​Graduation was a family affair for a number of Stellenbosch University graduates this year, as they shared this milestone with parents or siblings.

Anita Jonker and her son Johannes Jonker not only handed in their theses on the same day earlier this year, but also graduated together. She received her PhD in General Linguistics on Wednesday (7 December) and he walked away with his master's degree cum laude, in Socio-Informatics, on Thursday (8 December).

At first, it seemed like Johannes would receive his degree in absentia - he is currently continuing his studies at the University College London (UCL), working towards an additional MSc Entrepreneurship degree.

However, Johannes decided to surprise his mother by flying back to South Africa for graduation, after telling her he couldn't attend the ceremony.

"It was the greatest gift I could receive," said Anita about the surprise. "It's so special, because we helped one another for years, exchanging ideas on development – we're both interested in empowering disadvantaged people."

Johannes plans to eventually return to South Africa.

"Even though my experiences in London have been amazing, I won't be able to live anywhere other than South Africa in the long term. This is where I want to make a difference," he says.

Their story is echoed in that of Dr Pumla Mhlaba and her daughter Vuyelwa Mhlaba, who hail from the Eastern Cape.

Dr Pumla received her Postgraduate Diploma in Family Medicine on Tuesday 6 December while Vuyelwa received her Honours in Accounting (BAcc Hons) on Wednesday 7 December.

"It is has been a lovely experience graduating together and I couldn't be more proud of my mom - she is also very proud of me," said Vuyelwa. "We are now both Stellenbosch Alumni of 2016 and that is a special connection we will always share."

Vuyelwa will start her articles at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Cape Town in January 2017. She aspires to be an entrepreneur and run her own group of multinational companies. Dr Pumla, who works at the Family Medicine department of Dora Nginza Hospital, plans to study further and is interested in forensic medicine. She hopes to lecture at the planned medical school in Port Elizabeth.

Lastly, twin sisters Francis and Christine Prins respectively graduated with an honours degree in chemistry and an honours degree in education. They are the third generation in their family to earn degrees from Stellenbosch University.

The twins say even though they studied different courses and lived in different residences, they regularly touched base to catch up, exercise and socialise.

Looking towards the future, Francis is considering a career as a pharmaceutical sales representative in the Western Cape, and Christine will start her teaching career at Worcester North Primary School in 2017.

Photo (banner): Francis (left) and Christine Prins. Photographer: Anton Jordaan

Photo 1: Anita Jonker (left) and Johannes Jonker. Photographer: Stefan Els.

Photo 2: Vuyelwa Mhlaba (left) next to her mother Dr Pumla Mhlaba (middle) and grandmoter Barbara Mhlaba, along with her little brothers Bandile (bottom left) and Nile.