Dr. Isaac Sibusiso Kubeka was honoured for the numerous lives that he touched and the minds that he shaped over a career that spanned more than four decades. He began his teaching career in 1956 as an assistant teacher at Loram Secondary School. Kubeka was the principal of Isibonelo, KwaShaka, Menzi High Schools and from 1972 to 1988. He also lectured part-time at the University of Natal.
Dr. Kubeka was intimately involved in community matters that served to promote education. His leadership role in Umlazi Township Committee contributed significantly towards the establishment of the Zululand University’s Umlazi Extramural Division, later known as the Durban-Umlazi Campus of Zululand. Kubeka also participated in the Umlazi Education Project Committee where he promoted Vukuzakhe High School as the Township’s Centre for mathematics and science.
In an attempt to promote an environment conducive to learning, Dr. Kubeka implemented a plan of keeping learners at (township) schools from 06:30 am until 17:00 pm. The rationale behind this was that the home environment of most township children was, and still is, not conducive to home learning. Today, many of the successful schools in the township have implemented a similar policy.
Dr. Kubeka held a BA in Zulu and History from the University of Fort Hare, BA (Hons) and MA degree (both in Zulu) from the University of Natal. The title of his MA dissertation was Preliminary Survey of Zulu Dialects in Natal. In 1997, the University of Zululand conferred a Doctor of Education degree on him for his contribution to education. He passed away in November 2010.