The University of Pretoria (UP) will confer a total of 1 807 degrees, diplomas and certificates during this year's Spring Graduation Ceremony. These include 142 doctorates, 427 master's degrees and 746 honours degrees, which will be awarded over three days.

Among the notable graduates this year is South African 100 m sprint record holder and IAAF Diamond League gold medallist Akani Simbine, who will be graduating on Friday, 8 September, with a Bachelor of Information Science.

This graduation session will also see other outstanding achievements marked, including the awarding of the Chancellor's Medal to Dr Imtiaz Sooliman from Gift of the Givers on Wednesday, 6 September.

Some graduates have faced considerable personal challenges. Mr Thabang Malapela, who is receiving his master's in public administration on 6 September, is wheelchair-bound and has limited use of his hands because of injuries he sustained in a motor vehicle accident in 2008. Mr Malapela has been assisted by his wife, who brought him to class throughout the duration of his studies. Dr Theodor Loots will be receiving his PhD in Mathematical Statistics on 6 September. He will be the first blind man in South Africa to achieve this.

'Every graduation is a success story for the University of Pretoria and society at large, as a new cohort of much-needed skill is injected into our economy. Hard work and commitment have paid off for this group of graduates. Congratulations to each of them,' says Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UP Professor Cheryl de la Rey.

The 2017 Spring Graduation sessions will take place from Wednesday, 6 September to Friday, 8 September 2017 in the Rembrandt Hall at the LC de Villiers Sports Grounds, starting at 10:00 and 15:00 daily.