Whereas Ms Zubeida Jaffer
has achieved exceptional merit and given proof of eminent gifts of intellect, character and leadership, and in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the South African media industry, her commitment to factual and accurate reporting as a tool to inform and empower, and sharing her knowledge to guide a new generation of journalists,
the Council and Senate of Stellenbosch University hereby confer on her, in accordance with Act 101 of 1997, the degree
Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil), honoris causa
Professor Wim De Villiers a good morning to you, your colleagues, staff and students of Stellenbosch University. Molweni, Goeie more, good morning graduates, academics and parents gathered here in this hall today.
Thank you for bestowing the university’s highest accolade on me. I must admit that it came as a huge surprise but a pleasant one.
I stand here this morning for those journalists and others who have made enormous efforts not only to secure freedom in this country but do so on a platform constantly committed to uniting all South Africans in their diversity and not encouraging the impulse towards separateness. Journalists and others who understood that they were not better than other South Africans but needed to work together as human beings rather than separately to achieve everyone’s highest potential.
This effort has been painful but also joyous and while under considerable threat, remains the abiding national philosophy today. Seeing all the young faces in this hall, I have the firm belief that you will not take us backwards to finding exclusive solutions to our challenges but will have the wisdom to seek creative solutions that promise a united South Africa. There is no alternative but to work for a just and fair university, in a just and fair Stellenbosch where no one goes hungry.
Ndikhule ndithetha iAfrikaans. Esikolweni ndifunde isiNgesii nesiArabhu. Ndithe ndawufika eyuniversity nda funda isiXhosa.
As a child, I spoke Afrikaans. When I entered school, I spoke English and I learnt Arabic to fulfil my religious obligations as a Muslim. When I went to university, I studied isiXhosa and other African languages. Now as a pensioner, I plan to learn Swahili because this is the continental language of the future. This has not diminished me. Instead, it has enriched me. Languages connect us with the heart of communities and bring us closer to understanding the stories that pulse through society. For your convenience, I have translated my comments here and they appear on my website in all three languages of this province.
Professor De Villiers, thank you. Today you restore an imbalance in my life. It is a moment that I will always associate with this university and speaks to me of the possibilities of restoring harmonious relations amid considerable fractiousness. I hold three degrees. Two from South African Universities and one from abroad. This is the first time that I am graduating from a South African University. I did not attend those ceremonies in protest as the two universities were designated as white then … I was there on special permission from the Coloured Affairs department that excluded most of us.
Thank you too for making it possible for my mother to join me here and see me graduate for the first time. Last week she turned 96 years old. I am so so happy she has lived to see this day.
I thank you.
Kommentaar tydens die ontvangs van `n PHD Honoris Causa te Stellenbosch Universiteit.
Professor Wim De Villiers, ‘n Goeie môre aan u, u kollegas, personneel en studente van die Stellenbosch universiteit.
Molweni, good morning, goeie môre gegradueerdes, akademici en ouers hier teenwoordig in die saal vandag.
Dankie dat u die universiteit se hoogste akkolade aan my toevertrou. Erkentelik was dit ‘n groot, maar aangename verrassing.
Ek verteenwoordig daardie joernaliste en ander wie monumentale pogings aangewend het om nie net vryheid in die land te vestig nie, maar om dit ook konstant op ‘n platform te doen, toegewyd om alle Suid-Afrikaners te verenig in hul diversiteit en nie om die impuls om apart te wees, aan te moedig nie. Joernaliste en ander wie verstaan het dat hulle nie beter as ander Suid-Afrikaners was nie, maar wat die behoefte gehad het om saam te werk as mense, in stede om afsonderlik te werk om almal se hoogste potensiaal te verwesenlik.
Die poging was pynlik, maar ook vreugdevol, en terselfde tyd onder bedreiging, en dit bly die mees nagevolgde nasionale filosofie vandag.
As ek al die jong gesigte bespeur in die saal, het ek die vaste oortuiging dat julle ons nie terug sal voer na eksklusiewe oplossings na ons uitdagings nie, maar dat julle die wysheid sal besit om kreatiewe oplossings te soek wat ‘n verenigde Suid-Afrika. Daar is geen alternatief anders as om ‘n juiste, regverdige universiteit in ‘n juiste en regverdige Stellenbosch na te streef waar niemand sal honger ly nie.
Ndikhule nditheta iAfrikaans. Esikolweni ndifunde isiNgesii nesiArabhul Nedithe ndawufika eyUniversity nda funda isiXhosa.
As kind het ek Afrikaans gepraat. Toe ek skool betree het, het ek Engels gepraat en Arabies geleer om my geloofsverpligtinge as Moslem te vervul. Aan die Universiteit het ek isiXhosa en ander Afrika tale bestudeer. Nou as pensioenaris, beplan ek om Swahili te leer, want dit is die kontinentale taal van die toekoms. Dit het die hart van gemeenskappe en bring ons nader om die hartpols wat deur die stories na die gemeenskappe toe, te verstaan. Ek het alle kommentaar hier in al die drie tale van die provinsie, vertaal wat op my webtuiste verskyn vir u gemak.
Professor De Villiers, ek dank u. Vandag herstel u ‘n wanbalans in my lewe. Dit is ‘n oomblik waarmee ek my met die Universiteit vereenselwig en spreek tot my van die moontlikhede van die herstel van harmonieuse verhoudinge ten midde van aansienlike tweespalt. Ek beskik oor drie grade: twee van Suid-Afrikaanse Universiteite en ‘n oorsese graad. Dit is die eerste keer dat ek gradueer aan ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse Universiteit. In protes, het ek nie die twee universiteite, wat as wit verklaar is, se gradeplegtigheid bygewoon nie. Ek was daar op spesiale vergunning van die destydse Kleurling Sake Departement, wie meeste van ons uitgesluit het.
Verder wil ek u bedank dat u dit moontlik gemaak het dat my Moeder hier by my kon aansluit en my sien gradueer vir die eerste keer. Verlede week het sy 96 geword en ek is dankbaar dat sy leef om die dag te aanskou.
Ek dank u.
Izimvo ekufamaneni i-PHD Honoris Causa e-Stellenbosch University.
Njingalwazi Wim De Villiers ndiyabulisa kuwe, oogxa bakho, abasebenzi kwakunye nabafundi BaseStellenbosch University. Molweni, Goeie more, kwabafumana izidanga, abafundiswa, kwakunye nabazali abadibene apha kweli holo namhlanje.
Ndiyanibulela ngokundinika eliwonga likwelona nqanaba liphezulu kwi-univesithi. Ndimele ndivume ukuba lize ngondothusa gqitha, kodwa lindivise kamnandi.
Ndimi apha ngale ntsasa ndimele iintatheli nabanye abenze iinzame ezinkulu hayi nje ukukhusela inkululeko kweli lizwe kodwa bekwenza oko kwiqonga elithe gqolo bezibophelele ekudibaniseni bonke abemi boMzantsi Afrika, kwaye bangakhuthazi impembelelo yentluka-ntlukano. Abacholacholi beendaba nabanye ababeqonda ukuba babengekho ngcono kunabanye abemi boMzantsi Afrika kodwa kwakufuneka basebenzisane njengabantu kunokuba bahlukane ukuze bafezekise awona mandla aphakamileyo omntu wonke.
Lo mzamo (wentsebenziswano) ububuhlungu kodwa uyakuzisa ukonwaba, kwaye ngelixa uphantsi kwesoyikiso esikhulu, usahleli eliqiqo lesizwe nanamhlanje. Xa ndibona bonke abantu abancinci kweli holo, ndinenkolelo engagungqiyo yokuba anisayi kusibuyisela emva ekufumaneni izisombululo ezikhethekileyo kwimingeni yethu kodwa niyakuba nobulumko bokukhangela izisombululo ezithembisa uMzantsi Afrika omanyeneyo. Ayikho enye indlela ngaphandle kokusebenzela ukuba iStellenbosch University ibenobulungisa ingabinamkhethe, kungabikho mntu ukwindlala.
Ndikhule ndithetha iAfrikaans. Esikolweni ndifunde isiNgesii nesiArabhu. Ndithe ndawufika eyuniversity nda funda isiXhosa.
Ndisengumntwana, ndandithetha isiBhulu. Ukungena kwam esikolweni, ndathetha isiNgesi ndaza ndafunda isiArabhu ukuze ndiphumeze iimbopheleleko zam zonqulo njengomSilamsi. Ndithe xa ndisiya eyunivesithi ndafunda isiXhosa nezinye iilwimi zesiNtu. Ekubeni ngoku ndidla umhlala-phantsi, ndiceba ukufunda isiSwahili kuba olu lulwimi lwelizwekazi kwixesha elizayo. Ayindinciphisanga buntu lonto, indityebisile. Iilwimi zisidibanisa neentliziyo zoluntu kwaye zisisondeza ekuqondeni amabali aphila kuluntu. Ukunceda ndinenzele lula, ndizitolikile zonke ezizimvo zam, kwaye zivela kulewebsite yam ngazo zontathu iilwimi zeli phondo.
Njingalwazi Wim De Villiers, ndiyabulela. Namhlanje ulungise into ebingamanga kakuhle ebomini bam. Le izakuba yinkumbulo endiyakusoloko ndiyidibanisa nale University, kwaye ibonisa ukuba kuyenzeka ukuba kubuye ukuthula nemvisiswano apho bekukho uqhekeko noburhabaxa. Ndinezidanga ezintathu. Ezimbini ziphuma kwiyunivesiti zalapha eMzantsi Afrika, enye yeyaphesheya. Namhlange ngumhla wokuqala ndibakhona xa ndithweswa isidanga kwiyunivesiti eMzantsi Afrika. Andizange ndiye kuloo mibhiyozo, ndandiqhanqalaza njengoko ezi dyunivesiti zimbini zazizezabamhlophe bodwa… Ndandilapho ngemvume eyodwa evela kwisebe lezeMicimbi yeBala (Department of Coloured Affairs) ekhuphela ngaphandle uninzi lwethu.
Ndiyabulela ngokwenzela umama akwazi ukundibona ndithweswa isidanga okokuqala. Kuleveki iphelileyo ebegqiba iminyaka eyi-96 ezelwe. Ndivuya kakhulu kakhulu eyibonile lemini ebomini bakhe.
Ndiyanibulela.
Monday 5th December 2022