WATCH | South Africans congratulate author and TV host Onkgopotse JJ Tabane on his PhD
Twitter is celebrating author and host of “Your View” on Newzroom Afrika, Onkgopotse “JJ” Tabane, who has received his PhD in media studies from Wits University.
Tabane shared a short video in which he was wearing his graduation gown on what would have been the day of his graduation.
He captioned the video, “PhD conferred by Wits University this morning, glory to God.”
His Twitter bio has also been changed to “Dr Onkgopotse JJ Tabane.”
Congratulatory messages continue to flood his timeline and his video has gone viral with more than 176,000 views since it was posted on Tuesday morning.
In May, Tabane shared a letter from the institution confirming that he had successfully finished his PhD. He thanked his family for supporting him in his journey and dedicated his degree to his parents.
His research is titled “Bridging the gap: An analysis of a complicated relationship between government and the media 23 years into democracy.” Speaking to 702 in May, he said, “My research showed that the impact of that relationship has to do with who sets an example at the very top. Mandela set a different example to Mbeki, and Mbeki set a different example from Zuma.”
He said his research has had a positive contribution to his work as a television host.
“Having interviewed 20 or 30 colleagues has strengthened my own work. I’m a host of a TV show, I have to pick up the phone from time to time to make sure that I can have whatever guest I want ... at the same time I need to make sure that they are able to come back because they feel treated fairly. I have to navigate both sides.”
These are some of the messages shared on Twitter: