On 30 March 2017, during a ceremony held at the Central University of Technology in the Free State, Teboho Loate was announced as the first candidate ever to receive the Chancellor Excellence award - an award in recognition of his continuous leadership and community involvement.
Loate previously severed as chairperson of the CUT council from 2000 to 2014, then as deputy chairperson and chairperson of the remuneration committee, human resource committee and finance committee.
