Student Overcomes Disability to Graduate with Master’s Degree
Mr Lungani Mthethwa graduates with his Masters in Social Sciences.Mr Lungani Mthethwa has cerebral palsy – a condition which affects muscle tone, movement and motor skills leading to physical disability – but it hasn’t prevented him from reaching great academic heights.
Mthethwa graduated from UKZN with a Masters in Social Science degree.
An inspiration to other disabled students, Mthethwa said: ‘The secret behind my success is praying and working hard. One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is not to compare myself to anyone. I encourage students not to let their disability stop them from achieving their goals. Believe in yourself, everything is possible.’
Mthethwa, who uses a motor scooter to get around campus, says most University venues are difficult to access and hopes that venue access will continue to improve.
For his masters study, he focused on the experiences and challenges of adapting to an inclusive education-learning environment concentrating on UKZN students living with disabilities.
‘The main aim of this study is to understand the everyday life experiences and challenges students with disabilities face on the Howard College Campus. I used a qualitative approach and design with in-depth face-to-face semi-structured interviews to collect data from 20 participants. The study explored the challenges faced by male and female students with different types of disabilities,’ said Mthethwa.
His study demonstrates that certain infrastructure and services at the University remain disability unfriendly and thus the notion of an enabling inclusive environment is problematic.
These inhibit students with disabilities from adapting to the inclusive education environment and context. Problems include accessing study material in appropriate formats and lack of awareness and knowledge by lecturers, support staff and non-disabled students on how to assist or socialise students with different types or ranges of disabilities.
His plans include obtaining a PhD and, in time, becoming a lecturer.
Mthethwa thanked his late grandmother, family, friends and his supervisor, Dr Sharmla Rama, for their prayers, motivation and support.
Words by: Nomcebo Mncube
Photograph by Rajesh Jantilal
author : .author email : .UKZN Student Beats Odds to Secure Master’s Degree
Mr Siyabonga Nxumalo.Despite challenging personal circumstances, Mr Siyabonga Nxumalo of Greytown in KwaZulu-Natal graduated with a Master of Social Sciences degree from UKZN.
Following the death of his mother in 2006, Nxumalo struggled to make ends meet and during his early undergraduate years he experienced exceptionally tough personal and financial difficulties.
‘I was happy to be accepted at UKZN and I was looking forward to studying here,’ said Nxumalo, ‘but it was difficult for me in first year because I struggled to find sufficient funding. I had to beg for food and accommodation.’
The following year there were outstanding fees to settle but he had no money. ‘I approached the local newspaper, the Greytown Gazette, and they publicised my plea for help.’
Good Samaritans Mr Emmanuel Ndlovu and a Mrs Gangai read his story and assisted Nxumalo in settling his debt at UKZN and he was then able to register for second year.
His difficulties eased after that and he raised money for the remainder of his studies. Nxumalo is grateful to everyone who assisted him financially to complete his master’s degree.
Working with the Association for the Physically Challenged, formerly known as the Cripple Care Association, he researched the lives of people living with physical disabilities in KwaZulu-Natal.
Nxumalo’s interest in his research topic was tweaked in 2015 when he attended a workshop for students at UKZN’s Denison residence on the theme of students living with disabilities.
A friend, Mr Andrew Gwacela, described Nxumalo as a man filled with ambition. ‘Siyabonga and I studied together at UKZN and became good friends. He struggled without family support but refused to let his circumstances or background get him down. I want to congratulate him for this tremendous achievement.’
Nxumalo thanked God and all the people who have supported him. ‘I want to say that if it wasn’t for the support of everyone around me maybe I wouldn’t have come this far.
‘Patience is the key to success. Reading and writing are crucial to prepare for a challenging academic world where innovative writing is essential.’
Nxumalo is currently studying towards his PhD in Historical Studies.
Words by: Nomcebo Mncube
Photograph by Rajesh Jantilal
author : .author email : .Deaf Pavement Poets Inspire Masters Graduate
Ms Sana Ebrahim.Fascination with a nature-themed performance by deaf pavement poets was the motivation behind the choice of research for a master’s degree by the co-founder of the Green Heart Movement and one of UKZN’s Top 40 Most Inspiring Students, Ms Sana Ebrahim.
Ebrahim graduated with a Master’s degree in Social Sciences from UKZN after being fuelled with enthusiasm following a performance by deaf poets using South African Sign Language.
The group of poets, known as the Deaf Pavement Poets, are an ad hoc ensemble sponsored by the Green Heart Movement to create awareness around SASL and eco-arts.
Said Ebrahim: ‘Sign language practice is gaining prominence as inclusive eco-art interventions assist with integrating the deaf into wider society in the City of Durban. Urban-nature adventures that attract both deaf and hearing participants include deaf theatre, silent cinema, skywriting poetry and board gaming at pavement cafés and deaf-friendly spaces in Durban.’
She says the term “skywriting” was first used by the Green Heart Movement to illustrate the ‘mirroring of sign language to writing in the sky or air’. The idea introduces imaginative and accessible terminology to describe the term ‘sign language’ and encourages everyone to become familiar with deaf culture and its visual language.
‘Eco-arts offer entry points into social solidarity and inclusiveness. The activations hone poetry skills and encourage interaction through sensitised socialisation,’ said Ebrahim.
‘The self-generative poetry sessions assist multi-cultural groups from across the age spectrum to form a dynamic community of practice. Active citizenship showcases participants performing poetry in eco-cultural spaces across the City.’
Through collegiality and gaining their confidence Ebrahim was accepted into the Durban deaf community and presented alongside their productions at the Deaf Theatre Festival 2012.
According to Ebrahim, there is minimal literature associated with the South African experience of mixed media practice and its potential for value-added engagements that combine deaf and hearing cultures.
She hopes the study contributes to the literature by providing a lived ethnographic account of ways that deaf culture and eco-arts act as progressive enablers in advancing mutually beneficial social programmes for deaf and hearing communities.
Ebrahim is grateful to her family, friends, organisations and personalities for their guidance and support along the research journey.
Asked about her plans for the future, she said: ‘I am working on a research project linked to city identity and what makes a great city. I will also present Writing Weekenders in the Midlands hosted by the Book & Design Fair Durban.’
Ebrahim plans to continue with writing projects that include graphic novels and comic books linked to the Down BunnyKat Lane series and co-ordinating a Board Game Championship and Conference on the ‘unplugged’ entertainment world – Durban, 2022.
Words by: Melissa Mungroo
Photograph: Supplied
author : .author email : .Research Findings Contribute to Conflict Resolution in Africa
Dr Clayton Hazvinei Vhumbunu who graduated with a PhD in International Relations. Research examining related themes of conflict transformation, African unity and regional integration led to Dr Clayton Hazvinei Vhumbunu graduating with a PhD in International Relations.
‘I was motivated to choose this particular topic by my firm belief in African unity and continental integration, and a profound conviction that peace and stability are a sine qua non for African development and prosperity,’ said Vhumbunu.
His study assessed the extent to which the secession of states can be considered a viable and sustainable strategy to resolve identity-based intra-state conflicts in Africa, using the secession of South Sudan from the Republic of Sudan in 2011 as a case in focus.
Vhumbunu’s research findings revealed that although secession may succeed legally as was the case in South Sudan, its peace-making and conflict transformation ability remains limited.
Vhumbunu proposed governance mechanisms that are relevant to the sustenance of peace, unity and integration in diversified polities.
The study findings contribute to conflict resolution, conflict transformation and post-conflict reconstruction in Africa especially at a time when more than half of African countries are confronted with secessionist movements.
Vhumbunu secured a full scholarship from the National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences-Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (NIHSS-CODESRIA) under the African Pathways Scholarship Programme.
He thanked NIHSS-CODESRIA for funding his studies, and his family and supervisor Dr Joseph Rukema Rudigi for their unwavering support, inspiration and guidance.
‘PhD research is more than just drawing plans, setting goals and targets. Rather, it is about having the right attitude, commitment, dedication, discipline, will and determination to vigorously pursue the set targets,’ said Vhumbunu.
Words by: Melissa Mungroo
Photograph by Rajesh Jantilal
author : .author email : .PhD Research to Explore Influences on, and Possibilities for, a Teacher Educator
UKZN staff member Dr Bridget Campbell graduates with her PhD in Education.UKZN staff member Dr Bridget Campbell, graduated with a PhD in Education following research about how she can use her past experiences and influences on her teaching to explore possibilities for her future practice.
She contends that those who are teaching teachers can intentionally change the way in which they conduct their lectures by firstly getting to understand why they do what they do in the classroom, secondly by getting to know their students and to then use this to knowledge to change how they teach.
Her research offers those who lecture student teachers of English a process by which they may reconceptualise what it means to teach literature, literary texts as well as language and literacy in ways that are responsive to the students’ lives, as they prepare student teachers for contemporary classrooms both nationally and internationally.
One of Campbell’s examiners stated that her research could be seen by some as revolutionary in the studies on English teaching pedagogy and a must read for young teachers and teacher educators who are interested in teaching in ways that are culturally relevant.
Campbell recalls one of her major research highlights as getting to know more about her students’ lives and experiences and then witnessing the positive ways in which the students responded to her as she began to understand them better.
When asked for the message that she would like to send to people in her life her response was: ‘Thank you to my family – I could not have achieved this without you all. Special thanks to my long suffering husband Tim for his support and encouragement and for not allowing me to give up. To Professor Kathleen Pithouse-Morgan thank you for your patience and guidance,’ said Campbell.
Her advice to other researchers is ‘Trust yourself and have faith in your supervisor. Expect an extremely emotional and difficult journey but persevere as the end result makes it all worthwhile.’
Words by: Melissa Mungroo
Photograph by Rajesh Jantilal
author : .author email : .Sexual Health of Young Women in the Spotlight of Masters Research
Ms Gina Coetzee with her supervisor, Dr Eliza Govender. Research on the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions young women have on sexual and reproductive health earned a graduate a Masters in Social Sciences degree.
Ms Gina Coetzee of the Centre for Communication, Media and Society (CCMS) employed art-based methodologies when communicating and gathering data in her research, the results of which she hopes will be used to enlighten adolescent girls about self-care awareness.
Coetzee examined socio-cultural barriers that prevent young women from taking a stand against the violation of their own bodies and says through addressing this reluctance, sexual and reproductive health problems in South Africa can be curbed.
Said Coetzee: ‘Adolescent girls in South Africa are a key population in the fight to end HIV/AIDS. Not only are girls more likely to contract the virus but they also face the dual risk of adolescent fertility. This study emphasises the need to reduce significant socio-cultural barriers to sexual and reproductive health in order to ensure adolescent females have the ability to be effective self-care agents in maintaining their health.
Coetzee says she enjoyed interacting with participants in the research and that experiencing in real life what she only read about in academic journals was ‘amazing’.
One of the strongest challenges she had to overcome was self-doubt and learning to be her own greatest supporter helped her to celebrate her own victories.
She is grateful for the support she received from family and friends and said that in moments where her self-doubt far exceeded her self-worth her support structures helped her overcome the challenges.
‘No matter how daunting the task seemed, how ill equipped I felt, I continued to tell myself I can do this and I will do it. And now I can finally say I have done it!’
Words by: Ziphezinhle Silindile Biyela
Photograph by Rajesh Jantilal
author : .author email : .SA Theatre Personality gets MA Degree
South African theatre director, impresario and high profile arts personality Themi Venturas has graduated from UKZN with a Master of Arts degree.One of South Africa's leading theatre directors and personalities, Themi Venturas, graduated with a Masters of Arts degree for his research titled: In Search of the Water: Interrogating Intercultural Performance with a Special Focus on Examining my Role in the Making of The Last Anniversary (2014).
His research, supervised by UKZN’s Ms Lliane Loots, interrogates the Hopes & Memories Project (2012-2014), and specifically the new operatic drama that emerged from the project titled, The Last Anniversary (2014).
In the project, Venturas examined the making of this theatrical case study and also his role as dramaturge, director and performer.
The Hopes & Memories Project (2012-2014) was an intercultural performance dialogue partly funded by the European Union and by host countries South Africa, France, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
It brought together artists and artistic organisations from the five countries, in various disciplines, including drama, stage design, dance, music, opera and digital technology – as well as from different cultural and economic backgrounds - to create a new performance work.
‘This afforded me, as theatre-maker and theatre researcher, the opportunity to participate in, research and interrogate the process and the dynamics of a living, evolving, contemporary case study of intercultural performance. The project also presents a living case study for the interrogation and analysis of the power dynamics and the polemic between opposing hegemonies in the creation of an intercultural performance piece,’ said Venturas.
Said Loots, ‘It was a huge privilege to work with and supervise Themi’s MA dissertation. Not only did he bring a wealth of theatrical knowledge and award-winning experience to his MA but he was open to new reading and to finding a way to use the MA process to navigate and reflect on his own life-long theatre making praxis.
‘I felt like we were both learning together. His dissertation is a wonderfully informed account of his intercultural theories and work processes and I think stands as an exceptional academic testament of a searching South African theatre maker.’
Words by Melissa Mungroo
Photograph: Supplied
author : .author email : .New Mom Graduates with Cum Laude Master’s Degree
New mom and Masters in Education cum laude graduate Ms Erin Rae Ballard. Proud new mother Ms Erin Rae Ballard was all smiles when she went on stage to receive her Masters in Education cum laude degree from UKZN.
Ballard says hard work, determination and a fierce “can do” attitude saw her through to what was an excellent achievement. ‘It feels awesome! I feel like I have grown not only intellectually but as a person as well,’ she said.
‘My son was born during the second year of my masters so he was very much a part of the process.’
She managed to strike a balance between being a student, a full-time mom and a Physical Sciences teacher. ‘I ended up having to write the last part of my dissertation while my little one napped, which was for short periods at a time!’
Her research involved experiences of teacher leaders in public and private secondary schools. The focus was on the identities of teacher leaders, how they enacted teacher leadership on a day-to-day basis and enabling factors and barriers they faced in regard to leadership.
‘Engaging with my research participants and the perspectives and experiences that they shared with me was very enlightening. I have huge admiration for who they are as teachers and the ways in which they dedicate their lives to the children they teach, overcoming many barriers.
‘I felt very privileged to be drawn into their stories. What they shared with me left me challenged and encouraged as a teacher,’ said Ballard.
The findings of her study suggest that teacher leadership at public and private schools is most prevalent in the classroom and non-existent at the ‘whole-school level’.
‘It is also evident that the day-to-day practice of teacher leadership is, in many ways, contingent upon teachers’ specific school context. In addition, formal leaders, along with the existing school structure and culture, act as gatekeepers to teacher leadership.
‘The success of teacher leadership in schools therefore relies on teachers courageous enough to “go against the grain” and proactively pursue positive change at all levels within their schools as well as formal leaders who intentionally and unintentionally support teacher leadership,’ said Ballard.
She hopes her research adds to the existing body of knowledge around leadership in schools and assists school leadership and management in unleashing the potential of teacher leadership within their schools.
Her plan is to practice what she learned, using it in her own teaching.
‘The more you put in, the more you get out of this experience. There is no easy way out and there is no substitute for hard work, but in the end, your hard work pays off,’ said Ballard.
Words by: Melissa Mungroo
Photograph by Rajesh Jantilal
author : .author email : .PhD Graduate Probes Marital Conflict Within DRC Migrant Families
Dr Beatrice Umubyeyi and her supervisor Professor Maheshvari Naidu. Probing Marital Conflict Within the Context of Migrant Families from the Democratic Republic of Congo Living in Durban, was the title of Dr Beatrice Umubyeyi’s doctoral thesis.
Umubyeyi graduated with a PhD in Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies from UKZN.
Working through the theoretical prism of social constructionism, symbolic interactionism, and conflict transformation, the study used a qualitative approach with a focused sample of Congolese migrants.
Given the global increase of migration patterns, the study aimed to explore the root causes of the conflicts in this community, and to disentangle the nature and situated relationship between marital conflict and migration.
‘My journey towards a PhD was challenging, exciting and a creative learning exercise,’ said Umubyeyi. ‘I worked day and night to meet the many deadlines. During this journey, as a mother of two young children, and also a wife, I had to manage and juggle my family and academic life.’
The findings from her study show there are several foundational causes and factors that result in marital conflict among DRC migrant families living in Durban.
There is a relationship between marital conflict and migration which includes the gendered behavioural changes by one or both partners in the host country.
Findings from the study show there are also several situated approaches to marital conflict resolution that draw on the cultural frames of the migrant community. Negotiation and mediation, however, were considered as key approaches in solving the marital conflict.
‘I am very grateful to my family and especially my supervisor Professor Maheshvari Naidu for her strong support, inspiration and guidance throughout my studies.
‘My advice, especially to female students, is know that if you dream and plan something, it means you can achieve it. If you have the ability to work hard towards the goal, you will see it happens regardless of your current challenges,’ said Umubyeyi.
Naidu said Umubyeyi’s hard work and commitment had paid off. ‘I am thrilled that Beatrice wishes to contribute towards the communities she is part of and has worked within, and that she wishes to be, in her words, “an agent of change”.’
Words by: Melissa Mungroo
Photograph: Supplied
author : .author email : .PhD Student Overcomes Health Scare to Graduate
Dr Yonela Scina graduates with her PhD in Anthropology from UKZN. Dr Yonela Scina graduated with a PhD in Anthropology from UKZN despite a struggle with depression and health problems while she was pregnant.
‘I beat depression and completed my research,’ said Scina. ‘Anyone who has suffered from the affliction or has supported a sufferer knows the difficulty of carrying out simple tasks while struggling with depression. I faced one of the most difficult times in my life as the pressure of full-time employment as a health consultant left me with little time for family or my research.
‘I was also diagnosed with a life threatening pregnancy complication known as placenta accreta which halted my research because I was in hospital for six weeks,’ said Scina.
Placenta accreta occurs when all or part of the placenta attaches abnormally to the myometrium (the muscular layer of the uterine wall) with an increased risk of heavy bleeding at the time of birth.
Despite the complication, Scina gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
She credits her supervisor Professor Maheshvari Naidu for helping her complete her PhD. ‘Prof Naidu refused to give up on me even when I had decided that I was giving up.’
Scina’s doctoral study was titled: Life Histories of Traditional Birth Attendants in the Context of Changing Reproductive Health Practices in uMzimkhulu, KwaZulu-Natal.
She was motivated to pursue this PhD because of her interest in medical anthropology and reproductive health within the South African context due to the dual healthcare system.
‘When I fell pregnant in 2012, family members advised that I consult a Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) to assist with the management of my pregnancy. I knew very little about their practices. Thereafter, a spark of interest arose as I started reading about TBAs and found that there was very limited literature available on their traditional expertise.’
She found a session with a TBA interesting and valuable. As a young anthropologist, she wanted the voices of TBAs to be heard as a great number of the studies that she had read neglected to include an understanding of the practices and rituals from the perspective of the TBAs.
Said Naidu: ‘Her study is a contribution to medical anthropology from an invaluable and much needed African feminist perspective. Working through a feminist epistemology she offers qualitative life history narratives that attempt to disrupt the dominant hegemonic discourses from bio-medicine in the context of reproductive health care.’
Scina’s study revealed that traditional medicine and traditional birth attendants played an ‘invisible’ yet powerful role among African women with regard to their health-seeking behaviour.
Words by: Melissa Mungroo
Photograph by Rajesh Jantilal
author : .author email : .Young Township People’s Sexual Cultures Explored in Doctoral Thesis
Dr Sibonsile Zibande graduates with a PhD in Education. A doctoral thesis by UKZN staff member Dr Sibonsile Zibande explored informal sexual cultures among young people in townships.
Through an ethnographic approach, the work aimed to establish ‘meaning and understanding of young people’s gendered and sexual identities in a township context’.
The study earned Zibande of the School of Social Sciences a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Education.
She did the research at her former high school and this was particularly significant because it gave her an opportunity to relive and reflect on what she had experienced while at the township institution during the apartheid era.
‘The chats, the space and the times spent with my research participants were priceless, particularly when my research participants proclaimed to be reconnecting me with my township roots,’ said Zibande.
She says findings from her study are relevant in addressing societal concerns and emphasise the need to confront gender inequalities, sexual violence, teenage pregnancy and HIV and AIDS through facilitating transformative intervention programmes.
Additionally, the thesis gave insight on how young township people discover meaning about their sexual selves by analysing the spaces and places they inhabit.
‘In a setting where young people are viewed as either sexually innocent or sexually deviant and where teen sexual agency is viewed as dangerous and an impediment to academic progress; boys and girls construct their sexuality as both pleasure-seeking and dangerous,’ said Zibande.
A holder of UKZN’s Competitive Research Grant and the Thuthuka National Research Foundation (NRF) Grant in previous years, Zibande has always excelled. She attributes some of her success to the love and support she receives from her two sons, Langelihle (19) and Kamvelihle (11).
‘Without them, this journey would have been lonely and almost impossible. Their support reminded me that I am human because I belong.’
Her plans are to strengthen her research profile and develop a community outreach programme.
Words by: Ziphezinhle Silindile Biyela
Photograph by Rajesh Jantilal
author : .author email : .Doctorate for UKZN Staff Member
Dr Lebala Kolobe receives her PhD in Science Education.UKZN staff member Dr Lebala Kolobe went from humble beginnings to great heights in obtaining her PhD in Science Education from UKZN.
Kolobe’s passion for research was triggered when she started working with in-service teachers who used instructional approaches which amazed her. She noticed some students mastered certain parts of the course material because they used fundamentals taught in high school.
Kolobe identified four schools that constantly performed well in the Free State and she researched chemistry tuition there.
The process began by observing teaching methods and analysing the literature used. She also interviewed teachers and asked them to keep reflective journals.
Making use of the instructional contexts framework, Kolobe set out to evaluate the teaching methods.
She believes her research findings highlighted ‘the teachers’ perspective on effective teaching methods and their reasons for teaching in a particular way’. Their methodology can now be implemented at other schools, she said.
Kolobe says developing and making sense of the conceptual framework and then using it to guide her analysis brought out commonalities she had not expected.
She had this advice for other students: ‘We need to understand that we are each on our own individual journey and we do not have to compare ourselves or compete against anyone. Once that is realised it is possible to enjoy the ride.’
Words by: Ziphezinhle Silindile Biyela
Photograph by Rajesh Jantilal
author : .author email : .A PhD With a Difference
Dr Carol Mitchel challenges teaching and learning in her research.Critical Reflection in Service Learning: The Construction of the Good Citizen, is the title of a thesis by UKZN staffer and doctoral graduate Dr Carol Mitchell of the School of Social Sciences in the College of Humanities.
A few years ago, Mitchell was invited to a student service learning presentation at a sister UKZN campus and while students presented their work, she made a striking observation – the students resembled their teacher.
‘They used her frameworks of understanding, they highlighted the issues that were most pertinent to her, they used her most familiar terms, and some even spoke with her passion,’ said Mitchell.
While at the presentation she became aware of the power service-learning practitioners and educators have. They inadvertently direct students to learn towards their priorities and frame of reference. In her study, Mitchell aimed to circumvent the dangers associated with this kind of production.
It was at this “eureka” moment that she chose to analyse service-learning as a mechanism for governmentality. Using Foucault’s conceptual tools, she adopted his notion of pastoral power to problematise the critical reflection process in a service-learning course, paying specific attention to the micro-level interactions in the process.
Findings in her study emphasised the need to be aware of service-learning practices and the ways they can instantaneously become forms of governmentality when desired subjects are produced.
Mitchell says the hardest challenge she had to overcome was working full-time and being a mother to two children.
One of the highlights was being supervised by Professor Kevin Durrheim. ‘I found the supervision process very inspiring. My supervisor really challenged me to produce the best work I was capable of. It was difficult yet rewarding. One of the highlights was reading the examiners’ reports and their positive comments about my work,’ said Mitchell.
Humbled and extremely grateful for the support she received from friends and family, Mitchell is adamant about emerging researchers building their own conceptual framework and then building from there. This is the best advice she can offer to anyone who wants to take his or her studies to the next level.
Words by: Ziphezinhle Silindile Biyela
Photograph by Rajesh Jantilal
author : .author email : .