Four people, including humanitarian and founder of Gift of the Givers, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, will be receiving honorary doctorates at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) next month.
The other recipients includes, author and political activist Dr Alan Boesak, academic Professor Zoë Wicomb and sociology academic Professor Kwesi Kwaa Prah.
UWC Registrar, Nita Lawton-Misra, says for the first time honorary doctorates and gold medals will be conferred at a gala ceremony.
“While honorary doctorates will be conferred on those who have contributed to scholarship and research, gold medals will also be awarded to individuals who have made significant and extraordinary contributions to the upliftment of society through exceptional leadership, community involvement and related activities.”
In July, Dr Sooliman wa heralded as a champion of the community by NGO the Giving Hope Foundation.
The Gift of the Givers founder received the Peace Hero award for his latest efforts to come to the rescue of communities following the April and May floods in KwaZulu-Natal.
The Giving Hope Foundation also auctioned off two prints by award-winning artist Nanda Soobben to raise funds for community upliftment projects.
Receiving his award, Sooliman encouraged South Africans not to lose hope.
“All race groups I have spoken to, everybody wants a peaceful developed SA. We have to stop complaining that the government is corrupt, and the government is taking rates, and the government is taking VAT and the fuel price is gone high and electricity is not working. Yes, there are problems in the country; it’s a fact, but not everybody in government is corrupt. There are a lot of good people in government who want to do a lot of good things. You can get corrupt people in religious societies also; you get corrupt people in the corporate world and in the medical society.”
