“As a traditional African saying has it, umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, persons depend on persons to be persons. By being concerned with values, education is concerned with the humanity of people and its full development. Values are not a luxury item in an educational system but its heart and life.” These words, spoken on April 10, 2003 by Prof. Edith H. Raidt, Ph.D., stand the test of time. This professor lives her philosophy that educators are messengers of hope and optimism, embodying ethical leadership, with a willingness to shape the future to rise above the pitfalls of moral decline. Having expertise in Historical and Afrikaans Linguistics, Medieval Literature, Business ethics, and Christian Business Leadership, it is no wonder that Professor Raidt was asked to be the founding president of St. Augustine College in Johannesburg, South Africa. About a decade before the professor spoke the words that started this paragraph, a group of Catholic academics, clergy, and business people fostered the idea of establishing a Catholic University in South Africa. It took some time but the College was opened on July 13, 1999 by the Deputy Minister of Education. The school started off in a small way with postgraduate degrees, but its future focus was to expand to a broader range of disciplines at undergraduate level.

The name ‘St. Augustine’ was chosen in order to indicate the African identity of the institution and because St. Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430 AD) was one of the first and one of the greatest Christian scholars of Africa. To quote the professor again, “Education in a post-apartheid, democratic South Africa is to be seen in relation to the ultimate goal of social life which is the personal growth and fulfillment of individuals. One cannot stress enough the importance of qualities of character in individuals and qualities of relationship between people, a sense of freedom and participation in the life of society and a sense of solidarity with others. These were the values denied by apartheid.”

A good educator is a constant learner. Prof. Edith H. Raidt, Ph.D. has always been an avid scholar. At the University of Capetown she earned a Bachelors of Arts Degree, a Bachelors of Education Degree, a Masters Degree in Art, and her Ph.D. She has obtained such recognition as: Doctor of Literature (honoris causa) Potchefstroom, University for Christian Higher Education; Doctor of Literature (honoris causa) University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg;  Doctor of Literature (honoris causa) University of Port Elizabeth; and  Doctor of Education (honoris causa) University of Natal. An overview of the professor’s career, which started in 1962, she has lectured, taught, and headed departments at the University of Capetown, the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and of course St. Augustine College of South Africa, Johannesburg. She is a member of 7 international scholarly societies and is the author of 7 books and numerous scholarly articles.

Prof. Raidt was born in Germany, but has lived in South Africa since 1954. From young adulthood on she has been a witness to a volatile and complex breadth of South African History. Out of this crucible has emerged a high-principled and humane individual. She has recently retired, and so has more time for her leisurely pursuits of reading, listening to classical music, painting, and sewing.  In her retirement she continues to inspire teachers and students to use hope and optimism to transform the world and imbue young people with a sense of justice and deep concern for the common good.

Professor Edith H. Raidt, Ph.D. can be found on the Madison Who’s Who Directory where she is looking forward to networking with you.

www.staugustine.ac.za