Keynote Speakers

Prof Nhlanhla Maake

Nhlanhla Maake is Currently Roving Mentor on the Doctoral Programme of the NIHSS (National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences. He graduated with six degrees of three South African universities and two British Universities. He worked as: Tutor and Lecturer ([University of the Witwatersrand), Lecturer (SOAS, University of London), Professor of African Languages (University of the Witwatersrand), Senior Consultant (Deloitte & Touche), Professor in the Faculty of Humanities (University of Pretoria), Campus Principal (Vista University) and after merger with PUCH (Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education), Director (Vaal Triangle Campus of North-West University), part time Lecturer at (NEMISA) National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa) and Department of Drama (University of Pretoria), Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities ( University of Limpopo), Distribution Agency of Arts, Culture, Environment and National Heritage (National Lotteries Commission) and Professor in the Department of English Studies (UNISA) Lecturer (Wits School of Education and cManaging Director (Dikgabo di Kopane Merchandising (Pty) Ltd).

Professor Ndangwa Noyoo

Ndangwa Noyoo is a full professor and director of the Southern African Policy and Development Nexus (SAPDN) and a Research Fellow in the Department of Social Work at the University of the Free State. He has a National Research Foundation (NRF) Rating (C2) since 2022. He previously held academic positions at the universities of Zambia, Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and Cape Town. He also worked for the South African Government in the Department of Social Development as a Chief Director/ Social Policy Specialist, and in the non-governmental sector. He is a social policy and social development specialist and anchors his research in African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (AIKS) and epistemologies. He holds a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from the University of Zambia, a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Post Doctoral Fellowship from the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (FMSH) Paris, France. He has published widely in the areas of development, social policy, social development, social work and indigenous knowledge systems in the contexts of Africa and Southern Africa. His latest monograph is titled: Social Development in South Africa: In Pursuit of a Developmental State. Springer (Forthcoming October 2025).

Join us in examining how humanising pedagogies in education and treating wounds might lead to transformation, focusing on SDGs and NDPs in the South African context. Your efforts are crucial in moulding a more sustainable, inclusive, and healing-focused educational environment for the future of South Africa.

For inquiries and submissions, please contact Prof Z Fikelepi-Twani, at hassic@unizulu.ac.za. We look forward to your participation in this meaningful dialogue on humanising humanities and sustainable development in South African higher education.