THE University of South Africa (Unisa) has confirmed that it will be honouring iconic Ndebele artist, Dr Esther Mahlangu with an honorary doctorate in recognition of her mathematical prowess.
Mahlangu will be awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics at a graduation ceremony at the Unisa Muckleneuk Campus in Pretoria on Tuesday.
Her prestigious award comes hot on the heels of that of the late Stimela front man, Ray “Chikapa” Phiri, who was honoured with a philosophy doctorate for his contribution in music.
According to Unisa, the university council, during its sitting of September 23, 2023 unanimously agreed to confer the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music to Phiri in recognition of the impact he made with his outstanding contributions and singular accomplishments in music.
“Ray Chikapa Phiri distinguished himself as a talented, hard-working artist, lead guitarist and songwriter extraordinaire who produced a vast body of work during his lifetime which touched many lives, contributed to social cohesion, as well as impacted on societal and cultural matters locally and internationally. His musical catalogue, spanning from the 1970s to the time of his passing on July 12, 2017 is almost unmatched,” Unisa said.
The South African jazz legend died at the age of 70 after a two-month battle with lung cancer.
The guitarist, producer and vocalist rose to fame when he featured on Paul Simon’s Graceland album in 1986.
During his lifetime, Phiri received several acknowledgements for his outstanding body of work and contribution in the music industry, including the South African National Order of Ikhamanga (2011) and the South African Music Lifetime Achievement Award (2012). In 2024, Dr Tlou Setumu honoured him with a posthumous biography titled ‘Singa Jindi Majita…! – Struggle and Musical Train Journey of Ray Phiri’, named after one of his masterful music compositions.
When it comes to Tuesday’s event, Unisa has indicated that global icon Mahlangu’s artworks have transcended art into the sphere of mathematics.
According to a report by Independent Media, during the opening of the 2024 Autumn Graduation season, Unisa principal and vice-chancellor Professor Puleng LenkaBula remarked: “Here at Unisa we recognise Dr Mahlangu’s work as something that transcends art. It is our firm conviction that her work is a form of mathematics and should thus be recognised as such.
“As an African university, we have a responsibility to recognise and affirm our indigenous knowledge systems and to ensure that they do not play second fiddle to other knowledge systems in the world.”
The Star