Wits honours Prof Patrick Mokhobo, 94, southern Africa’s first black cardiologist

Wits University has honoured southern Africa’s first black cardiologist and medical pioneer Prof Kubedi Patrick Mokhobo, 94, with an honorary doctorate in medicine.

The institution conferred the degree on Wednesday at the faculty of health sciences’ graduation ceremony. The 94-year-old pioneer received a standing ovation as he crossed the stage with four generations of the Mokhobo family watching from the audience.

Reflecting on the honour, Mokhobo, who was the only black student in his Wits class in 1953, said: “The English language — and indeed my own mother tongue, Setswana — are too limited to express the honour and gratitude that I really feel.”

Mokhobo started school at the age of 10 while supporting himself through working as a farm labourer and caddying. He excelled academically at both the primary and secondary school level.

He studied under apartheid when black South Africans faced severe restrictions on educational opportunities and even required government permission to study at the so-called “white universities”.

After passing matric he was was admitted to the University of Fort Hare in 1952 to get the required credits to gain admission into the second year of medical studies at Wits. He enrolled at Wits University a year later and was awarded a scholarship loan by Wits, and subsequently a full scholarship by the African Medical Students Trust Fund.

As an academic, Mokhobo shaped generations of medical professionals across several countries and contributed to the development of medical curricula and training programmes

He qualified as a medical doctor in 1957, where he was awarded the William Craib prize for being the best African medical student of his year. He started his internship at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital and, five years later, became the first black registrar, specialising in paediatrics and internal medicine. During this period he set up his solo practice in Daveyton, Benoni.

In 1966 he became the first black doctor to pass the prestigious Medical Fellowship examinations. Two years later he wrote and passed the British Specialist Examination in the UK. His groundbreaking career culminated in his recognition as southern Africa’s first black cardiologist in 1973.

Mokhobo also became a medical specialist in Eswatini and a founding figure of Lesotho’s medical institutions. He helped establish professional bodies, medical journals, including the Lesotho Medical Journal, and medical congresses that strengthened healthcare across the region.

When Bophuthatswana became a homeland in 1977 under the leadership of the late Kgosi Lucas Manyane Mangope, he served as its minister of health, where he championed community-based health care, expanded the role of nurses as clinicians and helped decentralise health services to reach underserved communities.

As an academic, Mokhobo shaped generations of medical professionals across several countries and contributed to the development of medical curricula and training programmes.

His influence extended beyond South Africa. As the first medical specialist in Eswatini and a founding figure of Lesotho’s medical institutions, he played a significant role in establishing professional bodies, medical journals (including the Lesotho Medical Journal) and congresses that strengthened regional health-care systems.

Your generation is destined to succeed in both exciting and challenging times. As we celebrate your achievements today, the future of our nation, our country and indeed the world rests on your shoulders

—  Prof Kubedi Patrick Mokhobo

He established the Lesotho Medical Association and Medical Congress in 1972, and was instrumental in founding the first Lesotho Medical Association and organising the first ever Lesotho Medical Congress, which brought together medical professionals from across the region.

His life story is captured in his autobiography, From Nowhere to Somewhere: An Uncharted Destiny.

In an acceptance speech read by his granddaughter, Nonceba Nyoko, Mokhobo encouraged graduates to use their knowledge in service of society.

“Your generation is destined to succeed in both exciting and challenging times. As we celebrate your achievements today, the future of our nation, our country and indeed the world rests on your shoulders.”

While urging graduates to pursue opportunities around the world, he reminded them to return home and use their skills to strengthen South Africa.

He concluded by reminding them that their “destinies are inextricably tied to the future of Africa”.

Sowetan