BY MBONO MDLULI
KWALUSENI – Yesterday (Saturday, October 5, 2024) will be a special day to 1 250 University of Eswatini (UNESWA) students, as they had a rare opportunity of being conferred by His Majesty King Mswati III.
The colourful ceremony attracted thousands of people from all corners of the country to witness the graduation ceremony. The 42nd graduation ceremony took place in the Kwaluseni Campus of the University of Eswatini (UNESWA). The visibly jubilant students converged with other attendants under various marquees that were mounted on an open space between the institution’s main gate, Multi-Purpose Hall, and the Faculty of Science building. Most of the attendants, especially the students, were dressed to the nines, wanting to make sure they appeared beautiful in their memorable event. Most of the students, especially the ladies, spotted different kinds of make up, while the males dressed in their different suits. Some wore traditional attires. The weather conditions were favourable, as the sun was shining, with the temperature at around 25 degrees Celsius.
Among the graduating students, one was conferred with Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD), while 50 were conferred with Master’s Degrees. The king conferred 999 with Bachelor’s Degrees and 17 were conferred with Diplomas. The king further conferred certificates to 183 students. Among the students were members of the Government security services such as police and correctional officers. It was also encouraging to note that people with disabilities and those with albinism formed part of the graduates.
The event started around 12 midday after the king had arrived at the campus. Before taking part in the celebrations, he started by officially opening the Disability Resource Centre. The opening of this facility actually marked the start of the graduation.
Characterising the ceremony was speeches from important people such as the king himself and UNESWA Vice Chancellor Professor Justice Thwala, who all congratulated the students for their resilience during their studies. Performances such as Sibhaca, Ingadla, and Choral Music also characterised the event.
Students could not contain their excitement during the Ingadla performance. The maidens were performing a song titled ‘Halala.’ This is a SiSwati word, which means, ‘Congratulations.’ As the maidens were performing that song, the students started singing vigorously alongside them, drawing attention to all those who had attended, including members of the media, who took pictures of the students in action.
Even after the maidens had finished performing, the students continued singing that song on top of their voices. Some of the attendants also joined in song. It was a moment almost everyone wanted to be part of.
The event was well organised such that there were no reports of glaring disturbances. Even the many vehicles which were driven to the event were well parked on a space reserved on the western side of the campus. The traffic police officers made sure they left nothing to chance, as they directed motorists on how to drive around the area.
Other police officers, members of Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF), and those from His Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS) made sure that the event was incident-free.
