PhD Students

Osabuohien Clifford Uwuoruya is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Sociology at the Nelson Mandela University. His research interests include African sociological theory, African intellectuals' studies, and the sociology of popular music. Clifford's PhD is focused on positioning Fela Kuti as an intellectual in post-colonial Nigeria, through the ontological lens of Orunmilaist perspective rooted in Yoruba Ifa Orature, and the epistemic approach of Tibitire logic, developed by Professor Jimi Adesina. Clifford was a Lecturing Assistant at the Department of Sociology and is currently a Research Assistant at both the Engagement Office, as well as the Transformation Office at the University.

Mzoli Mavimbela is a Xhosa male Social Worker by profession and is currently residing in George, Western Cape. He is a poet, ethnographic researcher, translator, editor, newspaper columnist, and an award-winning author who grew up in Port St Johns, Eastern Cape. He completed Social Work degree at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in 2014. He completed his Masters of Social Work (Research) cum laude at Nelson Mandela University in 2021 and his study focused on the views of amakrwala on the meaning of umqombothi and commercial alcohol use during the initiation ceremonies, since he is more passionate about indigenous knowledge systems. In 2022 he registered for PhD in Anthropology at Nelson Mandela University to explore the socio-cultural context of amaMpondo, their dress, family system, language, and genealogy.

Qhama Noveve is. PhD candidate in the department with her thesis titled: An exploration of governance praxes in understanding gender transformation in higher education institutions in South Africa: A case study of Nelson Mandela University. Located in the interdisciplinary fields of critical university studies and gender/feminist studies, this institutional ethnographic study attempts to understand and answer transformation questions as it relates to gender and how higher education as a sector can better understand, and craft socially just responses to foster academic citizenship. Nelson Mandela University as a case study, the research hopes to provide lessons for cognate institutions and to develop foundations for how we contribute to decolonization as part of the university’s transformation agenda.

Qhama’s research interests are in higher education studies, gender, women and feminist studies, African and indigenous philosophy, sociology of education, and sociology of gender.

Bayanda Laqwela holds a Bachelor of Social Work, and MA Sociology from Nelson Mandela University. His Master’s thesis explored the topic of Youth Subcultures, particularly Izikhothane in Port Elizabeth. Out of the MA thesis, he co-authored a paper, Youth sub-cultural and identity formation in Port Elizabeth Townships, South Africa, published in one of the international journals. He is pursuing his Ph.D. in Sociology, and his research focuses on Oceans Ecosystem services and accessibility in the coastal communities of Mpondoland.

Daniel Oyebode Akintola is a registered student of PhD in Biblical and Religious Studies in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Nelson Mandela University. His doctoral research focuses on the title “Using Pulpit as a Platform for Peace Building in Nigeria: Church Leader's Roles in Religious Conflict Resolution.” He bagged his Master’s degree in Missiology from the University of South Africa, Pretoria. He also obtained his first Bachelor’s degree in Missiology from the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. His second Bachelor’s degree in Christian Religious Studies was from Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Nigeria.  Daniel’s research interests are Christian-Muslim Encounters, Intercultural Theology, Interfaith, Cultural Anthropology and Intercultural communication especially in African context, Christian Mission, Religious Conflict and Resolution, Strategies for Christian outreach, and Sociology of Religions. 

Nomawethu Vamva is currently a PhD Sociology student at the Nelson Mandela University. Nomawethu holds a BA degree, a BA Honours Sociology degree and a Master’s Sociology in Research degree where she obtained these at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and the Nelson Mandela University. Nomawethu’s research interests are in health, health sociology to be specific. For her Master’s her research topic was based on the “Job satisfaction at a public hospital in the Nelson Mandela Bay. Lived experiences of professional nurses.” For her PhD her research topic is “the perceptions and understanding of students of institution of higher learning on mental illness.” Nomawethu has work experience of being a child care worker volunteer at the Eastern Cape Children and Youth Care Centre (2015-2016). Nomawethu was also a journal article research assistant student at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (2016-2016). Nomawethu also has work experience of being a graduate intern at the Human Sciences Research Council (2021-2021).

A passionate social scientist with a background in Archaeology, Heritage studies and Anthropology. I have experience working on projects that focuses on interpreting and preserving cultural sites including collaborating with local communities and other stakeholders to ensure that their voices are included in the documentation, conservation, and interpretation process. Currently doing PhD in Anthropology at Nelson Mandela University under the SARChI Chair Ocean and Heritage Cultures specifically doing research on the impacts of corridor development in Lamu Island on intangible cultural heritage conservation and gender focusing on the impacts of corridor development on intangible cultural heritage and gender dynamics within affected communities.

I aim to document these changes and explore strategies for mitigating the negative consequences of corridor development on intangible cultural heritage and gender equality. My work contributes to ongoing discussions within anthropology and development studies on the importance of safeguarding cultural diversity and promoting social equity in the face of rapid economic and infrastructural growth.

he focus of Peggy’s study is the management of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in southern Africa, specifically Zimbabwe and South Africa. The initiative will focus on ICH among the Venda of Limpopo (South Africa) and the Shona people of Mutoko (Zimbabwe). The research will concentrate on the transmission of ICH via traditional cultural dance and its management. The study will use ethnographic research methods to investigate and analyse the cultural practices and management of traditional dances within the Shona and the Venda. The proposed research will also examine how the Shona and Venda cultural groups preserve their intangible cultural heritage with specific reference to traditional dances, given their cultural attributes are similar.

The study will also analyse how gender is portrayed in the different traditional cultural groups. This is because they are dances mainly done by women only and other dances involve both genders.

Noluyolo’s PhD focusses on the analysis of cultural practises within the three seaports of Eastern Cape (Port of Ngqura, Port of East London and Port of Gqeberha). I have wide research interests on the politics of gender, sociology of labour markets, and political economy with particular reference to the neoliberal restructuring of state-owned enterprises.

Daphne’s study is looking at the formal integration of women within the mining Sector. In this study the researcher is looking at the gender dynamics in the mining sector, investigating how gender roles and power dynamics shape the formal interactions of women within the mining sector in Zimbabwe. To examine how organizational culture and policies impact participation and advancement of women in the mining industry and to investigate the role of existing policies and support systems in facilitating or hindering women's integration and success in the mining sector.

Mashego is a lecturer of Anthropology in the department of, he holds a Bachelor of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and a Masters in Indigenous Knowledge Systems, both from the North-West University, where he also served as a lecturer in the B.IKS program. Mashego’s research interests are in African indigenous health knowledge and practices and medicinal plant use within indigenous and local communities. He was part of the team tasked by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) to create awareness of the IK Act of 2019 and facilitate the development of Biocultural Community Protocols (BCPs) with local communities in South Africa from 2019. His PhD focusses on the possibilities of interfacing African health knowledge of indigenous communities with allopathic health knowledge in order to forge pathways to integrating indigenous health practices into mainstream healthcare system.