“Stellenbosch University (SU) is deeply saddened by the news of the passing of disability activist Ms Rachel Kachaje, and we regret that we will not be able to confer her honorary degree in person at our December 2020 graduation," said Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University (SU).

Ms Kachaje, who had tirelessly advocated for equal opportunities and rights for people with disabilities in Malawi, the African region and around the globe, had been selected to receive an honorary doctorate from Stellenbosch University. Ms Kachaje's degree - Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil), honoris causa - will be awarded posthumously during the December 2020 graduation.

In the 1990s, she co-founded Malawi's Federation of Disability Organisations' (FEDOMA) and represented it in the Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled (SAFOD).  Focused on advancing the agendas of people with disabilities in general, and women and girls with disabilities in particular, she strived to demonstrate that success depends on a positive mental attitude.

Her effectiveness in disability advocacy did not go unnoticed. Ms Kachaje became Minister of Disability and Elderly Affairs in Malawi and in 2004 received a Malawi Human Rights Award and a Diversity Leader Award. She served as chairperson of the Commonwealth Disabled People's Forum, Disabled People's International and SAFOD, and as executive director and founder of Disabled Women in Africa.

In addition, Ms Kachaje had been a board member of the Africa Disability Alliance and the EquitAble Project at Trinity College and Stellenbosch University, co-founder of Disabled Women in Development, commissioner of the National AIDS Commission and secretary of the African Disability Forum Board, to name just some of her leadership roles.

Internationally, she had been part of the landmark negotiations of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and contributed to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) discussions. 

In raising the visibility of women with disabilities, Ms Kachaje has delivered keynote addresses or served as a panellist at numerous regional and international conferences. Among them are the Conference of States Parties within the UN and the AU High Level Dialogue on Gender and Disability.

“SU salutes Ms Kachaje for her extraordinary work in advocating for the full inclusion of people with disabilities at local, regional and international level, and on behalf of our institution, I would like to express our deepest condolences to her husband, Gibson, and her family," Prof De Villiers said.