Pretoria: Unisa honours struggle icon Philip Kgosana

The family of Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) stalwart have expressed their great joy in being able to refer to the late Philip Ata Kgosana as “Doctor”.

Bani Kgosana, the son of the late PAC struggle hero said: “We feel humbled and honoured by the decision of Unisa to confer this honorary PhD on my father.”

Unisa conferred the degree of doctor of philosophy (honoris causa) posthumously on political activist and PAC stalwart Philip Kgosana, at a graduation ceremony last week Tuesday, at the Unisa main campus.

Philip was known for leading a protest demonstration at the age of 23, on 30 March 1960, where 30 000 protesters opposing the country’s pass laws marched from Langa to Cape Town.

Bani said his father valued education. “So, to be accorded what is effectively the highest honour in education is a cause for celebration and great gratitude and pride.”

Bani reminisced about the conditions that his father experienced when he was studying towards his BA Honours degree through Unisa during the apartheid years.

“When my father decided to study with Unisa he had been in exile for about 15 years.”

Bani said during this time, Philip had not seen his parents or any member of his family besides his wife who was with him in exile.

“He had no support system outside of the other South Africans in political exile like him. So, life was not easy. Despite this, he persevered and studied for his honours degree in economics through Unisa until he completed his course in 1977,” said Bani.

He said he recalled how his father would open packages received from Unisa by throwing them down on the grass as a safety strategy in case it was an explosive.