Charlotte Maxeke while studying in the United States at Wilberforce University in Ohio. Image: SuppliedCharlotte Maxeke is recognised as one of South Africa's foremost women's rights and political leaders. She has received numerous accolades and prestigious honours over the years, yet her stature demands further recognition.
Across government and society, there are pillars of pride that carry her name throughout South Africa, including the posthumous award of the Order of Mapungubwe (Gold), the renaming of Johannesburg General Hospital as the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, and several university residences and academic facilities bearing her name.
The University of the Western Cape (UWC) is proud to add to the list of honours bestowed on Maxeke when she will receive a Doctor Philosophiae, honoris causa, cementing her academic achievements as the first Black South African woman to earn a university degree in 1901.
The Charlotte Mannya-Maxeke Institute (CMMI) and the South African Reserve Bank will also unveil the first commemorative coin bearing the image of a woman, honouring her with a commemorative R2 coin to mark 125 years since she graduated with her university degree. This will take place on Thursday, 27 August, at the UWC Iyatsiba Lab - the UWC’s arts and humanities research hub in Woodstock, Cape Town.
Charlotte Maxeke while studying in the United States at Wilberforce University in Ohio.
Thulasizwe Makhanya serves as the Chairperson and Executive Catalyst of the CMMI and said: “As part of the 125th anniversary of her graduation, the commemorative coin serves as a lasting tribute to Maxeke’s contribution and the values she represented. It is a reminder that education can open doors, challenge systems and equip future generations to lead and create meaningful change.”
He added: “Most importantly, the coin connects the past to the present: Charlotte Maxeke’s story did not end with her achievement. It continues through the women learning, leading, creating and shaping the future today.”
UWC hosts the Charlotte Maxeke-Mary Robinson Research Chair and is delighted that the former Irish President will be part of the commemorative coin proceedings and is also a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the University.
The Charlotte Maxeke-Mary Robinson Research Chair was established in 2023 and is a broad and reciprocal collaboration between Ireland and Southern Africa to engage with the complex inheritances of colonialism, empire, partition and apartheid, and to explore how to overcome this legacy.
