THREE remarkable women were among the graduands who walked the stage during the opening ceremony of the DUT 2025 Spring Graduation on Thursday, September 18, at the Olive Convention Centre.

The ceremony celebrated 290 adaptive graduates for their resilience and excellence while showcasing the power of education. The accomplishments of Dr Margaret Masuku, Dr Pamela Rakoma, and Dr Regina Sikhosana were among the highlights of the ceremony. Masuku (50), a Faculty Research Co-ordinator at DUT, earned her PhD in Information Technology.

Her research investigated the role of digital transformation in maritime education and training in South Africa, using frameworks like the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Masuku’s findings underscore the power of digital tools to improve access, teaching quality, and global competitiveness in maritime education.

Following her on this inspiring journey was Dr Pamela Rakoma (53), a lecturer in Library and Information Studies in DUT’s Department of Information Systems. She received her PhD in Library and Information Science for her thesis titled Towards a Multimodal Framework for Work Integrated Learning Assessments. Rakoma’s journey was one of perseverance, faith, and emotional strength.

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She said, “My PhD journey was the hardest of all. I faced moments of doubt, tears, and the temptation to give up. But I held on to my faith and drew strength from my daughter and my supervisors, Dr Sentoo and Prof Rajkomaar. At times, I thought it was impossible, but God’s promise that ‘when the time is right, I will make it happen’ carried me through.”

Completing the trio was Sikhosana (52), who travelled from Cape Town for the occasion. Now the Deputy Director in the Library at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), Dr Sikhosana received her PhD in Library and Information Science. Her study focused on the adoption and maintenance of next-generation integrated library systems in academic libraries.

An emotional Sikhosana said, “My study started in 2021 during the Covid-19 era; during that time my mom suffered a stroke and her health deteriorated beginning of 2024 and she passed on 13th June, two days after her birthday which was on 11th June 2024. When she died, I also died inside and this interrupted my studies. I did not cope very well and received counselling.”

Showing her strength and resilience, Sikhosana picked herself up and continued on her journey. “The support from my family, especially my two boys, kept me going. I was able to finalise my corrections early in the year 2025,” reiterated Sikhosana who wished her mother was alive to witness her special day.

A total of 940 students will be conferred with degrees and awarded diplomas during DUT’s Spring Graduation ceremonies. “The University congratulates all students who will be graduating. A special thank you to the family, friends and funders who supported our students on their academic journey. We also recognise the positive role played by our staff from the academic, administration and support services at DUT,” said DUT spokesperson Alan Khan.

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