Mnangagwa confers wife second honorary doctorate after recent gold State award

By Times Live

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday conferred another honorary doctorate on first lady Auxillia Mnangagwa in recognition of her “philanthropist work” in the country.

The president, who is the chancellor of all state universities in the country, capped his wife, 60, with an honorary PhD in law from the University of Zimbabwe during the graduation ceremony in Harare.

The presidential communications social page on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed pictures of Mnangagwa capping his wife.

“President Mnangagwa presides over the University of Zimbabwe 2023 graduation ceremony. The first lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in law honorary degree for her philanthropic work which is touching lives countrywide,” the post read.

In December 2022, Mnangagwa conferred an honorary doctorate in development studies from Zimbabwe Open University on his wife for her contribution to charitable work in the country.

The president’s wife runs the Angel of Hope Foundation, which describes itself as a nonprofit organisation whose mission is to “support the most vulnerable in society through providing access to health care, social services, education and economic empowerment initiatives”.

In August, Mnangagwa presented his wife a gold award also in recognition of her philanthropic work.

During an inauguration dinner on Monday in Harare, Mnangagwa thanked the first lady for her “unwavering support”.

“I want to extend my gratitude to my dear wife Amai (mother) Mnangagwa, the family and the Angel of Hope Foundation for their unwavering support. You continue to be a reliable partner in our national quest to deliver on the aspects of agriculture and food systems, health, culture, training and human capital development.

“It is my sincere hope that as I serve the nation under the second term, your complimentary philanthropic work will continue to impact and transform our communities,” said Mnangagwa.

The country’s first lady has several honorary doctorates. In May 2022, GD Goenka University in India conferred an honorary PhD on her. In December 2022, the Russian State University for the Humanities awarded her an honorary PhD in recognition of her philanthropic work.

In September last year, the Vernadsky Crimean Federal University in Russia also gave her a gold medal in recognition of her contribution to the education sector in Zimbabwe.