Johannesburg- Royal AM president Shauwn “Mamkhize” Mkhize has been conferred with a honorary doctorate by Good Shepherd College of Religion, Culture and Training at a glittering graduation ceremony in KwaZulu-Natal yesterday.
Mkhize, owner of Zikhulise Construction Group, was honoured by the institution in recognition of her significant role in developing the lives of rural communities with her multimillion-rand company which has been plying its trade in the cut-throat construction industry for 20 years.
Professor GAS Mhlongo, founder, deputy chancellor and rector of the college, said the shrewd businesswoman arrested the attention of the institution after
embarking on several philanthropic programmes to improve the socio-economic conditions of women and children in the rural province.
“Her very strong belief in the God Almighty and her unwavering compassion for impoverished communities led us, as an institution, to consider her as the most relevant person to receive our honorary doctorate degree. We are extremely proud of the woman she is and the work she continues to deliver,” said Mhlongo.
This year also marks two decades of Mkhize being active in the construction fraternity and she continues to help develop the youth of KwaZulu-Natal by providing housing to the less fortunate.
Mkhize, who shocked football fanatics when she bought the struggling Bloemfontein Celtic and renamed it Royal AM after struggling to secure promotion to the PSL at the beginning of the season, was on cloud nine after being bestowed with the doctorate.
“Words cannot begin to express my gratitude for this doctorate. I never imagined that my work would one day impact so many lives. Thank you to the institution. This is one of the greatest honours of my life, one which I will treasure for the rest of my days. My daily prayer is to forever remain worthy of this honour. I am truly humbled,” she said.
Mkhize has a diploma in accounting from ML Sultan Technikon, which is now called Durban University of Technology.
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