The conference offered a critical space for reflection on South Africa's democratic journey – interrogating socio-political transformation, persistent structural inequalities, and the cultural shifts that have shaped the country since 1994. In her welcoming address, Dr Naledi Nthite, Director: Research Management at UMP, reaffirmed the university's commitment to scholarship with social impact. "The University of Mpumalanga is proud to provide a platform where knowledge generation and critical discourse can shape a more inclusive, just society," she said.
She also emphasised UMP's focus on innovation, entrepreneurial thinking, and strategic partnerships as central to driving meaningful change.
Call for Action-Oriented Sociology
SASA President, Dr Crispen Chinguno, noted the significance of hosting the 30th annual conference in a province with a rich sociological history. He urged delegates to embrace engaged and solution-driven scholarship. "South African sociology must confront the challenges of inequality, unemployment, and climate change with the same vigour it applies to theory," he said. "We must move beyond observation to meaningful action."
Conference delegates engaged on issues post democracy.
One of the highlights was One of the highlights was the keynote address by Professor Xolela Mangcu – who delivered a provocative call to decolonise the discipline. He argued that South African sociology remains entangled in colonial and Eurocentric frameworks – often to the exclusion of African intellectual traditions. He pointed to the continued marginalisation of black scholars, writers, and thinkers in the academic curriculum and stressed the need to reconstitute sociology using a broader definition of the archive – not limited to documents in state repositories, but including lived experience, memory, and oral expression.
Reimagining the Sociological Archive
Professor Mangcu proposed literary sociology as a framework through which African literature, biography, and oral traditions could be analysed as sociological texts. Citing works such as The Black Metropolis and Native Son, he demonstrated how literature has long offered insight into identity, inequality, and social feeling – often in ways that elude formal theory.
He highlighted Desmond Tutu's moral vision of reconciliation and justice as a case in point – notably under-analysed in sociological discourse – and referenced African-American scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr, who had to assert the academic legitimacy of African literature and black studies. These examples, Professor Mangcu argued, reflect the narrow definitions of intellectual value that continue to shape academic disciplines.
Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Development and Business Sciences, Professor Vusi Gumede.
Professor Mangcu called for African newspapers, mission school records, hymns, and protest poetry to be incorporated into research methodologies. "The archive is not only written in ink but sung in struggle and remembered in song," he said. Such materials, he argued, provide a more grounded and layered understanding of social life.
Turning to Steve Biko, Professor Mangcu explored the enduring relevance of black consciousness. He explained that Biko's redefinition of blackness transcended skin colour – focusing instead on shared experiences of economic, political, and social exclusion. This understanding enabled solidarity across ethnic and linguistic divides and asserted dignity in the face of erasure.
"His was an identity not confined to pigmentation but broadened to include the oppressed and marginalised," said Professor Mangcu – calling on departments of sociology to embrace a new curriculum that integrates black intellectual traditions, indigenous epistemologies, and African expressive culture. In closing, he reminded delegates that black identity is dynamic – shaped by struggle, dialogue, art, and political imagination. He cited early 20th-century debates between Christians and Traditionalists as evidence of long-standing conversations within black communities about modernity, belief, and belonging – conversations that must be brought into the classroom.
Tourism, Youth Empowerment and Inclusive Growth
Executive Manager at Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA), Mr Ntwanano Mtungwa, spoke on the role of tourism in promoting economic development and social inclusion. "We are investing in youth from rural communities through learnerships in conservation and tourism," he said. "Our vision is to unlock entrepreneurship, foster cultural exchange, and promote business tourism that benefits our people."
Professor Mangcu called for a curriculum change that integrates black intellectual traditions, indigenous epistemologies, and African expressive culture.
He also encouraged organisers to continue selecting Mpumalanga as a host destination – citing the province's natural beauty, safety efforts, and community-based tourism initiatives. The MTPA – which oversees several nature reserves – is committed to a tourism sector that reflects diverse heritage and broadens access to opportunity.
The conference featured robust discussions under six key sub-themes: nationalism and identity; African knowledge systems; post-apartheid socio-economic transformation; gender dynamics; migration and social integration; and the changing nature of labour.
UMP Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Development and Business Sciences, Professor Vusi Gumede, underscored the importance of applied, transformative scholarship. "We are here to address the practical challenges of society – to change the perception that sociologists only theorise. Our work must be grounded, transformative, and responsive," he said.
The conference brought together a diverse delegation of scholars, students, policymakers, and activists. As proceedings drew to a close, participants left energised and committed to continuing the difficult, necessary work of transformation. The conversations were thoughtful, critical, and deeply informed by the realities of post-apartheid South Africa.
Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures supplied.