Vaal University of Technology confers honorary doctorate to Minister Molewa

The Vaal University of Technology honoured the Minister of Environmental Affairs, Minister Edith Edna Molewa, with a doctor's degree in applied sciences for her immeasurable contribution in the field of humanities. This momentous occasion took place on Tuesday 6 September, during the faculty of Management Sciences spring graduation ceremony.

The honourable Minister Edith Edna Molewa may now be officially addressed as Dr Molewa. The mother of four and the Minister of Environmental Affairs of South Africa is an educator by training and long-time activist, who has made a great contribution in South Africa's liberation movement. Molewa has served in various structures of the ANC and the trade union movement - including the position of Deputy President of the South African Commercial Catering and Allied Workers Union.

She was among the first members of the democratic Parliament and was bestowed the duty of being the first female to chair the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry in Parliament. A seasoned gender activist, Molewa has been a member of the ANC Women's League since 2013. Molewa is currently reading for a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree with the University of South Africa.

In her speech, she thanked her mother and late father for providing her with an environment of academics during her upbringing, hence becoming the respectable woman that she is today.

She further noted that she has made sacrifices, such as not actively raising her children, and she thanked her mother and sisters for giving her a strong support system, which encouraged her to continue with persistence to work hard and effortlessly in making a positive contribution in South Africa. "I am humbled to be trusted with such an honourable award," she said.