This Friday, at its 2025 Spring Graduation ceremony, the University of Fort Hare (UFH) will confer an Honorary Doctor of Commerce, honoris causa, on Advocate Thandi Orleyn. A Fort Hare law alumna (1978), former Council Chairperson, and one of South Africa’s most respected lawyers and a distinguished business leader, Adv Orleyn is being recognised for her immense contributions to commerce, law, and social justice over many decades.
Adv Orleyn’s career began in the legal sector, where she quickly distinguished herself as a fierce advocate for justice. She became the first black woman to lead both the Independent Mediation Service of South Africa (IMSSA) and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), institutions central to shaping South Africa’s labour and dispute resolution landscape.
Her work in employment law, consumer law, and customary law has left a lasting impact on South African jurisprudence. She also co-authored the influential book Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, advancing protections for workers nationwide.
Champion of Women’s Empowerment
As co-founder of Peotona Group Holdings and the Peotona Foundation, alongside Cheryl Carolus, Wendy Lucas-Bull, and the late Dolly Mokgatle, Adv Orleyn has championed transformation in business by creating platforms for women and black South Africans to thrive. Her vision has always been to combine commercial success with social responsibility, ensuring that business growth contributes directly to community improvement.
Corporate and Social Leadership
She has served as a non-executive director on some of the country’s most influential boards, including the South African Reserve Bank, Toyota South Africa, bp South Africa, De Beers, and the Industrial Development Corporation. Today, she chairs Impala Platinum Holdings (Implats), one of the JSE’s Top 40 companies, where her leadership continues to shape corporate governance and transformation.
Her influence extends beyond the corporate sector into education, health, and social development. She has chaired the Legal Resources Centre, the Zenex Foundation, the South African AIDS Council, and the Inanda Seminary Education and Development Trust, touching lives across multiple spheres of society.
A Homecoming
For UFH, honouring Adv Orleyn is both a recognition and a homecoming. She studied law at Fort Hare, later returned to serve as Council Chairperson, and now she joins the list of UFH honorary doctorate recipients.
Her strides are a true reflection of the the values of courage, justice, and transformation that define being a Fortharian.