He was born poor, in extreme circumstances that denied him an education. Largely self-taught, he grew to become a man of resolve, determination and tenacity. A freedom fighter who struggled alongside Nelson Mandela to liberate his people from the cruel practices of Apartheid, he stands today among the most influential leaders in Africa.

Jacob G. Zuma is South Africa's third President, a man who has led a tumultuous life of such highs and lows that they would have overwhelmed the ordinary person. But he carries in his genes the resilience of his Zulu ancestors and that has given him the strength and spirit to overcome the huge challenges he faced as a member of the African National Congress (ANC).

He joined the party as a young man of 17 and now at 71 years of age he has served a period that has consumed 5 decades of his life. And during that service he has been imprisoned, losing 10 years of his youth in a cell in Robben Island, the same place where Nelson Mandela lost 27 years of his. But it was in prison that he developed a deep political understanding of the South African situation. It can be argued that it was on this island that the destiny of a future world leader was finally set in stone.

A hungry child cannot be expected to concentrate and perform well in class.

Two years after his release in 1973 he left South Africa and spent the next 15 years in exile working in Swaziland, Mozambique and Zambia to serve the needs of the ANC which included looking after black South African refugees who fled the tyranny of Apartheid.

He returned in 1990 to a free nation and plunged his efforts in the renewal of an energized ANC and it was during these early years that he grew rapidly within the party.

As the winds of change swept across the nation, they brought with them a new sense of uncertainty. Tribal factions seemed set to destroy all that had been achieved. Here Jacob Zuma found his calling as a facilitator and mediator in the Peace Accords signed between the African National Congress and tribal factions that had sprung up in the wake of the dismantling of Apartheid. He is generally regarded as the person most instrumental in achieving the peace that is now enjoyed by the people of KwaZulu Natal, an important province in South Africa, the ancestral home of the Zulu Nation.

But deep in his heart he carried the memory of his deprived childhood and wanted very badly to help young children get an education. He established the Jacob G. Zuma RDP Education Trust in 1995, at which time he served as Member of the Executive Council of the Province of KwaZulu-Natal. He used his own resources to fund the Trust and his model of support covered tuition, books, accommodation and living expenses that included food and even bus fares.

We don't need to research about poverty, one family with no meal is catastrophic to me.

He delves deep into the psyche of the common South African to give them back their dignity and in youths he saw the greatest need to develop their confidence and instil good values.

In sports he believes the values of competency, discipline, teamwork and passion for excellence can be cultivated in the young. He created the Msholozi Tournament with the aim of using sports as a vehicle to promote social cohesion and youth development. To date there are 52 teams which Jacob Zuma believes has kept youths away from drugs and crime.

For the passion, commitment and dedication with which he is engaged in building South Africa, the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology feels privileged and honoured to bestow upon H.E. Jacob G. Zuma the Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humanity this day 27 August 2013.