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 for the 2025 academic year through an extensive governance process with each nomination having been approved by both the University's Senate and Council.
At the December 2025 graduation ceremonies, honorary doctorates were conferred on the following candidates: Colin Deiner, Western Cape provincial government’s Chief Director: Disaster Management and Fire and Rescue Services, Chris Otto, an SU alumnus and entrepreneur, and Prof Salim Safurdeen Abdool Karim, renowned epidemiologist. See details below.
During the March 2026 graduation week - regarded as part of the 2025 graduation series - honorary doctorates will be conferred on the following individuals:
Prof Abdulrazak Gurnah
Gurnah is an internationally acclaimed writer and literary scholar who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2021. He will be awarded the degree Doctor of Literature (DLitt), honoris causa. Gurnah has a longstanding relationship with SU. He is a Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) Fellow and was in residence at STIAS in 2018 while working on his novel Afterlives.
Dr Olive Shisana
Shisana, a pioneering social scientist and epidemiologist, will receive the degree Doctor of Science (DSc) (Medicine and Health Sciences), honoris causa. She served as the Director-General in the Department of Health during President Nelson Mandela’s administration where she played a central role in the post-apartheid reconstruction of public health.
Dr Tjaart Johannes van der Walt
Van der Walt will be awarded the degree Doctor of Engineering (DEng), honoris causa. He is regarded as a pioneer of digital banking on the African continent and a thought leader in the ethical application of technology for societal benefit. South Africa’s first fully digital retail bank, TymeBank, launched in South Africa in 2019 under his co-leadership, using an innovative distribution model that brought banking services to millions of previously unbanked South Africans.
During the December 2025 graduation week, honorary doctorates were 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.