SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter Honored with Doctorate as He Advocates for "Learning by Doing" in Higher Education

SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter honored by CPUT, advocating for "tinkering spaces" over classrooms to prepare South Africa's future workforce.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 18, 2026, 4:54 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from EWN

A Fifty-Year Academic Journey Comes Full Circle

In a ceremony he described as a "full-circle moment," the Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), Edward Kieswetter, was awarded an honorary doctorate in Taxation from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). The event took place half a century after Kieswetter first began his studies at the institution. The Commissioner noted the irony of the recognition, as his professional responsibilities had previously forced him to put his own pursuit of a PhD on hold on two separate occasions. Kieswetter credited the university for providing the foundational grounding that allowed him to transition from a student aspiring to be an engineer into a high-level "reflective practitioner" within the public sector.

Critiquing the Traditional Academic Model

During his acceptance address, Kieswetter issued a provocative challenge to modern educational structures, arguing that the current pace of global change is outstripping the adaptability of traditional universities. He advocated for a shift away from siloed academic faculties, suggesting that the future of work requires multi-disciplinary problem solvers rather than just critical thinkers. To achieve this, he proposed a radical redesign of the campus environment. According to Kieswetter, academic institutions should consider closing traditional classrooms in favor of "tinkering spaces," laboratories, maker spaces, and incubators that prioritize experiential learning.

The Value of the Apprenticeship Model

Reflecting on his own background in an apprentice school, Kieswetter expressed regret over the historical shift away from technical vocational training in South Africa. He argued that the closure of apprenticeship schools was a "tragedy" that removed a crucial cooperative model of education. The Commissioner noted that while he initially felt disappointment at not being able to attend a traditional university to study engineering or music, his technical training eventually became his greatest strategic advantage. He cautioned against universities of technology attempting to compete with purely academic institutions, suggesting that the "learn-by-doing" model is more relevant to the modern world than ever before.