Diaspora (Commonwealth Union) _ In a deeply moving tribute at the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology graduation ceremony, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, a globally acclaimed engineer and AI scholar, took the stage not to list his many accolades but to honor the woman who shaped his life from the clay ground up: his grandmother, Vho Tshianeo Marwala.
The occasion marked the conferring of an honorary doctorate in engineering upon Prof. Marwala, celebrating his remarkable contributions to automation, artificial intelligence, and academic leadership both in South Africa and internationally. But the keynote address wasn’t filled with technical jargon or highbrow theories. Instead, it was a heartfelt journey back to a small village in Limpopo, Duthuni, where a young boy watched, listened, and learned from a woman who turned ordinary tasks into extraordinary lessons.
“My grandmother was my first engineering teacher,” he told the audience, recalling how she molded clay into pots and wove mats with precision and purpose. One memory stood out: the way she gently tapped on her clay pots, listening for a specific tone to judge their strength. Decades later, while studying engineering at the University of Pretoria, Marwala learned that this method had a name: vibration excitation, a sophisticated form of nondestructive testing used in structural engineering.
What appeared to be instinctive craftsmanship in his childhood transformed into a masterclass in applied physics. “Without knowing the Boltzmann equation, she perfected the art of slow cooling. Without an algorithm, she understood material optimization,” he explained. These insights sparked his lifelong passion to test, improve, and innovate not just in machinery but in society.
Yet, his grandmother’s influence extended far beyond clay pots. She was an entrepreneur, selling snuff, mats, and pottery, and subtly teaching him lessons in economics and resilience. When her snuff business became unviable, she shut it down, demonstrating real-time business strategy in action. She was also a captivating storyteller, sharing ngano Venda folktales brimming with morality, cleverness, and timeless lessons. Marwala credits these stories for shaping his communication style, allowing him to explain complex ideas through relatable narratives in his roles as a teacher, leader, and diplomat.
“She taught me to listen deeply, to act humbly, and to change course when necessary,” he reflected. These were not just life lessons but foundational principles that have guided him through academia, governance, and global leadership.
Marwala’s career journey, far from linear, serves as a compelling roadmap for today’s graduates. After working in a brewery where he helped brew a popular beer brand, he had what he calls a “Damascus moment” a profound realization that his true calling was not brewing beer, but brewing people. That moment prompted his pivot to academia, eventually leading him to serve as vice-chancellor of the University of Johannesburg and now as rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the UN in Tokyo.
“Your path won’t always be straight,” he told the graduates. “There will be detours, doubts, and disruptions. But it’s in those very twists that your greatest lessons will emerge.”
He urged students to embrace lifelong learning, especially in an era dominated by rapid advances in AI and digital technology. “The ability to learn and relearn is the new currency,” he said, encouraging the audience to remain open to evolution, discovery, and service.
He left them with a memorable quote:
“Those who do not read must not lead unless they want to lead us into temptation and deliver us into poverty.”
Prof. Marwala dedicated his honorary degree to his grandmother, family, mentors, colleagues, students, and the resilient people of South Africa who inspire his journey every day.
Prof. Wynand Steyn, Dean of the EBIT Faculty, lauded Marwala’s achievements, describing him as “a visionary who embodies the university’s mission of engineering a better world.”
In the story of Tshilidzi Marwala, we see how ancestral wisdom, fused with academic excellence, can lead to global impact. From the rhythmic tapping of clay pots to the analytical algorithms of artificial intelligence, one truth resounds: knowledge comes in many forms, and sometimes the greatest teachers are found in the most unexpected places.
