Mnangagwa Confers Degrees As Vice-President’s Wife Miniyothabo Baloyi-Chiwenga Joins 7,888 MSU Graduates

President Emmerson Mnangagwa conferred degrees on 7,888 graduands at Midlands State University (MSU) on Thursday, including Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga’s wife, Miniyothabo Baloyi-Chiwenga, who received a Doctor of Business Leadership degree.

The university’s 27th graduation ceremony was held at the Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Law School at MSU’s Kwekwe Campus under the theme, “Knowledge, Innovation, and Enterprise: Building a Self-Sufficient Zimbabwe”.

MSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Victor Muzvidziwa said the ceremony reflected years of academic work and discipline and was aligned with the country’s National Development Strategy 2 and Vision 2030.

“Today we graduate 7 888 graduands, drawn from the university’s 10 faculties, 55 percent female and 45 percent male, 6 631 graduated with Honours Degrees, 1 027 with Master’s Degrees, and 19 with Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Doctor of Business Leadership Degrees,” he said.

Women accounted for 55% of the graduating cohort, continuing a pattern at MSU in which female graduates have outnumbered their male counterparts.

STEM Accounts For 39% Of Graduates

Muzvidziwa said 39% of the graduands had completed programmes in critical skills disciplines, particularly science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The 2026 cohort included the university’s first graduates from the Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, Bachelor of Engineering Honours in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Bachelor of Engineering in Fuels and Energy Engineering.

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MSU also highlighted the performance of its Moot Court team, which won the 18th Nelson Mandela World Moot Court Competition at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

The competition success was among the achievements recognised alongside the university’s graduation programme.

Baloyi-Chiwenga Receives Doctorate

Baloyi-Chiwenga, a colonel, was among the prominent graduands after receiving her Doctor of Business Leadership degree.

Her doctoral research examined how government can balance defence expenditure with spending on civilian priorities, a policy challenge commonly described as the “guns versus butter” dilemma.

Speaking after the ceremony, she said completing the degree was significant because it could demonstrate to young Zimbabweans, particularly girls, the importance of persistence and hard work.

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“I feel like it’s important for every Zimbabwean, especially the girl child, because I went through each and every step that every Zimbabwean is supposed to go through. So it teaches them that there are no shortcuts in life.

“You have to do everything that you have to do. There’s no substitute for hard work and if you work hard, there will be results. As somebody who is a leader in society, we are preaching to our children. This is the way that you have to travel and we show them by leading that way,” she said.

Media Executive Among Graduates

The graduating class also included media professional Elias Mambo, Zimpapers Group Digital Services Executive, who received a Master of Commerce degree in Strategy and Innovation.

The ceremony brought together graduates from MSU’s 10 faculties, with honours, master’s and doctoral qualifications among those conferred.