WSU VC CELEBRATES PROGRESS URGES GRADUATES TO EMBRACE AND DEFEND CHANGE

Walter Sisulu University Vice-Chancellor Professor Rushiella Songca opened the university’s 2025 graduation season with a heartfelt and powerful address, reflecting on the transformation of a black institution and the active role students have played in driving that change.

Her address struck a chord with many in attendance as she quoted former U.S. President John F. Kennedy to frame her central message: “Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”

“Now today, looking at you in your graduation regalia, I’m reminded that you were not passive recipients of change, you were part and parcel of its creation,” she said.

Acknowledging the persistent challenges WSU continues to face from the legacies of its past to current social issues like gender-based violence and campus disruptions Professor Songca maintained that transformation is not only visible but undeniable.

“Have we dealt with the remnants of the past? No. The project continues. But do we see noticeable change? Yes. Do we see a change in the calibre of students we produce? Yes. In the calibre of staff who teach those students? Yes. Do we see change in our spaces of living and learning? Yes,” she affirmed.

She was emphatic that the gains made must be protected:

Among the highlights of her speech was the celebration of student achievements that showed WSU's rising excellence.

In 2023, WSU students developed a pioneering mobile web application called My Safe Space, which aims to tackle social ills like gender-based violence and substance abuse.

“Our students gave themselves the responsibility and created what we now call ambassadors. They built something that revolutionised how we respond to real issues affecting our children,” she said.

Professor Songca concluded with a message to graduates that underscored the heart of her message that when one graduate and go out into the world, they must not focus on the lights that are not lit. Gather the lights that are.

By: Yolanda Palezweni