“I dearly accept this honorary doctorate with an open heart, appreciation, humility, and deep sense of pride”. This was said by Ambassador Fikile Sylvia Magubane when accepting a Doctoral degree in Management Sciences conferred on her by the School of Management Sciences at the University of Venda during the 2016 May graduation which took place on Thursday,12 May 2016 at University Auditorium.
Above: Dr Fikile Magubane (middle) pose for a photo with the Chancellor of the University of Venda, Honourable Kgalema Motlanthe (left) and Vice Chancellor and Principal, Prof Peter Mbati.
“Learning is a lifelong process which does not end, be a good ambassador of UNIVEN wherever you go as you are part of the legacy of this institution. It is up to you to continue to do good”, said Dr Magubane. She encouraged the University of Venda students who just received their degrees to continue to work hard and study further. Dr Magubane pointed that the country needs highly skilled people, more economists, researchers, scientists and leaders who will catapult our country to greater heights. As she continued she said “the future is you, you must shape it, I challenge you to use the knowledge imparted to you by your professors”.
Dr Magubane further said “I am deeply moved and immensely grateful that I will leave here bound in heart and soul with this institution, it is humbling for me to receive an honour”. She also saluted the class of 1976 June 16 and all the former struggle heroes for the sacrifice they made for our educational freedom.
Magubane commended Univen for firmly positioning itself as a leading University in skills development, programme offerings, research it does and the community it serves. The University of Venda has also consistently contributed to the vast human resources and development needs of the country and the SADC region. When concluding her acceptance speech, Magubane requested the Vice Chancellor of the University of Venda to nominate two scholars (one young woman and one young man) to be exposed to a short course in Emerging Markets and Country Risk Analysis, to be undertaken in New York in 2017.
Dr Magubane holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University and a BA in Economics and Accounting from the Universities of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland.
Her employment career includes positions as Human Resource Assistant at Epic Oil Mills, Director of Protocol and Intergovernmental Relations, Gauteng Provincial Government, Head of the Secretariat of the South African Development Community’s Committee of Central Bank Governors at the South African Reserve Bank, Consul General in New York, USA Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to Spain and Andorra, and Director of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Currently, Ambassador Magubane is seconded to the technical secretariat at the new BRICS Development Bank headquarters in Shanghai.
She was closely involved in securing an agreement between the Fordham University in New York and the University of Pretoria that saw approximately 23 South African students attending Fordham University annually. Despite working in a number of projects, Fikile Magubane was instrumental in implementing the EUROSA: Erasmus Action 2 Partnerships Scholarships Programme, funded by the European Commission. This programme promotes mobility for South African and European students, Researchers, Academics and Administrative Staff. Two staff members at UNIVEN have
benefited from this programme by completing the MBA in Sport Management qualification in Spain.
During her diplomatic career, Ambassador Magubane has worked tirelessly to promote International Educational linkages between South African Higher Education Institutions and their International Counterparts. Whilst at the mission at Madrid, Ambassador Magubane increased bilateral political and economic consultations between Spain and South Africa with particular emphasis on trade and investment. Most of her works have been of much importance to the nation as a whole as her tenure in Madrid has given rise to Spain recently becoming South Africa’s seventh top partner in the European Union.
Issued by:
Department of Communications and Marketing
University of Venda
Tel: 015 962 8525
Date: 13 May 2016
