Justice Sisi Khampepe has urged new graduates from the University of Johannesburg to use their skills and opportunities to make South Africa's democracy meaningful in the daily lives of ordinary people. She made the call on Wednesday after receiving an honorary doctorate from the university. Khampepe, who spent decades using the law to advance justice in South Africa, emphasized that the graduates' generation has a different responsibility from those who fought against apartheid.
Khampepe, born in Soweto in 1957, obtained an LLM from Harvard Law School in 1982, becoming one of the first black South African women to graduate from the prestigious institution. She said studying in a country where democracy was already a reality helped her understand that South Africa's political system could change. This experience shaped her perspective on the possibility of change in her home country.
The Justice emphasized that graduates should not sit back and wait for a better future. Instead, they are among its purpose, and the future will bear the imprint of what they tolerate, create, repair, and refuse to abandon. She acknowledged that much had been done to bring South Africa to where it is today, but said much still needed to be done, particularly in addressing challenges such as high unemployment, systemic inequality, violence, corruption, and climate crisis.
Khampepe also noted that graduates should not be expected to overcome these challenges through optimism or individual effort alone. She emphasized that structures matter, history matters, and opportunity is still distributed profoundly and differently along social, racial, and gender lines. However, she encouraged graduates to take agency and refuse to surrender their ownership to injustice.
UJ vice-chancellor and principal Prof Letlhokwa Mpedi praised Khampepe for her contribution to strengthening democracy. He said her values align with those of the University of Johannesburg, including commitment to justice, integrity, community engagement, and ethical leadership. Mpedi described Khampepe's legacy as one of quiet courage, rigorous integrity, and profound empathy.
Khampepe was one of eight eminent people from different sectors to receive honorary doctorates from UJ this year. Other recipients include Global health and social development advocate Monica Geingos, former Springbok captain Francois Pienaar, and literary and academic leader Prof Njabulo Ndebele. The university recognized their contributions to their respective fields and their alignment with UJ's values.
In her address, Khampepe expressed her deep gratitude and humility in receiving the honorary doctorate from UJ. She emphasized that her generation's task was to help dismantle an unjust political order and lay the foundation of a constitutional democracy, while the graduates' task is to make the promise of that democracy real in the daily lives of the people.
Key points
- Justice Sisi Khampepe urges University of Johannesburg graduates to use their skills to advance democracy in South Africa.
- Khampepe emphasizes that graduates should take agency and refuse to surrender their ownership to injustice.
- The Justice receives an honorary doctorate from UJ, recognizing her contribution to strengthening democracy.
