The North-West University (NWU) Business School had a successful graduation day, and made history this year with two top achievers scoring gold. 

Suretha Griesel, a dentist from Pretoria, and Theshan Govendar, a senior engineer from Anglo American, each received a gold medal for best overall achievers in the MBA programme.ABSA is the main sponsor of this prize. It includes a nine carat gold medal on which the best student’s name is engraved, a certificate, as well as a floating trophy and a cash prize.

This year was exceptional in many ways, since three silver medals from the Professional Provident Society (PPS) were also awarded for the best mini-dissertation.  Serentha Ramraj and Adéle Kloppers, under study leadership of Prof Stephan van der Merwe, walked away with two of these sought-after PPS medals.  

Lucas Shabangu, under study leadership of Prof Christoff Botha, received the third silver medal from PPS.

To obtain an MBA degree requires determination, perseverance and a great deal of dedication. Still, it is one of the most rewarding experiences

A total of 110 students were awarded their MBA degrees from the NWU Business School.

 (ABSA): From left are Yolanda Rossouw (ABSA representative), Jaco Greyling (ABSA representative), Prof Raymond Parsons (chair of Business School Advisory Board), Suretha Griesel (MBA top performer: Class of 2017), Prof Fulu Netswera (Director: Business School), Prof Sonia Swanepoel (Executive Dean: Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences), and Prof Ronnie Lotriet (MBA programme manager).

(PPS): From left are Prof Fulu Netswera, Prof Stephan van der Merwe (study leader:  Business School), Adele Kloppers (recipient of PPS silver medal: top performer in mini-dissertation), Heleen Smit (PPS representative), Leonard Haasbroek (PPS representative) and Prof Sonia Swanepoel.