Banyana Banyana Coach Desiree Ellis Receives Honorary Doctorate
Banyana Banyana Coach Desiree Ellis Receives Honorary Doctorate. More and more of our stars are getting conferred with doctorate degrees. Just the other day veteran actors Sello Maake kaNcube an Elizabeth Serunye as well as multi-award winning gospel singer Winnie Mashaba received honorary doctorate degrees.
Now another local star, Desiree Ellis has just received her Honorary Doctorate. The former Banyana Banyana captain, and now coach got her doctorate from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Ellis dedicated her Honorary Doctorate to all those who believe in the power of sport to propel them from their circumstances.
Ellis has done tremendously for our local football fraternity. Among her accolades include four successive Cosafa Cup titles between 2017 and 2020, and four Confederation of African Football CAF Women’s Coach of the Year awards. She has also bagged awards like coaching the women’s soccer national team to two Fifa World Cup Qualifiers.
Ellis reflected on the thousands of women graduating at CPUT, many of whom will need to break barriers in male dominated spheres.
“At the end of the day if you are qualified then that space you want is not set aside for a male or female. Don’t be afraid of failing because that strengthens you and you get another opportunity to succeed later. To the females out there, just go for it, because other women who come from your neighbourhood is watching and want to emulate you,” she said.
Minister of Sport, Arts & Culture Zizi Kodwa also celebrated Ellis, “We celebrate you Dr Desiree Ellis! Today, @Banyana_Banyana coach @descaptain, who also captained and represented our national team as a player with distinction, was awarded an honorary doctorate at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology @CPUT.“
Desiree Ellis Receives Honorary Doctorate from CPUT This Afternoon.
— CPUT (@CPUT) April 25, 2024
Banyana Banyana Coach Desiree Ellis dedicated her Honorary Doctorate to all those who believe in the power of sport to propel them from their circumstances.
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