Central SA
Top Master’s student recognised at CUT Febit awards─── REFILWE BEKANE 09:00 Fri, 27 Mar 2026
The academic performance of engineering and technology students of the Central University of Technology (CUT) was recognised during its annual faculty of engineering, builtenvironment and information technology (Febit) awards ceremony.
Thursday night’s (24/3) event focused on the theme of infrastructure development as a pathway for youth employment in the Free State. The story of Thabiso Matsemela, the best student in the Master’s degree category, served as a testament to the theme of the evening.
For Matsemela, the award was not just a validation of academic effort in electrical engineering, but a milestone following initial doubt. He admitted his journey began with hesitation, only leaping into postgraduate studies after being challenged by his mentor, Masheane Lebohang.
“I was hesitant and uncertain about taking that step. I did not realise at the time that completing it would place me among the best in my field. I would like to sincerely thank you, Leps, for believing in me,” said Matsemela.
Thabiso Matsemela electrical engineering student. Photo: Thabiso Matsemela
The ceremony took on a deeper meaning when Free State MEC for public works and infrastructure Dibolelo Mance took the podium. Addressing the group not just as graduates, but as the architects of the province’s survival, she urged the students to aim for a higher purpose.
She emphasised their certificates are more than paper; they are a form of regional readiness that dictates the success of the Free State’s development agenda.
In celebration for outstanding achievement during the awards and certification ceremony are MEC Dibolelo Mance (left), Thabiso Matselane (centre) and Prof. Muthoni Masinde of the CUT. Photo:Supplied
“Your achievement goes beyond personal success; it represents capacity. Like many of you, I once walked these corridors, sat in lecture rooms filled with ambition, and wondered what the future might hold,” said Mance.
Matsemela, who credited his endurance to both determination and his faith, is already looking toward the next step. Having been accepted into a PhD programme, his focus has shifted from celebrating a master’s degree to mastering the challenges of the highest academic level.
His parting advice to his peers was a call to keep moving. “Persistence is the only bridge between a student’s current struggle and their future role in the economy,” said Matsemela.
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