Congratulations are in order for South African writer Siphiwo Mahala and his wife Miliswa Mahala as their eldest daughter, Mihlali Mahala, has graduated from University of Pretoria!

The proud dad took to his Instagram and Twitter pages to celebrate Mihlali’s achievement with sweet photos. He wrote in his caption, “Our firstborn has just graduated from the University of Pretoria. I’m too emotional to make sense, so I’ll just leave these here..”

Mihlali graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Pretoria. The 21-year-old is a Pan-Africanist of note and is currently pursuing postgraduate studies in Politics and International Relations at the University of Johannesburg. She is a UNICEF student volunteer and a graduate of the African Rebirth diplomatic mentorship program, a nonprofit organization aimed at defying mediocrity, inspiring and empowering “young African leaders who seek peace, unity and prosperity”.

Just a few weeks ago, she hosted an online discussion titled “Achieving a Visa-Free Africa: Exploring the Possibilities and Challenges of a Seamless Continental Migration”. The debate was hosted under the auspices of African Rebirth, where she serves as the Events Coordinator. Later this year she will travel to a European country to study as an exchange student.

Mihlali’s father, Siphiwo Mahala, is a short story writer, novelist, playwright and literary critic. He is a senior lecturer in the Department of English at the University of Johannesburg, and author of the novel When A Man Cries (2007) and the short story collection African Delights (2011).

See her graduation photos shared by her father below:

 

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A post shared by Siphiwo Mahala (@siphiwomahala)

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All photos sourced from Siphiwo Mahala.