Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) celebrated a significant academic milestone on Friday, 18 September 2026, when 167 students graduated during the university’s Spring Graduation Ceremony at the SMU Sports Complex.
The ceremony brought together graduates from across SMU’s schools to mark the successful completion of their qualifications and formally welcome them into the university’s alumni community. It also highlighted SMU’s continued commitment to academic excellence, postgraduate education and research.
Of the 167 graduates, 30 (18%) were undergraduates, while 137 (82%) were postgraduates. Among the postgraduate graduates, eighteen (13%) received honours degrees; 101 (74%) were awarded master’s degrees; and eighteen (13%) received Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees.
The 18 PhD graduates represented a notable milestone for SMU. Their achievement reflects the university’s growing contribution to postgraduate education and research, with doctoral graduates undertaking research to address challenges and contribute to their respective fields.
Among those celebrating the milestone was Dr Ntwanano Sipho Mapfumari, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physiology, who witnessed the graduation of his first PhD student, Dr Themba Daniel Sambo, who received a Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry. “I am super excited that today I had my first PhD student graduate. That is Dr Themba Daniel Sambo (Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry), whose citation I had the pleasure of reading. It is an exciting milestone for some of us,” Dr Mapfumari said.
Reflecting on the demands of doctoral research, he added: “As you know, dealing with PhD projects is like creating your own problems and then struggling to solve them.”
For graduates, postgraduate study represents more than attaining a qualification. It provides an opportunity to identify gaps in society and conduct research that can contribute to the broader community. Newly conferred Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry, Walter Bonke Mahlangu, said his achievement represented a contribution to scientific knowledge. “I am proud of the contribution I have made to the scientific community, particularly in the field of chemistry,” Dr Mahlangu said.
The graduation ceremony also recognised the collective effort behind the event’s successful delivery. SMU’s local organising committee (LOC) played an important role in ensuring that the ceremony ran smoothly, allowing graduates, their families and members of the university community to share in the occasion. Alumni Coordinator Benedict Masenamela described the ceremony as inspirational, highlighting the support provided by families, colleagues and the university’s alumni community.
The Spring Graduation Ceremony reaffirmed SMU’s role in advancing education, research and professional development in the health sciences. With eighteen PhD graduates contributing to the university’s postgraduate research profile, the milestone
demonstrates SMU’s ongoing contribution to advancing knowledge, fostering innovation and developing professionals who can contribute to society.
By Gabisile Sibeko
