Pretoria - His grace Bishop Dr Engenas Joseph Lekganyane, the esteemed Spiritual Leader of the St Engenas Zion Christian Church will become the latest eminent person to join the list of illustrious Unisa alumni when the university confers on him the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology (Honoris Causa) at a graduation ceremony today.
The Unisa council resolved at its meeting on June 29 to confer the honorary doctorate on Lekganyane in recognition of his outstanding achievements and globally impactful societal contributions to peace, social cohesion, social capital, as well as successful and resilient African-initiated institutions in the 21st Century.
This include the primacy of peace as a principle and value for human interaction and spirituality, the foregrounding of African-conscious theology and philosophy, anchoring the moral fibre of society in our world today, promotion of social cohesion, social capital and social justice, as well as capacity to build and rebuild large, complex and resilient institutions.
The Chancellor of Unisa, former president Dr Thabo Mbeki, will preside over the ceremony, while Principal and Vice Chancellor of Unisa, Professor Puleng LenkaBula, will deliver the keynote address.
Among the dignitaries attending the graduation ceremony will be the Deputy President Paul Mashatile, Premier of Gauteng Panyaza Lesufi and the former premier of Gauteng, David Makhura.
Lekganyane was installed as the spiritual leader and bishop of the St Engenas Zion Christian Church at a church conference held at Zion City, Moria, in 1975 and has since become the custodian and incarnation of the values and norms of the church as laid down by his predecessors.
The church was founded in 1924 by Bishop Engenas B Lekganyane, the grandfather of Dr Engenas Joseph Lekganyane.
When the founder of the church passed on, he was succeeded by his son, Engenas Joseph Lekganyane, the father to his grace Dr Engenas Joseph Lekganyane, in 1949.
Inspired by the founding principles of the church and through his spiritual gift and sacrosanct leadership, he has sought and continues to diligently and consciously transform the Christian landscape in Africa and beyond. Through his stewardship, his grace, as a divine visionary leader, has given hope where there was none, and has brought healing and restoration to many. He is regarded as a nation-builder and a compassionate leader who is always sensitive to, and grounded in the issues, challenges and plight of members of his church and the public at large. He serves as an integral part of a leadership that seeks to provide solutions to societal issues and challenges.
Under his leadership and through the church council, sound corporate governance structures leveraging technology have been put in place to ensure that the church stays abreast of modern developments.
He is a proponent of education, advocating that everyone should attain the highest level of education possible as a means of self-liberation and empowerment.
The graduation ceremony starts at 6pm in the ZK Matthews Great Hall, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Building, Unisa’s Muckleneuk Campus.
Pretoria News