Years of investing in the gifted, underprivileged given tribute

This year’s Sol Plaatje Memorial Weekend marked a decade since the establishment of the Sol Plaatje University (SPU) in Kimberley.

This annual event to honour Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje took place on 6 and 7 October. As part of the event, the Luka Jantjie Courtyard was renamed to the Yunus Ballim Square in honour of the SPU’s founding vice-chancellor, Prof. Yunus Ballim.

At the renaming of the Luka Jantjie Courtyard are, from the left, Prof. Andrew Crouch (vice-chancellor, Sol Plaatje University – SPU), Prof. Yunus Ballim (former vice-chancellor, SPU), Judge Steven Majiedt (chancellor, SPU) and Goolam Akharwaray (member of the SPU Council).

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At the annual Sol Plaatje Lecture, Justice Edwin Cameron, former Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, discussed constitutionalism and its role as a repository of power, justice and moral vision.

“We are not a captured nation; South Africans fight when they see a power that seeks to subjugate them. A new elite is on the rise towards fulfilling a constitution that aims to root out corruption and criminality,” he said.

At the inaugural Founder’s Dinner Jennie Glennie, a key founding figure of the university, said the SPU has become a beacon of hope, offering quality education to the underprivileged but intellectually gifted.

Justice Steven Majiedt, chancellor of the SPU, introduced a landmark event: The country’s first Chancellor’s Forum which aims to shed light on pressing issues affecting university students. It is a platform for academics and administrators to engage in critical conversations.

Attending the Sol Plaatje University’s (SPU) memorial weekend are, from the left, Prof. Andrew Crouch (vice-chancellor of the SPU), Judge Mmathebe Violet Phatshoane (chairperson of the SPU Council), Jennie Glennie (former deputy chairperson of the SPU Council), Prof. Debra Meyer (deputy vice-chancellor of the SPU), Goolam Akharwaray (member of the SPU Council), Connie Molusi (deputy chairperson of the SPU Council), Josephine Peters (social impact manager at De Beers), Nicole Morris (dean of students at the SPU), Judge Steven Majiedt (chancellor of the SPU) and Dr Jody Cedras (university registrar).

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One of the unique initiatives discussed was the Talent Pipeline Programme (TPP). Aimed at preparing high school learners for university, the TPP seeks to help young individuals become the best versions of themselves and give back to their communities.

The Chancellor’s Golf Day concluded the Memorial Weekend, aimed to raise funds for the Chancellor’s Bursary Fund and the TPP.

The event was a confluence of sportsmanship and philanthropy, with various corporate sponsors contributing to the cause.