In her welcoming address, Professor Mayekiso reminded attendees of the brave and notable women to whom Women’s Month is dedicated, and how after the historic march of 9 August 1956, the country was forever changed.

“To this day “Wathinta abafazi wathinta imbokodo” still reverberates in our hearts and minds reminding us as women from all walks of life, that the struggle continues.

“New frontiers and greater challenges are beckoning: the fight for equality and equity, starving to resolve sustainable development goals, awareness of climate change, and eradicating the scourge that is gender-based violence (GBV),” she said.

The Vice-Chancellor noted the well-known Swahili proverb which translates to: ‘When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you’, reminding the women at the event that the best lies within them.

“If we miss this, we will forever be in a frantic search, not realising that the best in us is already there. A focus on the why of our pure existence, as well as the how of it, are among the tools that can lead us to discover the best in ourselves.

Siyabuswa Programme Director, Professor Hilda Israel.

“To discover the best in us entails answering the why question. The Why interrogative gets clearer when we look closely that no two people are the same. Each of us is unique and has a quintessential contribution to make.”

Once you answer the question: Why am I on the earth? What is my purpose?, much will become clear.

Professor Mayekiso outlined the tools to discovering your purpose and taking the first step towards discovering the best within.

“You and only you can fulfil your purpose. Purpose can be found in statements such as: “My purpose is to empower others, to unleash the potential of others, to ensure that all are treated as equal, to solve problems based on my skill set, to leverage technology to empower others and to mentor young women to lift as I rise,” she explained.

Professor Mayekiso further mentioned that passion, the energy that we bring in pursuit of our purpose, is vital. As is working long hours and not watching the clock; pushing hard even as our energy levels go down; and to never be discouraged by the naysayers.

Guest Speaker: Indlovukazi Sekhothali Mabhena of the Amandebele Kingdom.

“Perspective is when you have the big picture, you weather the storm en route towards discovering the best in you. You come to understand those good things that take time; life is not about instant gratification.

Persistence: Never giving up, and following up with dogged determination, the path to discovering the best in you comes from persistence.

Resolve: the mindset of determination is key, not allowing destruction to take you out of the path you carved for discovering the best in you

Resilience: This is about bouncing and using setbacks as stepping stones. To stand up after falling

Authenticity: Being our true selves all the time and not being fake. Having understood the foregoing, we can proceed to look at discovering the best in us.”

Keynote speaker, Her Majesty Queen (Indlovukazi) Sekhothali Seeiso Mabhena observed a moment of silence for women and children who have been robbed of their lives due to gender-based violence.

In her talk, Queen Mabhena made the women in the room aware of the many roles she partakes in changing the lives of women and children of the country.

Poetry reading by Ms Vanessa Redemeyer.

“I serve as a member of the United Nation’s Women in ending child marriages and female genital mutilation. I am a member of the African Union in retaining education in women and girls across the continent, and a menstrual hygiene ambassador with the HIV/AIDS Foundation South Africa.

Queen Mabhena continued that she is also an Advocate against GBV and Femicide with the Kwanele Foundation and serves as the youngest queens within the council of traditional leaders in Africa.

“I am amongst a lot of men who are feared across the board, and I think I am doing a very good job at representing women in that regard,” she said, adding that all her duties, come with responsibility, internal strength, resilience, maturity and proactiveness.

“The bible tells us a woman is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. Without a doubt God gives women the strength, we become responsible to use the gift right and accountable,” she continued.

“A strong-willed woman isn’t afraid to meet the world head-on, she is unafraid of those who say something cannot be done and her God-given passion produces clear purpose, deep compassion, and a bold spirit that has the power to change the world.

But even a strong-willed woman runs into issues along the journey, sometimes determination and a strong will lead to misunderstanding and breakdowns, and the only one who can help her overcome them is God.”

Women at both events shared words of encouragement, enjoyed entertainment, which ranged from traditional dance, music and poetry reading. The celebrations ended with a prize giving.

@ Story Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures supplied.

Due to the constrictions and restrictions of the pandemic, the expo had to be held virtually for the last two years, which inevitably meant that attendance from students and graduates, and participation from companies was lower than had been hoped for. Being able to hold a physical event this year, the number of students increased significantly, as did the number of companies and organisations that participated – making the event bigger and better than ever before, says Student Graduate Manager, Mr Raymond Mkhwanazi.

“Students came in numbers and engaged with all the companies, seeking information and advice on their careers, and trying to understand the job market landscape. The companies that exhibited were relevant according to their programmes of study,” he said.

Second-year Hospitality Management and Tourism student, Owami Mpanza, aspires to work abroad and is grateful for the guidance and information she received at the career expo, all of which will aid her in turning her dreams into reality.

“During the expo I got to learn more about the different training and internship opportunities and programmes that exist at certain lodges and hotels within the hospitality industry. It has been inspiring and has broadened my perspective of the industry. Having ambitions to one day own a lodge, I know what it takes to get there,” she said.

The 2022 Career Expo attracted some 25 exhibitors. 

Final year student in Development Studies, Nomcebo Shongwe, says he received invaluable information with regards to his career and the way forward.

“My hope is to become a Development Consultant at a local municipality where I would like to focus on the environment. I’m still planning to do my honours. I will start looking for a job. I volunteer in the local municipalities so that I can get experience.

The presence of National Youth Development Agency has assisted me to understand the checklist of what is needed to secure funding when one day I need to start my business.”

Siyabonga Ngomane, who is a third-year Bachelor of Administration student, says the career expo has motivated him to have a multi-focused directional approach when looking for career opportunities.

“I love working in the farming industry, especially poultry, but had never thought of starting my own business,” he says, noting that he had also learnt investing tips.

“My highlight was meeting Mega which deals with businesses so that I have more options. Since the school is trying to bring all those companies to open up some opportunities for students.”

Students attended the event in large numbers. 

The 2022 UMP Career Expo attracted some 25 companies, one of which included RCL Foods, which currently offers internship to agricultural students. Ms Christabel Hlatshwayo says every year RCL takes 30 students to do their internship for 12 months.

“We also offer them a stipend. We have graduate placement programmes for 12 months exposure to understand the different careers within the company,” she says.

Ms Hlatshwayo added that a lot of career opportunities at RCL are in agronomy, which is scarce in the province. “We also offer internships in the accounting field but mainly our focus is on agriculture.”

The event has several benefits for students. Advanced Diploma in Post-Harvest student, Mbali Mndebele, can attest to that. She is currently doing experiential training at Halls, an opportunity she secured at a career expo which was hosted by UMP a few years back.

“The career expo has been very beneficial and influential in my life. I have met some people in business who are assisting us to start businesses using agricultural knowledge. I’m currently doing experiential learning and I’m learning and gaining experience that will be useful in years to come,” she says.

Mndebele encourages students to stay focused and work hard to achieve their dreams. “Search for information and have people that can mentor you.”

@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures @ChristplPhoto

The WIL programme was introduced by University South Africa’s (USAf) Higher Education Leadership and Management (HELM) initiative in 2002, which was founded after a series of research projects revealed that at least 35% of women leaders noted gender bias, isolation and lack of support for women in middle management positions.

“Amongst its aims, the WIL programme’s purpose is to develop a woman as a leader, promote gender equality and promotes multi-perspectives in ways of being and doing,” says Professor Wayi-Mgwebi.

During the introductory meeting held in May this year, delegates were introduced to the key components of the programme, which include fortnightly three-hourly sessions, peer learning groups, individual coaching sessions and reflective sessions.

“This programme offers a holistic approach to development which appreciates a woman’s role in their development, networking and learning from experiences of other women and importantly an opportunity to have a dedicated coach who is available for the period of six months to attend to any area of need from the candidate.”

Professor Wayi-Mgwebi says, “At the beginning of this year one of items on my vision board was self-development. I approached several service providers to enquire about their services and was also actively doing research about how to approach a mentor or coach.

“As it is said that the universe responds to one’s vibration, the WIL programme came right when I was busy exploring these and it is offering me more than what I had planned to focus on.”

Importance of Sharing experiences

Professor Wayi-Mgwebi further mentions that research shows that the majority of women do not have an active mentor in the workplace, unlike their male counterparts who tend to easily get personal mentors.

“Women still achieve most of their goals and even more with no personal mentors, but I believe the journey would have been much lighter, will less effects on their health if one had a mentor,” she adds.

“We tend to do more work as we allow society to pressure us to prove that we can be great leaders, mothers, housekeepers, partners, sisters, and mentors. All this by ourselves. I am truly excited that this programme offers one-to-one full mentorship. Joining the programme whilst still grappling with the aftereffects of the pandemic is also a form of therapy,” she says.

Having attended only a few sessions thus far, Professor Wayi-Mgwebi says she already feels like she has been through an intensive yearlong personal growth Masterclass, because of the wealth of information shared by respected presenters – from the lectures to various speakers who have been invited to share their knowledge and experience.

“We also had an inspiring networking session with former participants of the programme who brought the experience closer by sharing their journey and some tips on how to ensure maximum benefit from the programme,” she adds.

“At the end of the programme, I expect to be more assertive, confident, and have improved goal management. Furthermore, I strongly believe that being in the programme will assist me to be a better mentor, drawing from my experience on the programme and that of others through shared stories.”

Professor Wayi-Mgwebi concludes: “Sharing experiences is one of the key techniques of the programme, either through ad hoc groups during sessions, self-reflective stories, peer learning groups and through interactions on CANVAS, the learning management system used. It is my hope that I will adopt the same techniques at the school, where possible.”

@ Story by Lisa Thabethe. Additional source: Universities South Africa (USAF). Pictures supplied.

Dr Isaac Agholor has comprehensive research interests covering broad areas in applied hydrology, climate change, extension, poverty/ food security and sustainable rural resource management.

He notes that in most cases women are more likely predisposed to poverty than men because of limited access to basic human rights, cascading to the inability to move freely and acquire land, exposure to open violence occasioned by inadequate resources and marginalization, denial from participating in community decision making, and unequal allocation of community resources.

“For this unfortunate phenomenon, women struggle the most when changes in climate intensifies. Women are impacted by distorted environmental temperatures, abnormal heat waves, droughts, increases in sea levels, extreme cold and storms,” he says.

“As part of measures to mitigate the impact of climate change on women, the Paris Climate Agreement acknowledged that consideration should be given to respective obligations on human rights as well as gender equality, empowerment of women and fairness in resource allocation to women.

Further to this, gender inequality not only defines what men and women can do in the context of climate change but also hampers women’s capacity to develop resilience toward climate related events.”

Caricature of African women carrying firewood.

Climate change is making it harder for women and girls to accomplish household chores with disproportionate workloads. The time and effort put in by women in household related activities, like cleaning, food preparation, childcare, taking caring for the sick and elderly, fetching of firewood and water are becoming an enormous burden in this period of climate change, continues Dr Agholor.

“In each passing day, droughts and extreme temperature burn off forests, and dry up streams and rivers in local communities – making women to travel long distances in search of firewood, water for cooking, cleaning, and managing home gardens. Women and girls in local communities also face the risk of rape while travelling long distances in search of water and firewood,” he says.

“This unwarranted phenomenon of household ‘labour’ not only exposes women and girls to danger but erodes their initiatives and potentials for a better life and becoming economically independent.”

Dr Agholor notes that other debarring factors working against women and girls in climate related events are the socio-cultural customs, societal values, and gender discrimination, which accounted for diminishing women participation in climate decision making.

In almost all communities, households are headed by males and in choosing who represents the household, the male is accorded preference as household head, because customs of the community prohibit females from taking headship roles where the men are available.

“This phenomenon reduces the chances of women participating in climate related decisions. Climate change is gradually wiping off the existing local resources in most communities, and gender-based violence is on the increase owing to inadequate resources in communities. The consequences of this manifest in fueling the rise of unscrupulous people to engaging in societal vices such as trafficking in women as sex slaves and labour exploitation. “

Climate change adversely affects the availability of water resources.

Generally, women and girls are the most vulnerable and marginalised groups in these obnoxious human right violations. For instance, in Northern Nigeria, the terrorist group Boko Haram has over the years targeted not only girls in schools but able-bodied women who have been displaced by drought.

Climate change is a transgressor imbibed with an array of threats destroying the livelihoods of people, especially the less privileged women. There is correlation between climate change and poverty. For instance, a degraded environment occasioned by climate change deteriorates the available resources and livelihoods. Loss of livelihood transcends to lack and poverty, which ultimately causes hardship and a surge in violence.

Climate change undoubtedly exerts financial pressure on homes, families, women, and livelihoods. Vulnerable women and girls living in poverty face several forms of discrimination, and increased risks of violence. Evidence is bound, showing that less privileged girls are 2.5 times more likely to marry at childhood than those living in affluent areas.

“It is painstaking to learn that in mitigating the negative impact of climate change amongst rural households, distressed families have resulted in preparing their girl child for marriage at childhood as a coping mechanism and for financial gains.”

Dr Agholor further explains that climate change is a universal health risk that is underpinned by persistent gender gaps and inequality. Studies has proven that pregnant women are more likely to suffer hypertension, exhaustion, miscarriages, and stillbirths with higher temperatures.

“Mathew Chersich, a researcher at Wits University, found that “climate change heightens the pre-existing vulnerabilities of women in South Africa, fishing communities, rural subsistence farmers and those living in informal settlements.”

In conclusion Dr Agholor says the existing situation is frightening, but it is not all gloomy. Women have developed tenacity and are showing remarkable resilience to climate change. Most women are now leading climate action movements and championing sources of renewable energy.

“Also, the realization and recognition of the problems faced by women because of climate change are important. Policies that will redress the disparity in economic opportunities and resource allocation to men and women must be in place to allow women to develop sufficient resilience for climate change. In addition, the sustainable management of natural resources will strengthen community stability and thus reduce women’s vulnerability to climate change. The health sector should wake up to a greater leadership role in supporting polices aimed at advancing the country’s (South Africa) commitment to climate change accord.”

This is a review article by Dr Isaac Agholor (Pr. Sc. Nat.), PhD Agric, M.Agric; B.Sc. Agric (Hons); B.Agric (Hons) & Dip. Agric Education. Dr Isaac Agholor has comprehensive research interest covering broad areas in applied hydrology, climate change, extension, poverty/ food security and sustainable rural resource management.

Joining the boys in the dusty streets of Maganagobuswa, in Siyabuswa, her football aspirations were born when she was merely eight years old. It’s only when she registered at UMP that she played with an all-female team for the first time.

“I am very passionate about sports. I started playing with boys in my neighbourhood,” she says. “When I came to UMP in 2019, that’s when I started playing with other girls. In 2020 I was appointed vice captain of the team and in 2021 I became the captain. Earlier this year I was appointed as the CRC Sports and Recreation officer and felt it would be in the team’s best interest if I stepped down as captain because of the added commitment.”

The UMP Women’s Team was established in 2016 and the team started participating in the USSA Football Institutional Championships in 2017. The team recorded some game time this year having played against CN Mahlangu and also the Siyabuswa Netball team.

“We are currently playing in the SAFA women's league which started early in August. Thus far we’ve played two matches, one against Skinning Ladies United and a second against the Thathazonke Ladies Team,” she says.

The fourth-year student currently coaches the football team with training and match practice. The team’s strategy is based on engagement and communication. She adds that every team responsible for the strategic planning process must be engaged to make it successful.

“The team can be key players within the company whose main purpose is to work in pursuit of common goals of the team. In the strategic planning process, every team member is given a chance to bring something to the table,” she adds.

“Since the input of every member of the strategic planning process is valuable, there must be effective communication else, there will be a problem. Communication lines need to be left open for every team member. The important thing is the relationship I have with the players. When I talk, they listen, and they always try their best to archive each and every task that I give them.”

The midfielder says people are much more inspired when they are trying to achieve a common goal, and the same goes for her team.

“If we are trying to achieve a certain goal such has having ambitions to win a match or tournament, that gives the team a sense of purpose, and a stronger desire to be successful. And this helps up to find a purpose and create the desire within our teams.

“The team won most matches, but it was quite difficult to deal with all the players since all the individuals have different characters and each and every player has their own opinion about how we should play as a team,” she says.

Malapane looks up to former Banyana Banyana skilful midfielder and captain, Portia Modise, who had an interesting journey as a player. “Her story of success has been encouraging. Modise started playing football with the boys in her neighbourhood, in Soweto. She chose football over of netball at school and began playing.

“However, considering that soccer is a sport that requires one to develop through different stages, it’s considered too late to become professional when you are past 23, and I am 23 years old.

Soccer is one of those sports you can't play to your level best when you are past a certain age. But it doesn't mean that I will give up, I will continue pushing until I see that my legs can’t carry me anymore and I don't stand a chance amongst my peers. I will never stop playing soccer.”

Her determination to succeed is what Malapane brings to the UMP Women’s Football team. She is also driven by the recent win and high performance of the South Africa Women National Team.

“Banyana Banyana showed me and my club that we can be like our national team and achieve more as we progress, and it also enlightens us that females can also play and be valuable like our male counterparts.”

The UMP team has also played friendly matches against TUT eMalahleni, Passion FC Ladies Team over the years. In 2018 they played in Nkangala Women’s Tournament and in 2019 and 2022 in the Nkangala Regional Women’s League.

“Since the league started, we haven’t won yet because of a few challenges, as some players registered late and have not receive their cards. But we are looking forward to winning the rest of the games,” she says.

UMP teams are members of the different sports federations and participate in the various leagues: local, district and provincial. The University is also part of Universities Sports South Africa (USSA) and participate in the various USSA Tournaments throughout the year.

Malapane will soon graduate from UMP. She intends to work as a teacher and be a sports coordinator at schools and will focus on sports training.

@ Story by Lisa Thabethe. Pictures Supplied.

Giving a global overview of the challenges the tourism industry faced in the past two years, Professor Fehlner said the pandemic caused unprecedented destruction and there was a massive fall in international demand due to lockdowns and the travel restrictions that were put in place to contain the spread of the virus.

“This resulted in over one million tourism jobs at risk. These were mostly small to medium-sized enterprises, which make up most of the sector. A high share of women and young people were impacted by this,” she said.

“In 2019 we were doing well and in 2020 we took an enormous hit. International travel plunged by 72% in 2020 and it was the worst year on record for tourism; it put tourism back almost 30 years, with only a very slight improvement experienced in 2021,” said Professor Fehlner.

The good news she shared was that the tourism industry is slowly recovering, and the 2022 figures look positive. However, there are lessons that institutions of higher learning and businesses should note, and these mainly include investigating the skill sets required to turn the situation around for the tourism industry.

New skill sets needed

Professor Fehlner noted that new skill sets were required of students, and that universities, in conjunction with the tourism industry, must investigate updating the curriculum, research, and topics of study.

She highlighted that a study by UNWTO, which focused on students and working professionals, found that customer orientated service was a vital aspect for future work and that looking at developing new skills training for tourism was important.

“Some variation saw creativity and innovation and digital skills areas as the most important skill. It recommended to advance research skills mismatch to ensure that their training programmes are responsive to the labour market, to maximise digital skill development, focus on skill development, communications, customer focus and marketing and promotion.

Another study exposed digital skills gap due to Covid that has accelerated the availability of information, and the changing structure of the tourism industry.

“Lately, it’s easier to compare prices online and tourism has the largest products sold on the internet. This requires that employee skills need to keep up with these changes. Another finding is that basic skills such as  online marketing, communication skills, social media and office and operating skills were seen as important.

Educating for sustainable tourism in Sub-Saharan Africa

Professor Fehlner further said the tourism industry is robust even after Covid-19. Europe has an expanding workforce, due to lack of employment in Africa, and as their department has become increasingly involved in tourism projects and several universities from Sub-Saharan Africa have also expressed an interest in the dual system.

 Head of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Professor July Sibanyoni. 

“The main objective was to investigate the current status and effectiveness of sustainable tourism (ST) education in universities across this continent.”

Professor Fehlner then conducted a study titled: Educating for Sustainable Tourism in Sub-Saharan Africa, which was to assess the current educational needs of the tourism industry in view of global socio-economical, environmental and technological trends, and, furthermore, to develop practicable and effective responses.

“Firstly, tourism education in the region of Sub Saharan Africa was analysed through the lens of sustainability. In a second step, digitalisation in the tourism industry was examined and strategies for improvements identified.

The study addressed important research gaps. It contributed to the research on the integration of sustainability into tourism curricula and on conceptual frameworks designed specifically for ST education.

“It found that sustainability concepts have yet to be fully integrated into tourism curricula in the region and argued for a broader and more inclusive approach to tourism education.

The implementation of digital learning technologies in the classroom was found to be particularly relevant for developing countries. It was also viewed as the basis for building collaborations between educational institutions on an international level," she explained. 

Developing and nurturing future skills 

Professor Fehlner said all studies conducted in Germany have identified the need for defined future skills as cross-industry, ability skills and attributes that will become more important in all areas of working life and beyond.

“Future skills are then conditioned and supplemented by specific knowledge and correspondent by the willingness to act. This emphasises that it’s not about knowing, it’s about putting that information into action. The real focus of future skills is digitalisation and the development of a sustainable economy."

She went on to unpack the competencies that could lead to solutions in improving these areas which are grouped into four aspects that which they identified as: Technological, Digital, Classic and Transformative competencies.

“Technological competencies were particularly important in the design, and the efficient use of technology and new software for the development for new types of knowledge. Examples of technological competencies are data analytics, software development, hardware or robot development and many more.

Digital competencies are also vital. These include digital literacy, digital ethics, and digital learning such as Zoom and Moodle.”

Professor Fehlner referred to how Covid-19 has shown the world the importance of digital skills when people had to find their way around when they had to work from home offices.

“The classic competencies, also known as traditional competencies, include problem-solving, creativity, entrepreneurial skills, adaptability, intercultural communication and resilience, which are the building blocks for individual and organisational success, and still very relevant though transformative competencies are necessary to address the social problems, and challenges of our time," she added..

“The focus is on developing these competencies so that an individual can take up a leadership role and identify values at hand, be innovative in finding a solution, and unite people. Examples will be value, judgement and innovative competence, change competence, dialogue and conflict resolutions."

In conclusion, Professor Fehlner said all skills competencies will be necessary for dealing with the current challenges the world is facing today and what will be encountered in future. Transformative skills are needed to address social problems, and we need to start developing individuals who are innovative and will find solutions to future problems. Universities need to collaborate more so that we can fulfil the skills gap.

"There will be a need for collaboration in international capacity building projects with a focus on the Dual Studies model and the integration of sustainable tourism concepts.”

@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures Supplied.

Magagula put her agricultural qualification to use and started farming on land she borrowed from Siyabonga Bhila, an acquaintance who also shares her passion for agriculture. The two are working together on building the farm into something bigger and better.

“After graduating, I was looking forward to being employed and applying my knowledge and skills to good use, but I soon realised that things were not as easy as I had imagined. Finding a permanent job proved to be a mission. I was feeling disheartened when I couldn’t put my skills and qualifications to good use,” she says.

Today Magagula, a single mother of one, earns a living from her farm which produces vegetables, which are sold to informal traders in her hometown in Nkomazi Kamhlushwa, Mpumalanga, and the surrounding areas.

“I’m comfortable with the decision to start something for myself. I’m not looking for work any more. I supply local vendors with vegetables, and I can take care of my family and myself.

I’m looking at ways to acquire more land so that I can grow the farming business and supply big markets.”

Creating employment for herself has not been an easy road; it has meant working extra hard to see the fruits of her labour. Magagula wakes up at 4am and starts irrigation and removal of weeds.

“It’s a daily job. Growing and tending vegetables is an important part of our everyday routine to make sure no pest or weeds compete with the growth of our crops. We try our best to keep our crops healthy and alive,” she says.

Farming is not new to Magagula, it’s something she grew up with and loved. “Growing up we had a small garden at home where we planted vegetables and I enjoyed irrigating the plants – not knowing that I would fall in love with doing it as a professional job,” she says.

“I do my part to reinvest some of the funds towards the farm and to save for rainy days when the farm cannot produce vegetables."

The farm comes after Magagula had a short stint in the workplace. She was once employed at TSB, a commercial farm that consists of 845.45ha.

Magagula with Siyabonga Bhila, an acquaintance who made her farming aspirations a reality.

“It was an eye-opening experience. I learnt a lot, especially in terms of communicating with people, solving problems and understanding the running of a farm,” she adds. “I was also recruited by the SANDF for basic military training. It was a challenge and a learning curve for me; I was taught discipline, punctuality and coping in stressful environments."

Putting experience to good use

Magagula, who holds a National Diploma in Crop Production and Bachelor of Technology in Agriculture Crop Science, also secured an internship at the Department of Agriculture Rural Development Land and Environmental Affairs, which she says was very illuminating with regards to new developments in agriculture.

“The internship built me up and assisted me with rendering technical skills to farmers, and to collect, analyse and audit reports for baseline information on rural development related studies and projects.

I come from a family where education is important. My parents tried by every means necessary to make sure we study, finish school, and become successful. Failing was never an option.”

She reveals that farming is not as easy as most want to believe. There are many factors such as weather and poor resources which have the potential to kill the dream of being a successful farmer.

“We do have challenging days when the weather is not optimal for our working conditions, but we try our best to keep going. It’s not always rosy, there are some challenges in working for yourself too.

As a child, Magagula saw herself as a doctor - not knowing that one day she would be nursing and taking care of crops and increasing the production of food.

“I’m content with how things have turned out. The farm gives me the edge and drive to continue doing my best. I have big dreams. One day I would like to team up with other women, and own a big piece of land where we can all work together and create our own wealth as women.”

@ Story by Lisa Thabethe. Pictures supplied.

With a strong affinity for Early Childhood Learning, she puts a strong emphasis on teaching, learning and assessment activities guiding second- and third-year students in Education studies; she assesses fourth years in their teacher service learning and reflection sessions; and supervises postgraduate Master of Education (MEd FP) students.

Dr Muhati-Nyakundi holds a PhD (2017) in Psychology from the University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa. She obtained her MEd (2002) in Educational Psychology and BEd in Education, Languages and Geography from Kenyatta University, Kenya. She has worked as a temporary, sessional and part-time lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, Wits University and University of Nairobi.

Her research interests include: psychosocial support and wellbeing of children in diverse contexts; education, effects of substance use, misuse and abuse by children and youths; digital technologies and children; urban environment among others.

She integrates unique creative participatory methodologies researching with children on various aspects of their lived lives from their perspectives, and resilience nurturing, inviting their active voices into academic research conversations.

Her research interest cover activities with early childhood education/foundation phase learning on experiences of children in learning contexts, in collaboration with teachers who play critical roles in various forms of psycho-socio-educational support.

“My research interests include early childhood development in difficult contexts; safety and protection needs for children; resilience nurturing; school children’s exposure to drug use, misuse and abuse,” she says, adding that her work is often dictated by societal needs and problems.

“This has driven me to further do research on societal issues such as the emergence of 4IR and human development; creative research methodology, and educational pedagogy, the impact of the COVID19 pandemic, access to digital assisted learning among many others,” she explains.

Multi-skilled educator

Dr Muhati-Nyakundi is an experienced curriculum developer. She has participated in review of departmental curriculum for the Psychology Department of the University of Johannesburg (2018-to-2020); participated in developing a unified curriculum for Teacher Programs at the University of Juba, and the National Teacher Training Institutes (NTTI) in South Sudan (2011). She also participated in developing Teacher Programs for school-based teacher trainees for the School of Continuing and Distance Education at the University of Nairobi-Kenya.

Her previous positions include being Senior Research Associate/Sessional Lecturer- Department of Psychology University of Johannesburg (Appointed January 2020 to March 2022) Lecturer (Sessional) – Department of Psychology University of the Witwatersrand (2015-2017) Senior Tutor/teaching assistant – Department of Psychology University of the Witwatersrand (2012-2014).

Dr Muhati-Nyakundi was also a part-time lecturer in Education studies at the School of Education, University of Nairobi-Kenya between 2003 and 2012, a sessional Education Consultant & Lecturer in early childhood education at the University of Juba- South Sudan in 2011.

She was a lecturer in school-based degree programs for continuing education students who included preschool, primary and secondary school teachers at the University of Nairobi – Kenya; and a researcher with numerous NGOs.

Community servant

Dr Muhati-Nyakundi is a strong research professional who has been involved in community service engagement for community development in Kenya, South Sudan and South Africa.

She has a book chapter currently in press titled: English Language curriculum development for children in Kenya: challenges and opportunities- a Vygotskian perspective.

“The chapter provides accounts of developing English as a Language in the Kenyan curriculum within a culture of multiple rich linguistic resistance, challenges faced in view of local lingua and multiple versions of English in digital information literacies’ era,” she explains.

Besides her professional qualifications, she loves art (music, poetry, drama, dance, fashion, sculpture, fine art, architectural designs etc), reading, movies, tours and travels, and praying.

Some of Dr Muhati-Nyakundi’s highlights include serving as an Education consultant in Juba-South Sudan on a project commissioned by Worldbank/Multidonor Trust Fund/UNICEF and the Government of South Sudan.

@Story by Lisa Thabethe. Pictures Supplied.

The book launch was held at the Mbombela campus. Written and compiled by six authors: Dr Blessing Magocha, Dr Itumeleng Mekong, Professor Sekgothe Mokgoatšana, Dr Tsholofelo Mosala, Dr Ikemefuna TP Okudolo, Professor Pitika Ntuli and Dr Zulumathabo Zulu, the book unapologetically goes against the current Afro-pessimism that has been a harsh reality for decades under colonial and apartheid control in Africa.

Giving insight into the book, Dr Mapadimeng explains that the academics who contributed to the various chapters highlight the significance of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) to restore the dignity of the historically suppressed indigenous people and their identities, and to sustain development of African societies.

“In doing so, they identify the gaps in and limitations of effective regulation and support of the IKS in the present legal and policy frameworks, and they propose remedies. The volume features a variety of interlocking topics that collectively showcase the rich knowledge that constitute the IKS,” he said.

“The knowledge that we have been predominating thus far has proven to be of a limited nature and that’s why, in the last few years, we have seen students starting protests during which they called for the end of postcolonial education.

Dr Mapadimeng explored various chapters from the book, giving attendees a look inside this invaluable publication. 

The #RhodesMustFall movement overtook the world of scholarship and academia when students stood up and said that it was time to decolonise education and the curriculum. Therefore, this book is in the same context of the struggle that continues as we seek to decolonise,” explained Dr Mapadimeng.

A glimpse inside the book

In the book, like-minded, globally oriented Afrocentric scholars make a cogent case for resuscitating and supporting the indigenous knowledge systems of Africa.

The chapter, Recognising African Traditional Healing and Medicine in South Africa: A Case of the Traditional Health Act 22 of 2007, was written by Dr Zulumathabo Zulu, who explains that there are three principles of indigenous healing modalities.

“The first is botanical medicine, which refers to terrestrial plants which are land-based and aquatic. The second principle is volcanic medicine, which you get from rock, mountains, charcoal and volcanic ash, to name a few. The third principle is ritualistic medicine, this medicine deals with the spirit, the mind and indigenous psychological science,” he added.

“The Africans, especially where I come from, spoke about the different types of the body, but what is interesting is that diseases have to do with membranes. These people did not have microscopes and a cell is not visible. So you may ask yourself how they knew these things that are not visible?"

Dr Zulu further said: “It is interesting that the water-based plants, which you find in the ocean such as seaweed, have a certain ingredient that is extremely good for mucus membranes. They believed that if you can heal the mucus membrane you can heal all kinds of diseases. The best things you can find in a water plant will be slime, for example, and that slime is powerful medicine.”

Another author, Dr Tsholofelo Masala, penned the chapter titled: What Lies Beneath the Waters? Hidden Healing Treasures, which focuses mainly on water-based or aquatic healing plants; those in salty sea waters and those in land-locked waters.

Director of Library and Information Services at UMP, Ms Zanele Mathe. 

“In this chapter, I highlight the distinction between the western scientific perspective on what lies beneath the waters, which tends to focus on the plant and animal species and the lifecycle of ecosystems and the ninth western cosmological perspective of the African perspective," said Dr Masala.

Speaking about the chapter: Advocating African Indigenous Knowledge Systems Amid Dominant Western Scientific Thought and Development by Professor Itumeleng Mekoa, who passed on last year, Dr Mapadimeng said it serves as a postcolonial theory.

“African scholars are unapologetic about African IKS and its opposition to claims about western scientific objectivism, for example, understanding causal coral relationships and the prediction of the behaviour are not necessarily primary objectives in research.

Sanity can be understood in everyday turns or in the light of African cosmology belief systems that do not have laboratory proof. The methodology of scientific experimentation is viewed as overlooking levels of human experience which they facilitate and track, such as the spiritual and ritualistic dimensions of human lives,” he said.

Reviewing the book, Professor Abiodun Salawu, Professor of Journalism, Communication and Media Studies and Director of the research entity, Indigenous Language Media in Africa (ILMA) at the North-West University, said the book comes at a time during which the issue of decolonisation is at centre stage, not only in the colonised world but the globally as well.

“We don’t have to over-romanticise the African past. In the African tradition, there are good and bad practices which we will find elsewhere. We should harness the past for the development of the continent and our people," said Professor Salawu.

@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures @ChristplPhoto

Mapungubwe is a globally renowned archaeological site. It was here that southern Africa’s first state-level society appeared around AD 1220. Preceding the Mapungubwe Kingdom were several changes that took place over the course of about 300 years. These included the accumulation of wealth, growth in cattle numbers, craft specialisation, and the appearance of royal and elite groups.

While this prehistory is well known, and has been studied for nearly a decade, considerably less is known of local hunter-gatherer societies. To produce a more inclusive rendering of the Mapungubwe landscape’s past, the HARP team aims through archaeological research to recognise and acknowledge the contributions made by past hunter-gatherers to these important socio-political and economic developments.

Justine van Heerden excavates while Siphesihle Kuhlase maps an excavation wall.

While conducting fieldwork in the Mapungubwe National Park the HARP team invited local stakeholders to attend a research colloquium to share their study’s findings. In attendance were members of the Mapungubwe National Park, Polokwane Museum and Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve, as well as students from the Universities of Mpumalanga, Pretoria and Oxford.

The seven presenters: (from the left) Dr Tim Forssman, Ms Chanté Barnard, Siphesihle Kuhlase, Angelina Masolo, Justine van Heerden, Courtney Knell and Sylvia Ubisse.

Dr Forssman opened the colloquium by providing the context and motivation for the study and an overview of progress to date, which involves excavating a prominent hunter-gatherer site, Little Muck Shelter, and exploring the local rock art sequence.

Miss Chanté Barnard, an archaeological laboratory technician at the University of Mpumalanga and master’s student enrolled at the University of Pretoria, presented archaeological trade wealth found at Little Muck demonstrating that hunter-gatherers participated in the local market economy during state formation.

Mr Siphesihle Kuhlase, also a master’s student, took this one step further and presented evidence supporting a hunter-gatherer presence at the site into the Mapungubwe period. These studies are significant because they show that hunter-gatherers were living in the area when Mapungubwe arose, but also that they were involved in trade at a time when this wealth was assisting groups rise to royal or elite status.

Dr Forssman slowly, and carefully, excavates a nineteenth century grain bin that once stood inside the Mbere Shelter.

Two honours students on the project, Miss Sylvia Ubisse and Miss Courtney Knell, provided an outline of their research; to examine landscape settlement histories and stone arrowhead technologies, respectively. Their studies are on-going and will be completed by the end of the year.

Also on-going is the work of Miss Angelinah Masolo, a doctoral candidate, who discussed her study on place-making and settlement histories among hunter-gatherer groups and particularly how they organised their social landscape over the last 8000 years.

The final speaker was master’s student Miss Justine van Heerden. Her study examines engagement between the public and heritage resources and promotes a more inclusive narrative for the region. Her study uses a unique, custom-built travelling museum to display heritage items, such as stone tools, pottery or glass beads, during community engagement initiatives, talks, seminars, or stakeholder meetings.

The travelling museum is an important aspect of HARP’s engagement programme and will accompany the team on field trips and to all manner of meetings within, and beyond, the study area.

@ Story By Dr Tim Forssman, senior lecturer. Pictures supplied.