From caddy to doctor to philanthropist

As a young boy, he earned money by ploughing farmland with oxen and caddying for golfers after school and on weekends. This Saturday, the same person, Prof. Kubedi Patrick Mokhobo (89), will launch a foundation that will provide financial support for young students who wants to pursue a medical career.

The life story of Prof. Kubedi Patrick Mokhobo is gripping and inspiring. He was a brilliant high school learner and an article in the Herald newspaper in the 1950s told the story of his ambition to qualify as a medical doctor. The story caught the attention of a Jewish businessman, Hugh Calderbank, in Potchefstroom. He assisted the young student in pursuing his career in medicine. Mokhobo eventually became the first black cardiologist in South Africa.

In 2017, the North-West University’s Mahikeng campus conferred an honorary doctorate to him as a seasoned cardiologist, author, and academic.

Prof. Mokhobo’s history is deeply rooted in Potchefstroom. Born in the Potchefstroom district on 5 July 1932, he comes from humble beginnings and showed inherent resilience from a very young age. He was raised by his maternal family while his mother worked as a domestic worker in Johannesburg.

After a lifelong career in medicine, Prof. Mokhobo (89) now resides in his hometown, Potchefstroom and wants to give back to his community.

Residents are cordially invited to attend the official launch of the Prof. Mokhobo Foundation, a black-tie event at the Madiba Banquet Hall in Potchefstroom on Saturday, 8 May. The tickets, selling for R300 per person, will be part of fundraising for the foundation. To book your place at the formal event, contact Lilly Mosiane at 082 508 8286 or MK Motloung at 079 386 5922 before 16:00 on Friday.

• Read more about the life of Prof. Mokhobo in his autobiography, From nowhere to somewhere – an uncharted destiny. It was printed in 2013 by Xlibris Corporation.