Klerksdorp Record, Klerksdorp - The NWU’s soon-to-be-established medical school will be called the NWU Desmond Tutu School of Medicine.
This decision was taken in consultation with - and received the approval of - the Archbishop Desmond Tutu IP Trust. The illustrious ceremony was further graced by the presence of the Honourable Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, Premier of the North West Province, Lazarus Mokgosi, as well as various bishops of the Anglican Church.
Bishop Tutu was born in Klerksdorp in 1931, where his father was the principal of the Methodist Primary School. Dr Ramphele reminded those in attendance of Archbishop Tutu’s early wish to become a doctor before receiving a higher calling, stating that it is fitting that “Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s name will now live on in every graduate of the NWU Desmond Tutu School of Medicine”.
She also spoke of his unwavering commitment to the spirit of ubuntu. “It is the obligation of the NWU Desmond Tutu School of Medicine to live up to the values of ubuntu, and it is the responsibility of its students to meet the high standards that Desmond Tutu would have approved of.”
Premier Mokgosi reflected on Archbishop Tutu’s role as a moral compass during the liberation struggle. “His teachings must continue to galvanise and guide us to be solution-driven citizens.”
The first intake of students for the NWU Desmond Tutu School of Medicine is scheduled for 2028.
