UCT to celebrate Tutu and other heroes in human rights, reconciliation and computer technology: Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Ms Mary Burton and Dr David Potter to be honoured at graduation ceremonies in December
The University of Cape Town will honour Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu with the Graça Machel Chancellor's Award for Continental Leadership at the graduation ceremony at 10h00 on Monday, 12 December, in Jameson Hall.
In addition, human rights champion Ms Mary Burton and software genius Dr David Potter will receive honorary degrees at graduation ceremonies on 12 and 13 December respectively.
Tutu: a champion of human rights
Nobel Prize laureate Desmond Mpilo Tutu will become only the second person to receive the Chancellor's Award for Continental Leadership. In 2004, President Thabo Mbeki received the Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Leadership in Africa.
Archbishop Tutu has been active in the defence of human rights as well as an active proponent of countless UCT campaigns.This year, for instance, he underpinned the student-runThe Change Campaign - a week-long drive organised by the Students' Representative Council at UCT to foster a sense of social responsibility among peers. In October, he joined UCT students and staff and local civil society organisations to create It Gets Better - Cape Town: a collection of 18 videos that form the first South African contribution to a global video campaign targeting sexual minorities who experience discrimination in secondary schools and beyond.
In 2010, the Nansen-Tutu Centre for Marine Environmental Research in the UCT Marine Research Institute was partly named after him to honour his passion for the natural environment and climate responsiveness.
Burton: committed to justice and reconciliation
UCT alumna and human rights activist Mary Burton will be awarded an honorary doctorate degree in social science at the graduation ceremony at 15h00 on Monday, 12 December.
Ms Burton's enduring commitment to justice and reconciliation, and her courageous leadership of bodies esteemed for their advancement of liberty, is evident in her participation over several decades at the highest levels in organisations committed to human rights and civil liberties. These include Black Sash, which she joined in 1993 and in which she served as president from 1986 to 1990; the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in which she served as a commissioner in the Human Rights Committee from 1995 to 1998; and bodies such as the Surplus Peoples Project, the National Council for Women and the Institute of Race Relations.
In 2000 Ms Burton helped launch the Home for All Campaign, which called on white South Africans to contribute to reconciliation in South African in recognition of the benefit and privilege they experienced under apartheid. In 2003, The Order of Luthuli (Silver) was conferred upon her by President Mbeki. In 2004 the Order of Disa, the highest provincial award, was conferred upon her by Western Cape Premier Ibrahim Rasool in 2004, and the Reconciliation Award by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation.
Potter: designer of computer mobility
Dr David Potter, the founder and former CEO of microcomputer systems company Psion, will be awarded an honorary doctorate degree in engineering at 15h00 on Tuesday, 13 December, forhis phenomenal contribution to technology and software.In 1980, Dr Potter founded software company Psion. In 1984, using radical technology, Psion invented The Organiser, the world's first volume hand-held computer for personal use. Potter later led the creation of Symbian Limited, in partnership with Nokia,Ericsson, Motorola andMatsushita, to create the operating system standard for mobile wireless devices, now known as Symbian.
In 2004, the David and Elaine Potter Foundation, formed by Dr Potter and his wife, established a fellowship programme at UCT to support projects in education, research and Third World development. The foundation gives opportunity to motivated and academically excellent individuals to use their education for the betterment of South Africa and civil society. To date, more than 40 South African master's and doctoral students have benefited from theprogramme. Potter also serves on the South African President's Committee on Communication and Information Technology.
Statement issued by Loga Makwela, UCT Communication and Marketing Department, December 6 2011
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