tate Makgoe has been conferred with Chancellor’s Excellence Award for his contribution to advancement of Education , not only in the province but nationally by Central University of Technology on Friday.
In his acceptance speech Makgoe has expressed a heartfelt appreciation and attributed the success to a team work.
“This was made possible by all officials and educators. Thank you for recognition.”
He also congratulated other three people who were also honoured by CUT.
“I would like to congratulate all graduates who were conferred on their doctoral degrees today. Congratulations are in order to renowned author, actor and playwriter Dr Khotso Nkhatho who has been conferred with honorary Doctorate.”
Renowned actor Nkhatho was honoured alongside three other role models, higher education administrator, Professor Itumeleng Mosala, and Dr Jerry Chaka, a multi award-winning environmental health practitioner.
Nkhatho was conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Communication and Language Practice.
He starred in various television and radio drama series including “Mopheme”, “Mmalonya,” and “Thabure”, where his reputation as a Sesotho speaking actor blossomed.
Nkhatho says he is honoured to be recognised while he is alive. “When people are gone you suddenly see buildings, streets and all sorts of things named after them. I always wonder if that is an act of saying we should have done this. So some of us are fortunate because we see this honour while we are still alive.”
“I’m humbled by this university to have identified me amongst so many South African and actually taken note of the good work that I did in my profession. I have been in this profession for more than 30 years and I have travelled the world, says Dr Chaka an environmental Health Practitioner at Ekurhuleni Municipality, who was also honoured.
The State Capture Commission Secretary, Professor Mosala, says they have come a long way since the commission’s establishment in 2018.
He says South Africa should be proud of the work that has been done in revealing corruption in the country. Professor Mosala was also elated to be honoured by his home province.
“We are dealing with an incredible amount of evidence on corruption that our investigators have been able to put together. I think South Africa should be proud about this project no other country has been able to collect the amount of evidence on corruption of the size that we have done. We have a long way to go even though we have come a long way. We need to now finish the oral evidence to do the analysis.”
Dr Makgoe has attributed his achievements to all the stakeholders in the department.
“As a leader you just move people to attain a particular vision and when we achieve that vision it is always important to remember that when you are given and award it is not your individual work it is a collective award. That is why I wanted to thank teachers, principals, officials at the department of education; parents themselves, SGBs if they not giving us the support we need, we would not have achieved this. Even more importantly, to thank our learners.”
Giving the keynote address and once more, I would like to congratulate all the graduates who were conferred their doctoral degrees today.
The province has managed to hold a steady matric pass rate of more than 80 percent since Makgoe took the reigns in 2009. Additional information from SABC
