nGAP Scholars

Phase 1: Lecturer in TVET & Adult Education and Training: Dr Lucky Maluleke

Dr Lucky Maluleke is a highly motivated and dedicated Careership scholar in the Faculty of Education at Nelson Mandela University with a passion for career counselling, guidance, and development. He is adept at conducting extensive research in the field, with a focus on enhancing individuals’ career paths and facilitating their professional growth. Lucky is experienced in teacher education and development, specialising in subjects such as Curriculum Studies and Assessment Practices, Vocational Pedagogy, Workplace-Based Learning, Pedagogical Perspectives, Vocational Education for Social Change, and History of Technical and Vocational Education and Training. As a Careership scholar, he has developed a strong foundation in career counselling, guidance, and development. With his teaching experience in various subjects related to teacher education and vocational pedagogy, Lucky possesses the skills to inspire and educate future educators. He is passionate about making a positive impact on individuals’ career journeys and contributing to the advancement of the field through research and practical application. Furthermore, Lucky oversees activities in the Post-Schooling Department (in the Advanced Diploma in Technical and Vocational Teaching division). Over the years, Lucky has participated in various national projects linked to technical and vocational education and training, research, and curriculum development. Also, Lucky works closely with public TVET colleges to ensure that students are recruited, assisted to apply, and admitted into the above-mentioned programme.

Phase 1: Lecturer in Language and Literature: isiXhosa: Dr Andiswa Mvanyashe

Dr Andiswa Mvanyashe is a Lecturer at Nelson Mandela University who leverages her expertise in IsiXhosa. Additionally, she has served as a former board member of the non-profit organization Unako. As an accomplished author, Andiswa has published two eBooks: "IsiXhosa for Beginners" and "IsiXhosa for Beginners 2" which are both available on Amazon.com. Her educational background includes a Doctoral Degree in Litterarum (isiXhosa), a Masters degree in IsiXhosa (2011), a BA-Honours in IsiXhosa (2009), and a BA-Degree in Media, Culture Communications (2008) from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. One of her notable contributions to academia is the publication of a paper titled "IsiXhosa Proverbs and Idioms as a Reflection of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and an Educational Tool" in Volume 29 of the Southern African Journal for Folklore Studies. She has further demonstrated her scholarly pursuits with an academic paper published in Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, exploring the connotative meaning of the Xhosa word "umlungu" before and during the democratic era. Currently, Andiswa serves as the Acting Head of the Department in the Languages and Literature department at Nelson Mandela University. In her professional journey, she has gained valuable experience, including a role as a Communication Intern at Renault SA from 2010 to 2011, and later as an IsiXhosa Language Practitioner at Translate.org from 2011 to 2012.

Phase 1: Lecturer in Shipping & Ports Management: Dr Nomtha Hadi

Dr Nomtha Hadi joined the Nelson Mandela University in August 2016 as an nGap Lecturer responsible for Ports and Shipping Management. Currently, she is a full-time lecturer at the Nelson Mandela University’s Business School responsible for presenting the Strategic Maritime Management module on the Master of Maritime Programme, Business Strategy module on the MBA Programme, Port Management in the Development Studies MPhil Maritime Studies qualification and coordinating their Master of Maritime Management qualification. She also serves on the Faculty Engagement and Transformation and the Research and Ethics Committees. Her educational background includes a PhD in Development Studies from the Nelson Mandela University, a Masters in Town and Regional Planning from the University of Pretoria, MPhil and BPhil in Maritime Studies and a Degree in Public and Development Management from the University of Stellenbosch. Her PhD research explored scenarios for South Africa’s Ocean economy towards 2060. She has keen interest in multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research with a focus on Blue Ocean Economies, Development Planning, Local Economic Development, Long-term Strategic Planning and Mixed Methods Research approaches. She is a true advocate for transformative change that is built on good governance, research, and lifelong learning.

Phase 1: Lecturer in Foundation Phase Education: Ms Pretty Magangxa

Pretty Neliswa Magangxa has been a Foundation Phase (FP) teacher for two decades. To improve her skills in Foundation Phase literacy teaching and learning, she joined a non-governmental organisation, Nelson Mandela Institute, that supports teachers and learners with literacy and mathematics in the outskirt villages of the former Transkei in 2015. She joined Nelson Mandela University in 2016 as a nGap lecturer. Pretty specialises in literacy teaching, and I teach B Ed FP student teachers from Year 1 to Year 4. I have been supporting these students with research-based literacy practices so that they can nurture FP learners successfully. I am currently pursuing my PhD studies and my passion is to find a culturally informed literacy pedagogy that can be aligned with the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) to support indigenous learners to be able to read and write in their ways of knowing in light of systemic evaluations that continuously report that these learners do not perform well in these tests. I have co-published, published, and continue to write on FP African indigenous literacies. I have co-supervised Masters and supervised B Ed Honors students to completion. I am collaborating with scholars in my field who are based in other universities - a member of the Centre for African Languages Teaching- and we are working on how we can strengthen our FP literacy teaching and learning as well as research. We have written an FP isiXhosa method book on how to teach reading and is due for publication. We are in the process of writing an isiXhosa book on how to teach writing in the FP.

Phase 3: Lecturer in Foundation Phase Education: Dr Obakeng Kagola

Obakeng Kagola, a Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at Nelson Mandela University's Faculty of Education. My teaching philosophy is rooted in my experience across basic and higher education sectors. It centres on the idea that education is a transformative tool that empowers students to become critical thinkers, compassionate individuals, and engaged citizens. Over the past six years, I have focused on crafting modules related to teacher and child in context, philosophy of education and life skills in the B Ed Foundation Phase program, fostering inclusivity and adaptability to diverse learning styles. Additionally, I have developed a scholarship of teaching and learning that prioritizes safe and inclusive environments for vulnerable learner communities. My philosophy is informed by critical and discourse theory, transformational learning theory, and social justice education. As a young academic, I am dedicated to creating inclusive schooling environments that prepare young people for inclusive societies. I have published in international and national journals. I assume various leadership positions in my current institution and other platforms where I provide directions on aspects of inclusion and social justice.

Phase 3: Lecturer in Statistics: Ms Lesego Sepato

Lesego Sepato is a dynamic Ph.D. candidate at Stellenbosch University, majoring in Statistics. I am a person of very few words and my nGap journey began in 2018 at Nelson Mandela University. My research focus is understanding the intersection of credit risk and climate risk and developing innovative statistical models to quantify the financial implications of climate change on credit portfolios. My research aims to provide valuable insights into how financial institutions can effectively manage climate-related risks and promote sustainable investment practices in future. Alongside my academic pursuits, my passion is teaching, quantitative research, promoting mental wellness and advocating for the empowerment of women in academia.

Quote: “The content of a book holds the power of education, and it is with this power that we can shape our future and change lives.” - Malala Yousafzai

Phase 4: Lecturer in Digital Humanities: Dr Johannes Sibeko

Dr Johannes Sibeko is a lecturer in Digital Humanities. In addition to his teaching role, he serves as the Coordinator of the Mandela Digital Humanities Hub and Deputy Chairperson for the Faculty of Humanities Internationalisation and Engagement Committee. He is actively involved in the National Hundzula Workshops for Natural Language Processing thereby reflecting his dedication to collaboration and knowledge exchange. Furthermore, he is an active member of the Digital Humanities Association of Southern Africa and a recent special edition editor for their Journal. As a Program Committee member for various international Digital Humanities conferences, he plays a crucial role in shaping the global academic dialogue. Johannes's participation in these events influences conference agendas and fosters connections among researchers worldwide. Johannes was awarded the Digital Humanities Summer Institute scholarship to attend their Summer Institute at the University of Victoria in summer of 2024. This scholarship provides him with an opportunity to engage with the latest developments in Digital Humanities. Johannes also secured the Global Minds Fund for Short Research Stays, enabling him to undertake a research stay at Ghent University as a visiting doctoral student in 2023. His notable achievements include winning the Emerging Researcher of the Year award in the Faculty of Humanities in 2023 and the Best Paper Award for his paper on measuring text readability in English examination texts presented at the DHASA 2021 conference. Additionally, he represented African associations for Digital Humanities at the CLARIN Europe 2022 conference, with the presented paper selected for publication in the post-conference publications.

Phase 4: Lecturer in Archeology: Ms Navashni Naidoo

Navashni is a Plio-Pleistocene archeologist with a specific focus on reconstructing and explaining past environments that are associated with human life, culture and development through time. She has worked on a wide range of archaeological sites in South and East Africa, including: Elandsfontein, Gamohana, Knysna East Heads. the Klein Karoo, the Cederberg, Koobi Fora and Ledi Geraru. She has conducted isotopic research at the sites of Pinnacle Point, Klasies River Mouth, Elands Bay Cave, Tortoise Cave and Nelson Bay Cave. Navashni Is also interested on issues of built environment and heritage in the city, the politics of heritage and community engagement-especially in regard to Indigenous Communities and archeological sites.

Phase 4: Lecturer in Public Law: Ms Anthea Christoffels-Du Plessis

Ms Anthea Christoffels-Du Plessis is an nGAP academic and doctoral candidate at the Law Faculty, Nelson Mandela University. Her research focuses on customary fishing rights in South African fisheries law. Before joining academia in 2019, Anthea was consulting in indirect tax policy and served as a law research clerk to Justice Dikgang Moseneke, Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa.

Phase 5: Lecturer in Industrial Engineering: Ms Lillies Ratshidi

Lilies Ratshidi is a dedicated Industrial Engineer serving as a lecturer in the School of Engineering; she is also pursuing a PhD in Industrial Engineering in the research area of Health Systems Engineering and Innovation at Stellenbosch University where she pursued both her undergraduate and post graduate qualifications. With an avid passion for community healthcare re-engineering research, she focuses on traversing avenues for addressing primary healthcare constraints in under-resourced contexts, bridging the theoretical and practical divide. Through her professional development, she hopes to synergise academia and industry by fostering critical thinking and intellectual curiosity in the next generation of engineers and contribute evidence-based knowledge to industrial engineering practices through research.

Phase 5: Lecturer in Maritime Law: Mr Obakeng van Dyk

Obakeng Van Dyk hails from Barkly West, a small town in the Northern Cape. He has an LLB degree and a research LLM degree from the University of the Free State (UFS). His LLM degree was obtained with distinction. After obtaining his LLB degree, Obakeng worked at the Constitution Court of South Africa as a law researcher to Justice Chris Jafta. After his stint at the Constitutional Court, he managed the Office of the Arbitrator in the highly publicised Life Esidimeni Arbitration which was headed by the Former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke.

Obakeng lectured at UFS and North-West University before joining Nelson Mandela University Obakeng where he is lecturing Marine and Coastal Law and Maritime Law. Obakeng’s broad research interests are in public law: Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Environmental Law and Maritime Law. Obakeng is currently working on his Doctor of Law degree investigating the Administrative Law Regime of the South African Maritime Safety Authority. Obakeng is an avid reader who enjoys reading fiction in his spare time. His favourite author is Toni Morrison.

Phase 5: Lecturer in Sociology: Ms Nobubele Phuza

Nobubele is a lecturer in the Nelson Mandela University Department of Sociology and Anthropology under the New Generation Academics Programme (nGAP). She is a recipient of the Department of Science and Innovation Albertina-Sisulu Fellowship awarded for her Masters research on women in sport. She holds a MA (Sociology) Cum Laude and is currently working on her PhD. Her research interests are broadly located in cultural sociology, gender in sport, critical university studies and social movement theory. Outside of the university, Nobubele serves as the secretary of University Sport South Africa (USSA)-Netball and the co-convenor of the USSA Research Committee.

Phase 6: Lecturer in Construction Management: Mr Ashvin Manga

Ashvin Manga is an innovative lecturer in building science, specialising in environment and services. Part of the Construction Management Department, his students major in construction management, quantity surveying, and architecture. Ashvin's academic journey is deeply rooted at NMU, where he completed his undergraduate, honours, and master's degrees through the Construction Management Department. In 2022, Ashvin began his academic career by joining NMU as an NGAP lecturer. Ashvin is pursuing his PhD at NMU, with an expected graduation date of April 2025. His research is focused on the application of digital twins within the built environment.

Phase 6: Lecturer in Veldfire Management: Ms Samukelisiwe Msweli

Prior to joining Nelson Mandela University in May 2023, Samukelisiwe held a position at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), where her responsibilities included vegetation mapping and contributed to improvements of the National Vegetation Map. Samukelisiwe began her academic journey at Nelson Mandela University in 2014, enrolling in the National Diploma in Nature Conservation and in 2020 completed her master's degree. Her dissertation on the flammability of native and invasive alien shrubs in the southern Cape and was presented at the National Symposium of Biological Invasions and the Thicket Forum. The research was also featured on SABC news and resulted in the publication of three scientific articles. Her research interests are in vegetation and fire ecology. Samukelisiwe is driven to pursue a PhD to integrate the knowledge of plant flammability into wildfire management strategies and assess landscape flammability to better inform potential fire risks. Currently situated within the Natural Resource Science and Management Cluster in the Forestry Department on the George Campus. Her long-term goal involves contributing to innovative wildfire management approaches that address the specific needs of communities residing in proximity to highly flammable natural vegetation.

Phase 6: Lecturer in Dietetics: Ms Tracey Hutton

Ms T Hutton is a registered dietitian and food service lecturer at the Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. She obtained a BSc. Dietetics from the University of the Free State and an MSc. Dietetics (cum laude) from Nelson Mandela University. Ms Hutton currently serves on the Faculty Postgraduate Studies Committee (FPGSC) and the Faculty Research and Engagement Committee (FREC). She has also done various educational courses. Ms T Hutton has experience in various facets of the dietetics profession, including therapeutic nutrition, community nutrition and food service management. She is currently pursuing a PhD. Her research interests are front-of-pack food labelling and interprofessional education (IPE).

Phase 7: Lecturer in Indigenous Knowledge Systems: Mr Simangaliso Mashego

Mr Mashego is a lecturer of Anthropology in the department of Sociology and Anthropology under the Faculty of Humanities. 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. 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. He is currently registered for PhD in Anthropology focussing on the integration of African healthcare practices into the national health system.

Phase 7: Lecturer in Public Management and Leadership: Mr Mosekama Mokhele

Mosekama Osia Mokhele is an emerging scholar, researcher, and lecturer in the Department of Public Management and Leadership at the Nelson Mandela University, who holds an MA in Public Management and Policy Analysis and a Magister in Governance and Political Transformation from the International University of Japan and the University of the Free State, respectively. The scholar is a joint doctoral candidate majoring in Disaster Management from the University of the Free State and Vrije University Amsterdam. His general teaching/research interests cover disaster management, public decision-making, procurement, and logistics management, and supervises and co-supervise research students at honours and master’s levels. His central research focus is the decentralisation of disaster management, disaster legislation and policy, disaster inclusivity and participation (which cuts across the community and marginalised groups' involvement, sectoral participation, and central-local participation). He is passionate about subjective disaster preparedness of the marginalised populations.