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World Service,5 mins

South Africa's first black engineering graduate

Focus on Africa

Available for over a year

South Africa has honoured the country's first black student to graduate with a degree in engineering. Dr Solomon Boyce Isaac Lefakane studied civil engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, and was awarded a degree in 1961. Now, as part of the University's centenary, Dr Lefakane has been inducted in a brand new hall of fame at the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment. Dr Lefakane was the son of a domestic worker, and gained a scholarship to pursue his studies. But, the racist apartheid system hampered his progression and, after graduating, he left the country to continue his work and training in eSwatini, and then in the United States. Now aged 84, Dr Lefakane recalls his university years and says he was fortunate he had a principal who believed in him. Photo: Dr Solomon Boyce Isaac Lefakane. Credit: Pedro Ridwan.

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