Prof Murray Leibbrandt, Research Chair in Poverty and Inequality Research in the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) at the University of Cape Town (UCT), and HE Bineta Diop, Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on Women, Peace, and Security, were recently presented with honorary doctorates during the December 2024 graduations at the University of the Free State (UFS).

Honorary Doctorate recipients

Prof Leibbrandt received a Doctor of Philosophy in Economic and Management Sciences from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) at the UFS. This was during the morning graduation ceremony, which took place on 9 December 2024. HE Diop, on the other hand, received a Doctor of Philosophy in African Studies from the Faculty of The Humanities during the afternoon graduation ceremony on the above date.

Prof Philippe Burger, acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic at the UFS – who conferred the degree on Prof Leibbrandt, and Prof Mogomme Masoga, Dean of the Faculty of The Humanities – who conferred the degree on HE Diop – indicated that the university is proud to recognise these individuals for their achievements with well-deserved honorary doctorates.

Accepting the honorary degrees

In his acceptance speech, Prof Leibbrandt described receiving this honorary degree as an ‘extraordinary privilege’. He expressed that being selected as a recipient of this qualification was awkward, as the work he has done over the years was a collective process. However, he highlighted that receiving the doctorate from the UFS is an amazing privilege because of several people from the institution with whom he had the opportunity to work with, such as Prof Burger.

HE Diop indicated that she is deeply honoured and humbled to receive this honorary doctorate and to be associated with the UFS. In addition, she stated, “This degree signifies the recognition of the efforts of African women and youth in advancing the women, peace, and security agenda across our continent.”

The honorary doctorate recipients were also selected as guest speakers for the morning and afternoon graduation sessions, respectively. In their addresses, Prof Leibbrandt and HE Diop encouraged the graduates to embrace integrity, hope, ambition, and discipline, among other things.