Bittersweet moment for family of PhD graduate whose life was cut short

As jubilant University of KwaZulu-Natal graduates made their way on stage, the family of slain Dr Kwanele Mkhize sat among the guests heartbroken that he could not be present to have his PhD conferred on him.

Mkhize, 30, was killed in March by an unknown gunman outside a school in Grange, Pietermaritzburg.

He had been transporting his sister, Khangiswa Mkhize and her children to the school where she works when the incident occurred.

Mkhize was honoured with a posthumous doctorate in biology, the culmination of 12 years of study, from undergraduate through to his postgraduate studies, at the graduation ceremony on Thursday.

Mkhize’s brother, Sboniso, his uncle, Siza Mkhize, his aunt Rita Mkhize, and sister-in-law, Londeka Ntanzi attended the graduation ceremony to honour his memory and celebrate him.

His citation was read aloud on the graduation stage and thereafter members of the congregation and guests all stood up to observe a moment of silence.

Mkhize's brother, Sboniso, described him as a wise father figure, role model and passionate student.

"It was very painful being at the graduation. While we are proud of my brother's achievement, it was not a good moment sitting there and watching all the other students celebrate and my brother not having that opportunity.

"He spent more than 10 years studying. He was always studying, whenever you looked for Kwanele you’d most likely find him buried in his books or with his computer. He had dreams of starting a business and owning a farm. He did his best to achieve his PhD. But tragedy happened and robbed him of his life. There is nothing we can do. It is still very emotional for us," said Sboniso.

He said being at the graduation was a sad reminder of the tragic incident that claimed his brother's life."There has still not been any arrests or developments in my brother's case. We hope that there is justice for Kwanele.

"We feel a big gap, we are hurting. He was like a magnet – pulling the family together whenever he was around," said Sboniso.

He said his brother was a very good person and was loved dearly by his family and community.

Mkhize was inspired by his late father, Muntuyeza Mkhize, whose intellectual nature and distinguished nursing career motivated him to work hard and strive to achieve his best.

Sboniso said Kwanele’s resilience was tested when his father died in 2012 while he was completing his matric exams.

“We were nervous as a family about how Kwanele would get through his exams at the time as he was extremely close to our father, but he persevered and made it to university.”

Mkhize's sister, Khangisile, said his achievement reflected his inner passion and his incredible intelligence as well as his dedication to his studies.

“He put in blood and sweat for his degree, and we are beyond proud of him for leaving a good legacy. Kwanele’s achievement of obtaining a PhD had us all elated; words cannot describe the amount of joy and respect we have for him as he is the first person to achieve such outstanding results and become the first doctor in his family,” said Khangisile.

Mkhize's uncle, Siza said attending his graduation ceremony was so difficult for them.

“We are proud that at last we have a Dr in the family. Kwanele was a humble somebody with a bright future, never got up to mischief in the streets and was always at home studying. He was a good example for us as a family,” he said.

Originally from Imbali, Mkhize attended Berg Street Primary School and matriculated from Edendale Technical High School in 2012 with recognition for his academic excellence.

Passionate about life sciences-related subjects, particularly plants, Mkhize enrolled at UKZN.

Academic staff praised Mkhize for his steady work in improving himself during his studies, while his colleagues described him as ambitious and goal-oriented.

He completed his undergraduate and honours degrees in Biological Sciences, moving on to his master’s in Professor Richard Beckett’s research group in Botany.

Beckett said Mkhize would be remembered for his pleasant, easy-going personality and noted his popularity with students over the years.

Mkhize investigated the roles of reactive oxygen species scavenging enzymes and abscisic acid in desiccation tolerance in ferns, exploring drought tolerance mechanisms in these lower, simple plants that could be transferred to higher plants, including crops, to improve drought stress tolerance.

This research, which he hoped would contribute to the scientific and broader community, earned him a cum laude result in 2019.

Mkhize continued with his doctoral studies on the stress physiology of lower plants, supported by a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) bursary, spending time in Germany doing research.

He completed the experimental work for his thesis at the end of 2022, before joining an internship programme at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) in Pretoria while writing up his PhD.

His thesis yielded four publications, earning him high praise from external examiners.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE