Slain University of the Western Cape student, Jesse Hess, has been remembered at this year’s graduation ceremony.
The 18-year-old theology student was expected to be among the graduates on Monday.
Hess and her grandfather, Chris Lategan, were killed in an apparent robbery in August 2019.
This was the first time in two years that UWC students attended the event in person.
Over the two-year period, several tertiary institutions held virtual graduations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Two men have since been arrested in connection with the murder of Hess and Lategan.
Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tyrone Pretorius, says all communities must commit to fight gender-based violence.
“Today, as we celebrate your success, I believe it is equally important to commit and to recommit ourselves to fight gender-based violence. Not only for Jesse’s sake, but for all the other women in our country whose humanity is denigrated and stripped away through the actions of brutal men.” – Professor Tyrone Pretorius, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Western Cape
