Former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo was presented with an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) during a graduation ceremony on 9 April 2025. 

Prof Serges Kamga, Dean of the UFS Faculty of Law, presented the LLD honorary doctorate and said, “… the university is proud to recognise the achievements of the Former Chief Justice with this well-deserved honorary doctorate in the Faculty of Law.” 

Acceptance remarks

In his acceptance speech, Justice Zondo expressed gratitude and appreciation to the UFS for the conferral of this qualification. “It is a day of joy and celebration to me that this has happened, but I realise that there are many people who made contributions in my life, for me to get the kind of recognition I am getting today,” he said, before thanking the people who saw his potential to become a success. He singled out his late mother, saying she had instilled in him from a very young age the importance of education. 

He also expressed gratitude to the late human rights lawyer Victoria Mxenge for the confidence she showed in him by providing him with an opportunity to make contributions in the field of labour law; to Former Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng,  who selected him to be the Chairperson of the State Capture Commission; and to President Cyril Ramaphosa for “the honour and privilege to lead the judiciary in South Africa for two-and-a-half years as Chief Justice”.

Words of encouragement for the graduates

As the graduation ceremony approached its end, Justice Zondo delivered a keynote address to the graduating class. He highlighted that the graduates, some of whom are preparing to enter the world of work, must know that they have an alternative to formal employment – they can become businesspeople who ultimately become job creators. “You must refuse to be told only about being employees, you must imagine yourselves being businesspeople and big industrialists,” he said. 

He also reflected on his journey from private practice to being a judge in the labour court. He explained that at the time the opportunity presented itself, he was reluctant to accept it as he and his partner were working to grow their practice into a major law firm. However, he was convinced to take on the role once it was explained to him that declining the appointment would mean that there were only white judges in the labour court, which would send a message that black lawyers were not capable of being judges. Therefore, given the significance of taking up that role and some of his contributions to South Africa that followed that key appointment, he encouraged the graduates to use their education to help in addressing some of the key issues the country faces. 

As he concluded his address, Justice Zondo shared some words of wisdom with the new graduates: “From now on, nothing can stand in your way, if you continue to show determination, to work hard, and if you remain focused.”