via It’s now Dr Grace and Dr Mujuru! – NewsDay Zimbabwe September 13, 2014
FIRST Lady Grace Mugabe and Vice-President Joice Mujuru yesterday graduated with doctorate degrees at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ).
The two were part of the 3 274 graduands who were capped by President Robert Mugabe, who is the Chancellor of UZ.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, UZ Vice-Chancellor Levi Nyagura said yesterday’s graduation was a different one as Mugabe was going to cap his wife Grace.
“This graduation ceremony is a historic event which is very difficult, if not impossible, to repeat in the near future,” Nyagura said.
“Allow me to single out a very special and unique graduand, the First Lady, who shall be presented to you for conferment
of a degree . . . May you also allow me to single out the Vice-President who shall be presented to you for conferment of a degree.”
Grace graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in the Faculty of Social Studies, while Mujuru graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Faculty of Commerce.
It was not clear when Grace registered for her PhD with UZ. Only a few months ago, it was reported that she had registered for a doctoral degree with the institution and chose a well-known UZ sociology professor as her supervisor.
Grace reportedly possesses a first degree in Chinese Language that she completed in 2011 after four years of distance learning with the People’s University of China.
It could not be established if Grace completed a post-graduate degree course.
In the mid-2000s, there were unconfirmed reports that Grace had been forced to abandon her Bachelor of Arts degree in English course with the University of London due to a string of poor results during an eight-year period.
Mujuru, on the other hand, holds a Master’s Degree in Strategic Management with Chinhoyi University.
But it could also not be established when she started her studies with UZ.
Other notable people who graduated yesterday were Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Lazarus Dokora, who graduated with a PhD in the Faculty of Arts, Deputy Minister of Women’s Affairs Abigail Damasane, who graduated with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, and Patrick Zhuwao, a nephew of President Mugabe, graduated with a Master of Science degree in Economics.
MDC-T national organising secretary Nelson Chamisa graduated with a Bachelor of Law Honours degree and was also awarded the Law Society Prize while former MDC-T national youth chairperson Solomon Madzore, who is now affiliated with the MDC Renewal Team, graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work Honours degree.
Nyagura bemoaned the brain drain at UZ and called upon government to improve conditions of service.
“The brain drain which we thought had ended is again rearing its ugly head,” Nyagura said. “In order to retain experienced staff, we continue to appeal to government to improve our conditions of service to make us competitive regionally.”
Nyagura also said that UZ had reviewed its curriculum to promote innovation, applications of science and technology, and entrepreneurship.
“Our focus is to produce graduates with a strong foundation in science and technology, and with problem-solving and analytical skills,” Nyagura said. “In particular, we have taken up the responsibility to provide training in nanotechnology together with product development in nanomedicine.”
“We would like to remain competitive as a university, both locally and internationally, and we shall attain this through a process of total quality assurance in all our activities. We are a pioneering university and we like to show the way for others to follow by identifying the right things and doing them right.”
Nyagura said 28 of the graduands were those living with disability, and having them at the university was a way to empower them.
“Students with disabilities have found a caring, intellectually-driven home at the University of Zimbabwe,” Nyagura said.
“This comprehensive affirmative action should not be interpreted as showing sympathy to any student with disability. Instead, it is a means to empower these students so that they become independent citizens of our country. Today I present to you 28 graduands with various disabilities.”
He also said the past academic year had seen a significant number of their strategic partners offering scholarships to support the education of the students.
“We are grateful for this support whereby other players realise that the role of educating our nation and investing in human capital development should not be left to the government alone, but should involve all stakeholders,” Nyagura said.
COMMENTS
Soon her useless sprog who was expelled from school will be capped too. The little idiot will attain an “O level,A level and everything else in between in record time. And why not when father is the head of every institution of learning. Certificates can be printed just as easily as cash in Zimbabwe. The shameless Ho mother will claim he has been studying at home with private tutors.
I wish John Makumbe was alive today. He would have given front row insights about these PHDs which are dropping on people like vonfetti at a wording. It truly boggles the mind.
oooh Dr. Disgrace Gucci!
Handing them out like candy. Certificates not worth the. Toilet paper they’re printed on. Big pompous egos. Anyway these frauds about to be brought down to size – including you know who
Grace must of done all her studying on planes and in shops. This will further weaken any UZ Qualification.
Please note this: ‘it was reported that she had registered for a doctoral degree with the institution and chose a well-known UZ sociology professor as her supervisor’. She was not allocated a supervisor as it obtains under normal circumstances BUT she ‘CHOSE’ one why this prefential and suspicious treatment????? When was this??? Chatunga, do the same thing and within no time you will be a PhD holder earlier than the wiz kids you left at St Georges College where you proved to be incorrigible, all hands down.
An insult to all those hardworking UZ students who earned their qualifications and to those committed academics who taught and supervised them
Grace failed a degree in English language but passed the one in Chinese language.This family is full of wonders.
I agree with those who are convinced that in no time that Chatunga will have a PHD and it should not come as surprise if Robert junior will be appointed Dean of Medical Studies or Engineering. At this rate anything is possible.
Employers please note the exact value of a UZ degree. They are given out like candy to vacuum heads,
Except the two mentioned doctors, the rest will have to join the diaspora to look for work
some people are super clever it took someone I know more than 90 days to prepare just for the PhD research proposal and Grace does the wrong program in 60 days.I bet she does not know what goes into a PhD but like someone said in Zimbabwe this can be easily given. Im sorry if I were an employer now and someone presented these UZ PhD I would not even consider them would just say they are equivalent to ‘O’ level certificate which unfortunately makes it harder for hardworking , committed students. I cannot think of what original contribution her ‘research’ would have added. Are UZ degrees still accredited ?
Congratulations to the two ladies. I am looking forward to seeing your dissertations. But why should your supervisors remain a guarded secret. It is simply too good to be true for you both to have obtained PHD within such a space of time.
The way it is all going – it seems that we are going to end up with Grace becoming Imelda Mugabe with a shoe collection!
Makes me sick! Do these two geniuses really, really think we will believe that they are now doctors?
I HAVE ALWAYS SAID IT, THEY ARE EDUCATED FOOLS IN THAT GOVERNMENT
Uz! uz! uz ! But why ? Honestly, why?
Give me book and I become a phd give me a country and I become a world leader give me a calculator and I become an accountant give me Zimbabwe and I become a whole bunch of fools.
1)Dr of Theft
2)Dr of Bootlicking
Congratulations to both incompetents.
All competing for the vacant govt position of Dr Do Little.
Doctor of shopping and stealing other peoples’ property.
Awa ndiwo madoti chaiwo madoti chaiwo
yes, give them their bogus certificates but please don’t ever ever preserve their insipid material in our library.
1. Dr in corruption
2. Dr in gynocology
What a farce
Grace has a degree in Chinese. Is Chinese easier, to Grace than her mother tongue Shona? If she failed English how could she pass Zhing-zhong a completely strange language to her. If she failed English, in what language did she do her PHD? Chinese I suppose. Kana maDegree akutonhongwa kuMazowe sehacha kana mazhanje, tichatoendawo mumasango ekuMazowe tononhonga. I think there was a mistake, they meant to say Grace was conferred with an Honorary PHD. Sounds more sensible to me. Uku ndiko kutungana kwembudzi.
Church leaders and politicians are now doctorates!!!!This is a country of so many educated people who produce zero output as shown by our economy.I really hope that those with degrees in science subjects can perform because these are the degrees which matter in the improving of our economy.I hope that their degrees do not take us back into the post independence period whereby we had engineers and technicians from some countries with useless certificates.We had to retrain them in the fields to make them a bit useful.
Zimbabwe is now truly a laughing stock. All standards are gone to the dogs, due to gukurahundism. What a shame.
Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, this reflects badly on black people – Africans in particular. What this means is Blacks/Africans equal poor or low standards, dishonesty, and corruption.
Why, why are black people/Africans seemingly bent on proving white people correct in their prejudices against us?
What and How are the 3274 graduands now going to contribute to our society ? And how disappointing for the genuine students who have worked hard to EARN their degrees to see them downgraded by wanton awards to the non deserving.
Try using these “qualifications” to get a job in the real world
I have always known that Grace is an extremely intelligent woman. So is Joice Mujuru. They have proved it by attaining the most coverted piece of paper from one of the best universities in Africa, the University of Zimbabwe. By the way, Grace’s husband is the Chancellor of this great institution and has been for the past three decades. During his tenure the great university has even become greater. Did I tell you that Grace’s husband also happens to be the president of Zimbabwe and has been for the same period of time that he has been chancellor of the great university. Just like the University, his country has also turned out to be one of the best in the world. Oh, this Wonder Man. What a blessing he has proved to be. He s breaking all the records and natural history as we know it. At 90 he has jet black hair, no wrinkles and he is getting ready for the next elections in 4 years time which he will win, and will be succeeded by his wife, now that she is a doctor. As a result, our country will continue to thrive just as it has done for the past 34 fours because the chain of governance will remain intact. This is just wonderful.
Good summation Pati.
kkkk Grace has overtaken even her own husband! But that won’t do will it? How about a professorship for good ol’ Bob. The UZ is doing magnificiently for its credibility!
Chinotimba also needs one urgently. Just imagine Dr Joseph Chinotimba said “Right now I don’t know whether it was dropped and it was stolen and I’m only going to know what happened exactly in the court and right now I cannot empree (pre-empt) talk anything till the court is paralysed and I cannot disturb my evidence in any way, in any type of talking. So I’m waiting for the court so the court will decide whether the minister had picked up or whether he had been stolen it or not. So I cannot comment.”
Doctor Chinos went on to say “No, why do you want, why do I want to talk things in the UK where the UK people doesn’t want to see me there? I don’t have a visa. If I was having a visa to come to the UK, the UK people banned me to come to the UK and you want me to talk things which is needed to be broadcast in the UK where the UK people doesn’t want to see me, why? ” (Extracts from Chinotimba vs VIOLET Gonda)
This is what we have in Parliament.
Her majesty Dr. Disgrace Gucci!!
So now a PhD from Zim is worth zero. Well done DisGrace! Your hubris will live on in demolishing so many doctoral careers in so many disciplines by genuine researchers. Discipline? Mean anything? Your doctoral methodology – central to PhD’s? Can’t wait to read your literature review. When is your thesis online? Who were the reviewers?
Most genuine PhD supervisors are proud of their students when they successfully defend their thesis in a viva voce. Other academics are even invited to celebrate this major academic feat especially its contribution to the library of knowledge.What surprises me in ‘Dr’ Grace Mugabe’s PhD is that the whole process is shrouded in secrecy except the actual graduation ceremony. (Kunga tsuro yamukira mumakumbo). One wonders why the secrecy? Who is this professor, Dr Nyagura?? Who were the external examiners responsible for reading the thesis ( a process which takes 3 to 6 months) and of course conducting the viva voce?? Why besmirch and calumniate the reputation of UZ simply to quench the thirst of other people’s political shenanigans?? In one flush, Professor Nyagura, you managed to destroy UZ’s once solid academic reputation, just like throwing the bath water together with the child. What a pity! What a shame! What a pain!Things fall apart indeed.
UZ WHAT ARE YOU DOING! WHY! CAN MY GRADE 2, 89 YEAR MUM COME FOR A PHD TOO!
I woke up this morning thinking that I should also get a Phd. I really do feel like having one! Let’s all of us have Phd’s ??
PHD’S FOR ALL BY THE YEAR 2000 !!
Nyagura should stop bemoaning brain drain when Grace and Mai Mujuru could be easily hired to teach on a part-time since they did their studies on a part-time at the same institution.
In any case, they are highly patriotic people who cannot think of green pastures elsewhere even though they may not be accommodated in any other institution of higher learning world over.
Michael Saruchera,hahahahahaha,you made my day.Historically we were once colonized by the English.that’s one reason why most Zimbos speak and write perfect English.Chinese ,eish,bodo
sheshe(l don’t even care if this is the correct spelling)