Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has been recognised and conferred with a Honourary Professorship by Tsinghua University, the Jacob G Zuma Foundation announced on Tuesday.
The foundation conveyed its heart-felt congratulations to the President, who is also patron of the Foundation, for the achievement.
“President Zuma was conferred with the Honourary Professorship for his sterling contribution in working for peace in Africa, through the African Union, and his role in creating an understanding between different cultures of Asia and Africa,” the foundation said.
It added that the Honourary Professorship was conferred to the President for his contribution in bridging a gap between Africa, China and the world, and South Africa’s participation in structures like Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) and United Nations.
In accepting the honour, President Zuma said it is a truly humbling honour that the institution has awarded him.
“I accept this honour with sincere gratitude, on behalf of the people of South Africa, especially those who sacrificed comfort or their lives for freedom and democracy in our country,” the President said.
“This award inspires me to continue promoting education as an instrument of social, political and economic liberation in our country,” he added.
Tsinghua University is one of the leading academic institutions in the world, and the most prestigious and leading tertiary institution in the People’s Republic of China.
The University of Tsinghua is recognised the world over for its academic excellence and strong research background and teaching, while it is also highly revered for its academic outputs.
It leads China’s universities in the number of research papers and has a commitment in basic research, applied research and scientific innovation. - SAnews.gov.za
