The significant investment being made in tertiary education in South Africa paid off at the University of Pretoria, which awarded 11 908 qualifications during its Autumn Graduation season that started on 19 April 2023. Altogether, 46% of the students who graduated between 19 April and 16 May received some form of financial assistance during their studies, underlining the vital role of financial aid in the delivery of high-level skills.

“Without financial assistance, these graduates might not have been where they are today, ready to contribute their knowledge and skills to the economy,” said Professor Tawana Kupe, UP Principal and Vice-Chancellor.

Among those who relied on financial aid to complete their qualifications and graduate were approximately 840 students in engineering, the built environment and information technology, and over 960 with economics and management sciences qualifications, including accounting sciences and tax.

Financial aid also made it possible for approximately 560 students from the health sciences, 590 from the natural and agricultural sciences and 172 from the veterinary sciences to graduate. This along with 1 135 education students and close to 1 200 students in the law, the humanities and theology and religion faculties.

Add to these numbers the 6 502 graduates who did not make use of financial aid and it is clear that UP is making a sizeable contribution to the skills base of the South Africa and other African economies.

 Vusi Chiloane pulled off a rare academic hat-trick when he completed his third University of Pretoria (UP) degree in a row cum laude (with honour). What made his feat even more impressive was that while studying he was also managing a hereditary condition which was causing his eyesight to deteriorate. Chiloane, an organic chemistry scientist at the National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA), received his cum laude master’s degree in biochemistry. He had previously received his BSc and honours degree in the same discipline from UP. And to top it all off, at his graduation on 9 May Chiloane also received the Labotec Prize awarded to the student who obtains the highest mark for their MSc dissertation in biochemistry. He said there were many reasons why he chose UP as his academic home, but one stood out: “I believe the University of Pretoria to be an objectively superior academic institution, which would encourage me to perform at my level best to match the high standards set by the University.”

Siblings Sybrand and Marlie Harris are part of a one-of-a-kind unit: they are two of a family of five veterinarians who have all graduated from UP – and they were thrilled to be sharing a stage at the Faculty of Veterinary Science’s  autumn graduation ceremony, where they both received their degrees. Marlie (24), who has graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) degree and is doing her compulsory community service (CCS) year in Upington, Northern Cape, said, “I grew up spending a lot of time in my dad’s vet practice and was always intrigued by the diverse career opportunities in the veterinary science field.” Sybrand, her older brother, graduated with a master’s degree in Veterinary Science during the same graduation ceremony. In 2019, he completed his undergraduate degree at UP and did his CCS year at Sybrandskraal animal clinic in KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga.

Vusi Chiloane, Marlie and Sybrand Harris, Saman Akhtar, Lindie Bhila and Dr Tshepiso Maila

When Lindie Bhila registered for her honours degree in Information Science in 2021, nothing could prepare her for what her doctor shared with her: she was diagnosed with mycetoma, a disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissue caused by certain types of bacteria and fungi found in soil and water. “When I was told I had mycetoma on my right upper lung, I was devastated,” said Bhila. “For a moment, it felt like it was the end of my life. It was very hard. At one point, I was very scared of dying and leaving my daughter to grow up without me.” Bhila soon found that she was struggling to cope with her studies. However, she found that by renewing her focus on her studies, she was able to keep going. Despite her difficulties, Bhila obtained her Bachelor of Information Science (Hons) degree with a 76% average, which saw her being chosen as one of the top 15% in her class and as a Golden Key member.

“I decided to become a medical doctor after my mother was diagnosed with chronic conditions,” said newly qualified medical doctor, Dr Tshepiso Maila, who obtained her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree. “I wanted to be able to help her and other elderly people suffering from these conditions.” After completing her Bachelor of Nursing Science and Art at the University of Limpopo, the 31-year-old doctor, who hails from Mmakgatle village in Limpopo, wanted to pursue medicine at UP. She recalls being told that not everyone gets accepted to study at UP. “I took it as an opportunity to prove to those people that in life you can get anything you want, as long as you believe in yourself and put your mind to it and I was indeed accepted. Today I am a proud UP alumnus.” Out of her ten siblings, Dr Maila is the only one who managed to further her studies at a university and is set to be the first female doctor from her village.

Saman Akhtar is not only a cancer survivor. She beat the odds yet again and is now a qualified medical doctor. The-24-year-old graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) from the Faculty of Health Sciences. Akhtar was born in Durban and grew up in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal. She describes her childhood as “a happy and carefree” one.  “In 2016, while doing my matric year, I was diagnosed with Metastatic Ewing Sarcoma to the lungs,” she says, explaining that her rollercoaster battle with cancer started in early that year when she developed a lump on her left wrist. “In July of 2016, we decided to excise the mass. It was sent for histology which resulted in my diagnosis of Ewing Sarcoma,” she says.  Ewing Sarcoma is a type of cancer that occurs in bones or in the soft tissue around the bones. Four years after her diagnosis, in June of 2020, her medical scans came back and revealed no evidence of active cancer. “Since then, and by the grace of God, I have been in remission,” says Akhtar.