Honorary doctorate in education
ARCHBISHOP Emeritus Desmond Tutu attended the ceremony at which an honorary doctorate was awarded by the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) to Artscape director Marlene le Roux.
Le Roux thanked her special guests, which included the archbishop and his wife, Leah Tutu and her “two iconic leaders” – her mother and grandmother. She also thanked CPUT “for bestowing this honorary doctorate in education on me”.
Le Roux’s involvement in education started in her formative years in Wellington. “The community had an enormous influence on my life through their willingness to help each other regardless of their abject poverty, ” she said.
“The value I carry with me from this community would have to be the fact that despite adversity one can believe in yourself and at the same time enjoy life amidst all of life’s challenges.”
Le Roux, who attended the University of the Western Cape in the 1980s, said the university shaped her thoughts and allowed her to experience non-racial principles in action. At the age of 18, she joined the Langa Adult Choir, in which she became the soloist.
Le Roux was involved in advocating for better education and joined a teachers’ union while she progressed to music subject adviser in the Western Cape Education Department.
She also acknowledged the work of the late Ahmed Kathrada. “As we are mourning the loss of a humanitarian and political activist… we can only honour his legacy by respecting one another.”