Honorary doctorates

Stellenbosch University annually confers honorary doctorates upon extraordinary individuals who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields and made a significant contribution to society. These candidates were selected through an extensive governance process with each nomination having been approved by both the Senate and the University’s Council.

During the December 2025 graduation series, honorary doctorates will be conferred on the following individuals:

Colin Deiner

Deiner, the Western Cape provincial government’s Chief Director: Disaster Management and Fire and Rescue Services, is internationally recognised for his extensive expertise in disaster management and response. He will be awarded the degree Doctor of Engineering (DEng), honoris causa. He has led South African search and rescue teams to disaster affected areas across the country and abroad. Deiner also coordinated the drought disaster campaign (Day Zero) in the Western Cape and the non-medical component of the Covid-19 provincial response.

Chris Otto

Otto, an SU alumnus and entrepreneur, will be awarded the degree Doctor of Laws (LLD), honoris causa. He is a co-founder of the PSG Group and Capitec Bank. Otto is also the founding chairman of the Stellenbosch Law Faculty Trust, which assisted with the establishment of the Chair in Social Justice, the Gys Steyn Chair in Financial Regulation Law and the Chair in Urban Law and Sustainability Governance.

Prof Salim Safurdeen Abdool Karim

Abdool Karim, who is a renowned epidemiologist, will be awarded the degree Doctor of Science (DSc) (Medicine and Health Sciences), honoris causa. During the Covid-19 pandemic he was a leading contributor to the Covid-19 response, providing scientific guidance on genetic mutations in SARS-CoV-2 leading to new variants. Abdool Karim is the Director of the Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) and CAPRISA Professor of Global Health at Columbia University, New York. He is also Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.