“Daddy Is Beaming With Pride”: Former ‘Isidingo’ Star at Daughter’s Graduation Leaves SA Nostalgic

• Actor Jack Devnarain proudly celebrated his daughter's graduation from the University of Johannesburg
• The young woman earned a Bachelor of Health Sciences and is an accomplished powerlifter
• Social media buzzed with congratulations as followers reminisced about Jack’s iconic role in Isidingo

With graduation season in full effect, the University of Johannesburg is filling people's For You Pages with graduation content for all to enjoy. The tertiary institution included one clip of former Isidingo star Jack Devnarain, who portrayed Rajesh Kumar, but most importantly, was a proud father to a graduate daughter, Surina, during a celebratory moment.

The official TikTok account for the University of Johannesburg shared a clip of the father and daughter on 30 March 2026, although the ceremony took place on 25 March 2026. Surina received a Bachelor of Health Sciences in Sport and Exercise Science. Her father proudly shared that she is a powerlifter and has earned her national colours in powerlifting, while also doing Olympic powerlifting.

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Jack noted that Surina's interest in the sport was passed down, as he was also a powerlifting competitor. He added:

"This is something that is coming from the family, from my father's lineage. He is a boxer and a lifter. He taught me, and I competed for many years, so it is a privilege to pass this on to Surina.

"She has the opportunity to go into an academic achievement as well, and that's what this means to us."

Take a look at the TikTok video below:

South Africans remember Jack Devnarain

Local members of the online community gathered in the comment section to congratulate Surina, while many others centred their comments around Jack's Isidingo character, Rajesh.

@ntombenhle.mpanza added under the post:

"Daddy is beaming with pride. Congratulations, baby gal."

@jacoberth1 jokingly stated:

"She’s so happy. I’m sure she has a job waiting for her in Horizon Deep."

@narinasingh referred to Jack as Rajesh with humour and also stated:

"Well done to her. Proud moment for the dad."

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@ayesha_jafta said to Suina:

"Your dad is a legend. I see he passed the baton to another legend in the making."

@toyota79ner shared in the comment section:

"Congratulations to the young lady! This man is one of our best actors."

@lkila4 remarked to the public:

"She seems very sweet."

@zane1.adams told the online community:

"I would love to see a picture of Uncle Jack in his lifting days."

3 Other stories about graduation

• In another article, Briefly News reported that twin sisters honoured their mother's legacy, whose studies were cut short after she was arrested as a student activist in the 1980s.
• South African National Defence Force graduates drew online attention after marching and saluting on stage during a university graduation ceremony. The viral TikTok clip left many social media users curious about the programme.
• Some time last year, former Scandal! actress Masasa Mbangeni added another qualification to her academic bag after attending Wits University as a postgraduate student.

Source: Briefly News