Hishaam Mohamed Hishaam Mohamed
Siyavuya Mzantsi
UWC has honoured 10 of its outstanding alumni for their contributions to their fields of study and towards nation-building.
This year’s Chancellor’s Outstanding Awards were held at the university’s main hall last night.
The awards were divided into the categories Women in Leadership, Science and Technology, Law, Sports, Sports Education or Administration, and Health Sciences.
UWC professors Daan Cloete and Jaap Durand were honoured with special recognition awards.
Nargis Gani, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo and Professor Leila Patel received Women in Leadership awards, while Dr Razeena Omar and Ashley Uys received awards in the Science and Technology category.
The regional head of the Department of Justice, advocate Hishaam Mohamed, received a Law award, and Dr Tanushree Pillay and Tobias Titus were presented with the Sports Education or Administration award.
The Health Sciences alumni award was received by professors Nicolette Roman and Praneet Valodia.
UWC chancellor Archbishop Thabo Makgoba said the Chancellor’s Dinner and Alumni Awards Ceremony was one of UWC’s highlights for the year.
“It is the occasion where we honour the outstanding achievements, leadership and contribution to the nation of the university’s alumni in their professional lives,” he said.
The recipients were nominated by members of the public and peers. They were chosen according to innovation and creativity, commitment to nation-building, leadership and the development of strategic solutions, and achievements in community upliftment.
lProfessor Johannes Jacobus Fourie (Jaap) Durand stood out among the academics for making massive contributions to the development of UWC
during the 1970s and 80s.
lDr Razeena Omar is a leading figure in conservation in South Africa. She is a former director of the South African National Parks (SANParks) and is the co-chair of the Earth Charter International Council. Omar also served as Executive Director: People and Conservation at SANParks.
lAshley Uys started his first business at the age of 24 and has since garnered many accolades for his entrepreneurial prowess. He won the SAB KickStart National Business of the Year award at the age of 26. He made Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30: Africa’s Best Young Entrepreneurs” list in 2012.
lNargis Gani attended UWC from 1990 to 1994, completing a BA Honours in Psychology, a Higher Diploma in Education and a diploma in human resource management.
l Dr Nomafrench Mbombo became the first woman to be appointed as MEC for Health in the Western Cape at the beginning of the year. She is the first black woman to hold a post as provincial cabinet minister in the province and the first nursing professional to be appointed to the position.
l Professor Leila Patel is a professor of Social Development Studies and a former chairperson of the Department of Social Work at the University of Johannesburg, as well as director at UWC’s Centre for Social Development in Africa. She was a non-executive director of Liberty Group Limited from 2004 to 2012.
lAdvocate Hishaam Mohamed has been the provincial head of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development in the Western Cape since 1997. He holds a B.Iuris, an LLB and a Master’s degree in Public Administration (cum laude) from UWC, and completed a senior executive management course at Harvard Business School in Boston, US.
l Dr Tanushree Pillay has done her fair share of behind-the-scenes work in sport as a physiotherapist. She started as a student physiotherapist assisting the UWC Rugby Club. By 2005 she was doing duty at the Silvertree and Tygerberg rugby clubs.
l Tobias (Tobie) Titus was the first black president of the Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU) and is the longest-serving rugby administrator since unification in 1994. He was a member of the executive committee of the WPRFU from 1994 to 2012.
lProfessor Nicolette Roman currently heads the Child and Family Studies Programme at UWC, where she specialises in family psychological well-being, family functioning and practices, parenting, self-determination theory, research design and writing methods.
Makgoba said: “Our society is in dire need of exemplary leaders and we hope you will be the shining light we need and that you will continue to inspire our alumni and young upcoming stars in our communities. I wish you continued success.”