Office-bearers

Executive committee

President: Prof Tendai Mangena (University of the Free State)
Deputy President: Dr Maleshoane Rapeane-Mathonsi (Durban University of Technology)
Secretary: Dr Yanga LP Majola (Tshwane University of Technology)
Deputy Secretary: Dr Rethabile Possa-Mogoera (University of Cape Town)
Treasurer: Prof Nhlanhla Mathonsi (University of KwaZulu Natal)

Additional Members
Dr Mabohlokoa Khanyetsi (University of the Free State)
Dr Vincent Jenjekwa (Midlands State University and UNISA)
 Dr Tebogo Jacob Rakgogo (Tshwane University of Technology)

Ex-officio members
Editor-in-Chief Nomina Africana: Prof Sambulo Ndlovu (Great Zimbabwe University)
Webmaster: Dr Jako Olivier (Commonwealth of Learning, Canada)

Prof. Tendai Mangena

Professor Tendai Mangena has a PhD in African literature from Leiden University. She holds a British Academy Global Professorship within the Centre for African Studies and the School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of Science at Leeds. She taught for many years at Great Zimbabwe University and is a Research Fellow in the Department of English at the University of the Free State.
In 2020, she was a Fulbright Research Scholar in the Department of Comparative Literature and Languages at the University of California, Riverside, USA. Before that, she was an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Postcolonial Literary and Cultural studies at Bremen University, in Germany from 2016 to 2018, and a Humboldt Visiting Fellow in the same department from July-August 2019.
Her research interests are at the intersections of Literary and cultural studies with a focus on questions of gender, politics, power, and justice.

Dr Maleshoane Rapeane-Mathonsi

Maleshoane Rapeane-Mathonsi is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Media, Language and Communication.  She holds a PhD from the University of Cape Town, where she started her academic career before moving to the National University of Lesotho. She is a sociolinguist whose research interests include work on the linguistic landscape of southern African cities, and language differentiation and gender.  She has co-authored a book, and published articles on language and orality in peer-reviewed journals.  
She is currently the Deputy President of the Names Society of Southern Africa and has served the society in different capacities, including as treasurer, secretary, Nomina Africana editor-in-chief and hosting two successful conferences in Lesotho and South Africa, respectively.



Dr Yanga LP Majola

Dr Yanga LP Majola is an Academic Manager in the Faculty of Humanities at the Mbombela Campus, an Institutional Coordinator of Communications Skills Modules across Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) and a Linguistics Lecturer in the Department of Applied Languages at the TUT. He is a member trustee of the TUT Pension Fund Board. He has also worked as a Language and Translation Lecturer at the Central University of Technology (CUT). He holds a Diploma, a B-Tech, and a Master’s degree in Language Practice from the Tshwane University of Technology. He completed his Ph.D. in African Languages and Linguistics at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He is currently enrolled for the Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education at Rhodes University in Makhanda, formerly Grahamstown. His teaching and research interests and focus are on Computational Linguistics, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Machine Learning, isiBhaca, Dialectology, Onomastics, Multilingualism, and Translation Studies. He has published articles in DHET-accredited journals and is involved in the supervision of postgraduate students and has presented papers at local and international conferences. As a student, he also held various leadership roles at TUT, including two terms as the ISRC Treasurer General and Postgraduate Forum Treasurer.

Dr Rethabile Possa-Mogoera

Dr Rethabile Possa-Mogoera is an appointed member of the Senate, Head of the Department of African Languages and Literatures, Senior lecturer, member of the Next Generation Professoriate Programme, and a Student Registration Advisor for the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Cape Town. Through her activism, Dr Possa-Mogoera has built strong leadership by serving at the Gender-Based Violence Tribunal as a staff assessor at UCT. She is the appointed Residence Warden for Roscommon house and a Deputy Warden at Forest Hill. Dr Possa-Mogoera is a published author with several academic publications. She is currently a Sesotho editor for AVBOB poetry competition. She is recognized internationally as a keynote speaker for academic forums. Holds an extensive background in African literature: Folklore, Onomastics, Poetry, and research studies Sesotho language with the advantage of knowing two Sesotho orthographies. Demonstrated in her contributions to the modernization of spoken language and text with a passion to boast African Languages. Dr Possa-Mogoera has shown capacity in her performance as multifaceted leader serving at external boards as a non-executive and executive member earnestly. Amongst her passions, she extends herself as a ladder for women to lead in spaces less granted to them, mentor, motivational speaker, and author on gender-based violence. She has been on numerous platforms such as Transnet, SABC, ENCA, Sisters incorporated, schools in the Western Cape, and Women’s forums empowering women locally and internationally.

Prof Nhlanhla Mathonsi

Professor Nhlanhla Mathonsi holds a PhD degree (in Literature) from the University of Natal (Durban). He is currently contracted to two Universities, UKZN (Honorary Research Associate) and DUT (Lecturer and research mentor) in the Faculty of Arts and Design. His academic career started at University of Natal –Durban (UND) wherein he became Head of Department (at the Faculty of Human Sciences -UND) and Head of School at the College of Humanities (UKZN).     Nhlanhla Mathonsi has successfully supervised and graduated both MA and PhD students. His publications are in different fields, namely Syntax, Semantics, Sociolinguistics, Phonology, Folklore, Onomastics, Gender studies and Literature. His latest interest (shared with his wife, Maleshoane (Dr)) is on issues of lexicality and grammaticality of words in Bantu languages.  He has served in several executive committees of professional bodies and is a past president of Names Society of southern Africa (NSSA).  

Dr Mabohlokoa Khanyetsi

Dr. Palesa Mabohlokoa Khotso Khanyetsi attained her Doctoral degree in Languages, Linguistics, and Literature from the University of South Africa. She is a professional with experience stretching from high school teaching, college tutorship, University Lecturing, and academic supervision, and is a researcher. She is a professional with 24 years of extensive experience in teaching Southern Sotho.
She has significantly contributed to the training of versatile Sesotho language teachers for a decade at the Lesotho College of Education. Dr. Khotso Khanyetsi’s research trajectory is on Masculinities, Femininity, Language, Literature, Culture, Onomastics, Toponymy, and Oral traditions. She joined the University of the Free State in 2021 as a lecturer. She is the current Subject Head of the African Languages Department at Qwaqwa Campus.
She is a motivated, ardent, vibrant, and focused academic of the 21st century. Her academic acumen saw her scooping the 2020 Research Award from the University of the Free State (UFS), Faculty of Humanities at Qwaqwa Campus within a short period at UFS. Dr. Khotso Khanyetsi is an active member of academic associations including the NSSA.

Dr Vincent Jenjekwa

Dr Vincent Jenjekwa has a Doctoral degree in Linguistics from the University of South Africa. For his PHD, he worked on A Toponymic Perspective on Zimbabwe’s Post-2000 Land Reform Programme (Third Chimurenga).
Currently, he is a full-time Research Fellow at Midlands State University National Language Institute (MSUNLI), in Zimbabwe. His key responsibility at MSUNLI are language research and consultancy. He has published several book chapters and articles in peer reviewed journals in the field of Onomastics, Linguistic Landscapes, Language Policy Issues, Sociolinguistics, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Language in Education, and Academic and Professional Communication.
He co-edited Sociolinguistics and Multilingual Education in Zimbabwe (Midlands State University Press and Publications, 2021). His other edited volume, Zimbabwe’s History, Heritage and Culture: A Names Perspective is forthcoming (publisher to be advised). He has also presented papers at several local and international conferences.

Dr Tebogo Jacob Rakgogo

Dr Tebogo Jacob Rakgogo is an academic at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), Faculty of Humanities, Department of Applied Languages. He has completed National Diploma, B-Tech and Master’s Degree in Language Practice at Tshwane University of Technology. He has also managed to complete Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Senior Phase and FET), Honours Bachelor of Education specialising with Educational Management and Honours Bachelor of Arts in Translation Studies from the University of South Africa. His PhD in Onomastics was completed in record time in the year 2019 at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He has more than 10 years’ experience in South Africa´s Higher Education sector. He is an external examiner for the following universities: University of Pretoria, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, University of Pretoria and the University of Johannesburg. His area of research includes onomastics, sociolinguistics, dialectology, and language policy and planning. He has several publications in peer-reviewed DHET accredited Journals and more than 18 conference presentations in local and international conferences. He is an external examiner for the following universities: University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), University of Pretoria, University of Johannesburg, Central University of Technology and the National University of Lesotho. He is involved in the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) as a Board Member on the Sesotho sa Leboa National Language Body and Sesotho sa Leboa National Lexicography Unit respectively. He was a member of the TUT Institutional Forum where he also served as the Chairperson of the structure (IF). He is also formed part of the TUT Council as an observer. He is the first President of the Humanities and Social Sciences Alumni Association (HSSAA) under the umbrella of the National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS). He is currently forming part of the TUT Task Team that is currently reviewing the 2005 language policy where he is also forming part of the Coordination Team.

Prof Sambulo Ndlovu

Professor Sambulo Ndlovu is a Professor of linguistics at the University of Eswatini and Great Zimbabwe University. He is also a Humboldt research fellow in the Department of Anthropology and African Studies at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany. He holds a PhD in linguistics from the University of Cape Town, and his research areas are onomastics, socio- and anthropological linguistics, and cultural studies. He has guest edited journals in the Mouton De Gruyter and John Benjamin’s publishing houses. He is also a member of the scientific board for the International Symposium on Place Names (ISPN) and editorial board member for The Mouth Journal (University of Cologne). He is also a commissioned researcher on morpho-syntactic micro-variation in African youth language for DFG (German Research Council), and was part of the workshop conveners on African youth languages for the 9th International Conference on Bantu languages (Bantu9) 2022, and the World Congress of African Linguistics 10 (WOCAL10). His latest books are Naming and othering in Africa: Imagining supremacy and inferiority through language (Routledge), and Onomastic performatives: Names and naming from an anthropological linguistic perspective, (Mouton De Gruyter).



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