Emotional father accepts late daughter's degree on her behalf
This proud father 'graduated' on behalf of his late daughter, Sochuma Sontiki, who passed away in December.
One of the proudest moments for any parent is to see their children graduate.
However, life sometimes takes a turn for the worse and things don't go as planned.
The saddest thing is when a person works hard to study, only for his or her life to be cut short.
This is the story of Sochuma Sontiki, who studied a Bachelor of Arts at Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth and was supposed to graduate on Thursday last week. However, the 22-year-old passed away in December after to a short illness.
Her father, Thanduxolo Sontiki, moved people to tears as he graduated on behalf of his daughter.
READ: Miss SA faces Twitter fury as her graduation goes viral for all the wrong reasons
The father received a standing ovation from all those who were in the hall, with some pictured wiping their tears away.
He told TimesLive how he badly wished that he could have celebrated with his daughter, who worked very hard for her studies.
"It was very hard, especially when I was about to go to the stage," he said.
"If you could see me in the queue. All the students, the graduates who were receiving their certificates, were wearing gowns. I was the only one who was not wearing a gown. If my daughter was there, she would have worn her gown."
The father described his daughter as a good girl who was focused.
"Fortunately she was a good girl and we never encountered any problem with her. She was a dedicated child and she performed exceptionally well and didn't repeat any subject," he told TimesLive.
He added that he received a lot of comfort from people who were at the graduation ceremony.
"Even when we were outside the hall, many people came to us ... many people of different cultures came to us and hugged us and tried to console us. It was really a necessary pain."
Watch the touching moment the father accepted his daughter's degree on her behalf below:
READ: Against all odds: Hard work, dedication pays off for UKZN graduate
On Thursday 20 April 2023, A father Thanduxolo Sontiki collected certificate for his late daughter, Sochuma Sande Sontiki during the Faculty of Humanities graduation ceremony at Nelson Mandela University. pic.twitter.com/1QcKK1hNcH
— Free State Online Channel (@state_channel) April 22, 2023
— Free State Online Channel (@state_channel) April 22, 2023