The University of South Africa (Unisa) is Africa’s leading open distance and e-learning university. The university’s three core business areas are teaching, research and community engagement. The Research, Postgraduate Studies, Innovation and Commercialisation portfolio oversees and supports the research and postgraduate activities in the institution.
Unisa’s research and its researchers are positioned in its eight colleges and 11 institutes. The support provided by the Research Administration Department serves as an enabler for researchers to ensure that we not only achieve our research output targets, but also excel in our research niche areas. Each research entity (college, institute and bureau) has a range of research focus areas. These areas create research spaces for our master’s and doctoral students, and allow our academics to specialise.
Despite wide ranges of research focus areas in the various subject fields in the colleges and schools, each research entity also proudly focuses on a more defined collection of research specialisations, most often referred to as research flagships or research pockets of excellence. Typically, these research specialisations are grounded in the overall strategic intent of the research entity and driven centrally from the offices of the executive deans or heads of research institutes.
The purpose of this document is to highlight the research flagships in the research entities. These flagships are presented as potential areas for collaboration and joint research initiatives. Ultimately, Unisa’s research falls into one or more of the following five research niche areas:
Unisa’s College of Accounting Sciences is geared to establish itself as a leader in the field of formal education in accounting sciences on the African continent. Currently it enrols, on average, 40% of all accounting students in South Africa and produces 20% of the accounting graduates.
Since research studies in the five niche areas often tend to overlap and/or influence one another, a more streamlined approach has been adopted to ensure that research activities are optimised. To this end, research in CAS is structured in the following three areas: accounting sciences education (including ODeL); governance; and accounting sciences intelligence.
This more streamlined approach will encourage specialisation and in due course lead to research excellence and the development of research flagships.
| Flagship | Description | Project leader | Contact details | Niche Areas |
|
Flagship 1: Optimising the oversight role and value of audit committees in South Africa |
This is a collaborative project in the governance research flagship and the auditing focus area. The aim of the project is to propose a strategy to enhance oversight roles and responsibilities (and ultimately the value) of audit committees. |
Prof Philna Coetzee |
+27 12 429 6134 / coetzgp@unisa.ac.za |
1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 |
|
Flagship 2: Tax compliance costs |
This research project was created to determine the costs incurred by small, medium and large businesses and individuals in becoming and remaining tax compliant in South Africa. This project falls in the financial empowerment focus area and research flagship. The outcomes of this research will not only be used by SAICA to influence government policy for the benefit of society, but will also enhance research capacity in South Africa by involving four master’s and four PhD students. |
Dr Sharon Smulders |
27 12 429 3185 / smuldsa@unisa.ac.za |
1, 2 & 4 |
|
Flagship 3: Teaching and learning strategies to address the accounting skills expectation gap in South Africa’s business environment |
This project falls in the Unisa Open Distance Learning (ODL) focus area. This Unisa-funded research project sets out to determine whether the accounting education currently provided by Unisa as an ODL institution appropriately focuses on the practical needs and demands of professional bodies and employers in South Africa. The outcomes of the research will establish the need to incorporate vital business competencies in the current accounting curriculum and how viable that would be. Depending on the findings, online programs and short courses may be introduced and an ODL Accounting Teaching Practitioners Workgroup may be established in South Africa. |
Dr Annelien van Rooyen |
+27 12 429 4539/ vrooyaa@unisa.ac.za |
1, 2 & 5 |
|
Flagship 4: Household financial capability |
This project falls in the financial empowerment research flagship. The focus of the project is to research inequality experienced by South African households and to consider household financial wellness by way of a capability approach. Community engagement projects that form part of this project include the annual Momentum Unisa Household Financial Wellness Index and the quarterly Momentum Unisa Consumer Financial Vulnerability Index. This project provides the opportunity to engage with research activities on a policy level as well as a practical level. By partnering with industry, it ensures that relevant and timeously research is provided, and that this research meets the standards of academic integrity. |
Prof Bernadene de Clercq / Ms Jacolize Meiring |
+27 12 429 3720/ dclerb@unisa.ac.za / meirij@unisa.ac.za |
1, 2 & 4 |
CAS’s research portfolio is led by the Head: Office of Graduate Studies and Research:
Prof Bienkie Shuttleworth
Tel: +27 12 429 4763
E-mail: shuttcc@unisa.ac.za
The College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences is situated on the Science Campus in Johannesburg. Its research is shaped by two broad focus areas: teaching practices and ODL; and environment, health and sustainable livelihood.
Life Sciences focuses on disciplines such as animal physiology, biochemistry, botany, biology, microbiology, biotechnology and zoology. The focus of Consumer Sciences is on food, clothing and textiles, nutrition and hospitality. Agriculture and Animal Health focuses on agricultural management and animal health. Environmental Sciences focuses on nature conservation, horticulture and landscaping, and environmental monitoring and management. The focus of Geography is on social and human settlement geography, water conservation, geology and roots-driven sustainable socioeconomic change.
| Flagship | Description | Project leader | Contact details | Niche areas |
|
Flagship 1: Applied Behavioural Ecological & Ecosystem Research Unit (ABEERU) |
This research flagship functions as a centre of excellence in CAES and conducts basic and applied research to solve industry-related problems in the field of behavioural ecology. The research focuses on the reaction of all components (biotic and abiotic) of ecosystems to changes in the urban and natural environment. This integrated approach has clear academic and practical value, and is in line with Unisa’s education philosophy and the approach followed by the National Research Foundation of establishing and supporting centres of excellence involving interdisciplinary national and international research teams. |
Prof Leslie Brown |
+27 11 471 2339 / Lrbrown@unisa.ac.za |
3 & 4 |
|
Flagship 2: Metabolomics |
Plant metabolomics is a relatively new technique established at Unisa and in South Africa. The technique is applied to investigate the whole metabolome of a cell, tissue or organism at any specific time. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (LC–MS) are currently used to analyse plant samples and to compare metabolomic profiles with a focus on beneficial compounds. This technique is applied as a quality control tool in cultivation studies on indigenous plants that are newly introduced to commercialisation. The effect of the environment, soil amendment, irrigation and seasons, to name a few, has been investigated successfully using this method. |
Dr Gerhard Prinsloo |
+27 11 471 2167 / prinsg@unisa.ac.za |
3 |
|
Flagship 3: Indigenous plant use |
There is a strong drive to exploit the biodiversity and build the bio-economy of the country. There are opportunities for the development of indigenous plants of South Africa used as medicine, food, beverages and other applications, such as cosmeceuticals. The cultivation of indigenous crops is a challenging research field as very little or no information is available on the commercial production and quality assessment of these plants in relation to their beneficial use and chemical profiles. This research area therefore focuses on indigenous plants with useful applications that have potential to be developed commercially, with the aim of launching products containing ingredients or formulations from indigenous plants onto the market. The aim is to establish this pipeline of cultivation, quality assessment, formulation and eventually competing on the open market. |
Dr Gerhard Prinsloo |
+27 11 471 2167 / prinsg@unisa.ac.za |
1 |
|
Flagship 4: Consumer education and conscientious decision making |
The research focusses on consumer behaviour and the promotion of conscientious decision making in terms of bettering the lives of the South African consumer through their consumption patterns. This includes investigating factors that influence decision making in terms of values, perceptions, attitudes and other social and cultural influences. The research should then serve to educate consumers regarding pertinent consumption issues in order to promote well-being in South Africa and ultimately in the Global South. |
Dr Lorna Christie |
+27 11 471 2811/ chrisl@unisa.ac.za |
1 |
|
Flagship 5: Community asset mapping for a sustainable future |
The purpose of the research is to achieve sustainable and responsible high-impact social change through collaboration between academia, communities and non-government organisations in the Global South. The engaged research project aims at the development and application of a tool (Community Asset Mapping Programme – CAMP) that would be able to assist communities in reducing their levels of poverty and inequality and thus in improving their own quality of life. The tool focuses on various processes that aim to enable community members to focus on their respective human, social, cultural and environmental capital as a means of reducing their levels of poverty and inequality. Unlike similar tools, CAMP advocates that the success of roots-driven change depends on the inclusion of processes that allow community members to identify the various levels of power and trust in the community, and to use this information to make a number of cognitive changes that will provide a basis for sustainable change in communities. The research is grounded in the post-development theory and relies on the participation of external partners in the development process (described in the context of this theory as those who would be willing to provide funding, mentorship and skills to a community, but are prepared to stand aside and allow communities to establish their own priorities for sustainable socio-economic change). |
Prof Melanie Nicolau |
27 11 670 9492/ Nicolmd@unisa.ac.za |
1 & 4 |
|
Flagship 6: Urban forestry and carbon footprints |
Urban forestry is a critical field of research in which the value of urban trees and green environments are determined. Urban trees provide numerous benefits, including social, economic, biodiversity and ecosystem services. The valuation of the urban forest includes calculations of vegetative carbon sequestration and storage. Carbon accounting for trees and other green infrastructure is a vital approach to determine, manage and optimise their climate change reduction benefits. An inclusive vision enables the determination of carbon footprints for, among others, grey infrastructure and industries. |
Prof Hennie Stoffberg |
+27 11 471 3386 / Stoffh@unisa.ac.za |
1 & 4 |
|
Flagship 7: Food and nutrition security |
Two categories of implementation of the Food and Nutrition Security Project has been identified. The first category is research and the second category is community engagement. Under research, the project will incorporate climate change and its impact on household food security pillars, such as availability, accessibility, utilisation and stability. Research into food security has indicated that there are shortcomings in the current data gathering methods used to evaluate food security status. There is therefore a need to develop new data gathering methods that encompass food deficiencies at household levels; hence there is a need to conduct this type of study. The proposed research project aims to assess the impact of climate change on the household food security of smallholder and emerging farmers in Gauteng, South Africa, using participatory approaches. Climate change and food security require the involvement of many stakeholders, such as farmers, local communities, business, scientists, policy-makers, extension workers, NGOs, the media and civil society organisations. There is still very little empirical evidence available on the link between climate change and the household food security of smallholder and emerging farmers in Gauteng, and how farmers cope with the impact of climate change and food security. These gaps call for this study to explore how smallholder farmers adapt and mitigate activities as part of a complex change process. Three master’s students have been identified for the implementation of the research category of the project. The second category of implementation is to promote food security at household level through two community engagement (CE) projects. The first CE project is to equip identified students with skills through community-based learning and development methods, as well as self-monitoring to assist households in improving their own household food security. This will be achieved through a short learning programme (PHFS) consisting of six modules that follow the systems approach of defining inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes. Students will be trained to assist households in learning activities to promote food security. This methodology is in line with the interactive, flexible and blended open distance learning mode of the institution. The second CE project is to establish a low external input agricultural resource (LEIAR) in the form of a demonstration food garden at the Unisa Ekurhuleni Daveyton Campus. A study of food behaviour patterns, household food security and nutrition will be conducted as a baseline study prior to the establishment of the gardens to ensure that the gardens address the real needs of the Ekurhuleni/Daveyton community. |
Dr Mosima Masekoameng |
+27 11 471 3102 / masekmr@unisa.ac.za |
4 |
|
Flagship 8: Sustainable use of water |
As water is becoming scarcer while the demand for water is increasing as the result of population and economic activities, there is a great need to manage and use water in a sustainable manner to meet human needs while ensuring that the environment is not under strain. Increased water use, the effects of climate change, pollution and poor wastewater treatment, and inefficient water supply practices are pressures and driving forces that necessitate research into sustainable water use. Research in this flagship focuses on water use practices; policies and initiatives for sustainable water use; pollution and quality of the water (its fitness for purpose); water reuse and recycling; water harvesting; and water treatment technologies. |
Prof Memory Tekere |
+27 11 471 2270 / tekerm@unisa.ac.za |
3 & 4 |
|
Flagship 9: Sustainable tourism |
The travel and tourism industry is currently one of the largest industries in the world. It is estimated that the tourism industry employs more than 130 million people worldwide and makes capital investments in excess of US$400 billion annually. Changes in the market forces and the move towards more environmentally sensitive and sustainable forms of tourism have led to significant changes in tourism. The emergence of sustainable development has been a major driving force in this change towards a new form of tourism. The negative economic, sociocultural and environmental impacts resulting from tourism’s rapid and unplanned developments associated with mass tourism have led to calls for sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism is the tourism industry’s reply to growing international and consumer pressure to include and address economic, social and environmental issues. The concept of sustainability has had a profound influence on the world and the way in which the tourism industry conducts itself. Careful consideration must be given to the minimisation of negative environmental impacts while enhancing the positive impacts. Although mass tourism is said to be predominantly unsustainable, there has been a move among conventional mass tourism providers towards greater sustainability through controlled electricity use, the disposal of waste and rotating laundry schedules. If tourism is not managed carefully and sustainably, the industry is in danger of becoming caught a self-destructive cycle, destroying the very resources on which it is based. The sustainability of tourism can be determined by measuring three core areas, namely sociocultural, natural environment and economic sustainability. There can be no doubt that for tourism to be sustainable, it must be economically feasible. Economic sustainability implies optimising the development growth rate at a manageable level with full consideration of the limits of the destination environment. Environmental sustainability recognises that the natural environment or a destination is not in perpetual supply, and may be degraded and depleted. Sociocultural sustainability in turn implies respect for social identity, social capital and culture, and social assets. This research niche area strives towards measuring and monitoring tourism and its impacts on various environments in order to provide benchmarks, guidelines and recommendations for the long-term sustainability of tourism in the economic, social and environmental domains. This major focus of this research flagship presently falls in the community-based tourism and nature-based tourism sectors. |
Prof Kevin Mearns |
+27 11 471 2873 / mearnkf@unisa.ac.za |
4 |
|
Flagship 10: ARC Climate Change Collaboration Centre |
The Agricultural Research Council Climate Change Collaboration Centre (ARC-CCC) is a research flagship of three member institutions, namely the University of South Africa (Unisa), the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and the University of Pretoria (UP). The Centre aims at finding solutions to agriculture-related climate change challenges through cross-institutional collaboration that includes industry, to facilitate sector skills development and knowledge management. It aligns itself with Unisa in promoting greater environmental responsibility through identified focus areas and encourages the development and implementation of and reporting on environmental research and sound technologies. The key research subthemes of the collaborative group are multidisciplinary and encompass a broad range of agricultural sciences. These include plant/crop production systems as affected by various cultural practices and environmental factors, such as pests and diseases, growing patterns, plant and environment, water and sustainable natural resource utilisation and management, conservation and biodiversity of agri-indigenous knowledge systems, environmental pollution, and climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies (climate-smart agricultural research). The outcomes and deliverables culminats in, among other things, the development of a climate change research collaborative programme that results in the following:
|
Prof Mxolisi Modise |
011 471 3674 / modisd@unisa.ac.za |
4 |
CAES’s research portfolio is led by the Head: Office of Graduate Studies and Research:
Prof Elizabeth Kempen
Tel: +27 11 471 2241
E-mail: kempeel@unisa.ac.za
As the largest provider of business education in Africa and one of the largest in the world, Unisa’s College of Economic and Management Sciences makes a considerable contribution to the provision of high-level staff to the private and public sectors. One out of every four BCom degrees awarded by South African universities go to students from CEMS, and at postgraduate level almost half of the honours degrees and 30% of the master’s and doctoral degrees have been awarded to this college’s students over the past five years.
CEMS strives to provide relevant research that makes a significant contribution to the development of South Africa and Africa in the fields of economic and management sciences, and contributes to the body of knowledge internationally.
| Flagship | Description | Project leader & Contact details |
Niche areas |
|
Flagship 1: Computability, complexity and randomness in Decision Sciences (CCRDS) |
The Department of Decision Sciences proudly collaborates with researchers from European, Russian and Japanese universities on the prestigious European Union-FP7-International Research Staff Exchange Scheme and focuses on computable analysis. | Prof Willem Fouché + 27 12 433 4717/ fouchwl@unisa.ac.za |
1 |
|
Flagship 2: Macroeconomic Policy Analysis |
This research flagship aims to contribute to the knowledge, skills, attitudes and the values necessary for the development of the African continent. Although it is true that sluggish economic development in some African countries could be attributed to civil wars and political instabilities, inappropriate and misaligned macroeconomic policies in some of these countries, especially during the post-independence era, seem to have played a major role. In some instances, conflicting or incoherent macroeconomic policies have been unintentionally implemented in some African countries, thereby leading to economic stagnation at best – and to economic collapse, at the worst. |
Prof Nicolas Odhiambo +27 12 433 4673/ odhianm@unisa.ac.za |
3 |
CEMS’s research portfolio is led by the Head: Office of Graduate Studies and Research,
Prof Annemarie Davis
Tel: +27 12 429 8357
E-mail: davisa@unisa.ac.za
The College of Education focuses on the initial preparation of teachers and continuous professional teacher development. Currently the college is responsible for the initial professional education and training of close to 50% of all teachers in South Africa.
The college provides a range of learning opportunities and knowledge through a variety of formal and non-formal open and distance learning programmes that incorporate cutting-edge learner support systems and approaches, innovative research initiatives and responsive community development interventions, especially in the key focus areas identified in the college vision.
| Flagship | Description | Project leader | Contact details | Niche Areas |
|
Flagship 1: The 500 schools |
A team of researchers is involved in this project, which investigates the underlying causes of under-performance in Grades 3 and 6. The team is developing an intervention approach to assist the sample of schools in five South African provinces: the Free State, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape. The focus of this research project is on home language, first additional language, natural science and mathematics, with the purpose of developing guidelines that may be useful in resolving this problem. | Dr S Mohapi | +27 12 481 2734 / mohapsj@unisa.ac.za | 1 & 4 |
|
Flagship 2: Project for inclusive early childhood care and education (PIECCE) |
This is a multi-sectoral teacher education project that aims to professionalise the sector by developing a standardised framework for training of ECD practitioners working in the birth-to-four age group. Unisa is a leading partner, with five members from the Department of ECE and two members from the Department of Inclusive Education. The other collaborators are SAIDE, Bridge, Rhodes University and ten other universities and TVET colleges from around the country. | Prof H Ebrahim |
+27 12 429 4583/ ebrahhb@unisa.ac.za |
1 & 4 |
|
Flagship 3: The dynamics of teaching and learning spaces in South African schools |
This project explores the manner in which South African school spaces enable or constrain optimal teaching and learning in various school contexts. The project further evaluates the manner in which school spaces may be organised either to change the constraining issues or to enhance the enabling ones for more effective teaching and learning processes in schools. | Dr N Madikizela-Madiya |
+27 12 429 4698/ madiyn@unisa.ac.za |
1 & 6 |
|
Flagship 4: The dynamics of higher education space in Sub-Saharan Africa |
This is a multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary and cross-border research project. The project focus on a least researched area in higher education research, namely the dynamics of space for academic practice. There is a dearth of research into higher education spaces from a comparative and philosophical point of view. The project seeks to understand the ways in which spaces enable or constrain academic practices, especially in the education field. | Dr N Madikizela-Madiya |
+27 12 429 4698/ madiyn@unisa.ac.za |
1 & 6 |
|
Flagship 5: Effective student support for student success at the College of Education |
The aim of the project is to investigate ways in which effective student support frameworks can be developed to leverage student success. Unisa is a mega university that is recognised as the only dedicated distance education provider on the African continent. However, concerns have been raised about the university’s student success rates. | Prof M Letseka |
+27 12 429 8507/ letsem@unisa.ac.za |
5 |
|
Flagship 6: Evaluating Ethiopian postgraduate student support services in an open and distance learning institution |
The aim of this research project is to evaluate the impact of student support services offered to the Ethiopian postgraduate students enrolled at Unisa. This multi-phase research project evaluates the postgraduate student support services offered to the Ethiopian students by the College of Education (CEDU) at the University of South Africa (Unisa). The focus is on student support services related to research initiatives and programmes facilitated by CEDU staff members to postgraduate students in Ethiopia. The CEDU postgraduate student support project is part of Unisa’s wide educational mandate, which emanated from a memorandum of understanding signed in 2008 by the government of Ethiopia and Unisa. | Prof MT Gumbo |
+27 12 429 3339/ gumbomt@unisa.ac.za |
1 & 5 |
CEDU’s research portfolio is led by the Head: Office of Graduate Studies and Research,
Prof Velisiwe Gasa
Tel: +27 (0)12 429 4470
E-mail: gasavg@unisa.ac.za
The College of Graduate Studies is Unisa’s answer to the national need to provide high-calibre researchers for the knowledge economy. The CGS constituency of about 10 000 master’s and doctoral candidates represents a large slice of the research potential in South African universities. The college also hosts two prestigious National Research Foundation/Department of Science and Technology South African Research Chairs – one in Development Education and one in Social Policy – as well as the UNESCO-Africa Chair in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.
| Flagship | Description | Project leader | Contact details | Niche areas | |||
|
Flagship 1 The SARCHI Chair in Development Education |
Development education reframes human development and systems transformation with a paradigm of restorative action and cognitive justice. Through research, postgraduate teaching and community engagement, the chair seeks answers to some of the most taxing and exciting questions about development, knowledge production and science.
|
Prof Catherine Odora-Hoppers | +27 12 337 6044 / hoppeco@unisa.ac.za | 1 | |||
|
Flagship 2: The SARCHI Chair in Social Policy |
Transformative socila policy stresses the multiple tasks of social policy (production, protection, redistribution, reproduction and social cohesion/nation-building). It explorers the transformative role of social relations, social institutions, and human capability and functioning rather than a residual role. It also emphasises the synergistic relations between economic and social policies. This approach anchors social policy on the norms of solidarity and equality.
The chair's work consists of research, postgraduate education and policy outreach or community engagement. It follows an integrated approach that sees research staff, research associates and postgraduate students working together on specific projects.
|
Prof Jimi Adesina | +27 12 337 6002/ adesij@unisa.ac.za | 1 | |||
|
Flagship 3: The UNESCO Unisa Africa Chair in Nanosciences and Nanotechnology |
Human capacity development in nanosciences and nanotechnology is a major focus of the chair, which coordinates a postgraduate and postdoctoral fellowship programme for approximately 40 fellows from South Africa and the res of Africa. The chair reaches out to its many partners around the world to assist in co-funding the fellows. Funding partners include UNESCO, the International Organisation of Women in Science, the Academy of Scsience for the Developing World, the Abdul Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics and the United Nations Centre of Science and Technology, among others.
|
Prof Malik Maaza | +27 21 843 1149/ maazam@unisa.ac.za/ maaza@tlabs.ac.za | 3 | |||
|
|
Prof Harrison Atagana | +27 12 337 6129 / atagahi@unisa.ac.za | 1 & 2 |
CGS’s research portfolio is led by the Executive Dean:
Prof Hugo Lotriet
Tel: +27 12 429 6111
E-mail: lotrihh@unisa.ac.za
The College of Human Sciences offers high-quality general academic and career-focused distance education tuition in the arts and humanities, social sciences, religion and theology. Offerings include internationally recognised undergraduate degrees and diplomas, postgraduate honours and master’s degrees through coursework and research, and doctoral programmes.
| Flagship | Description | Project leader | Contact details | Niche areas |
|
Flagship 1: Gender-based violence in a university context |
This research project deals with the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) in South African society. This is a problem with many intersecting aspects, for example a strongly patriarchal social order; the intersection of race, class, unemployment and violence with gender; a problematic security industry in the country; and a culture of victim shaming. Some of the existing research into GBV focuses on how poverty and poor educational resources increase people’s vulnerability to GBV. Despite this, there is growing awareness of the prevalence of GBV in South African university contexts (e.g. the sexual harassment cases at Rhodes and Wits Universities), and the #EndRapeCulture protests have all served to highlight this problem. The current research project aims to establish the nature and prevalence of GBV among Unisa students and staff in order both to dispel the perception that GBV occurs only among a certain sector of society, and to generate positive ways to reduce and finally eliminate this problem. |
Prof Deirdre Byrne |
+27 12 429 4940 / byrnedc@unisa.ac.za |
1 & 2 |
|
Flagship 2: African Wordnet Project |
The African Wordnet Project (AWN), which was supported by Unisa’s Women-in-Research funds in its latest phase of development, succeeded in building first versions of wordnets for five African languages, viz Setswana, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sesotho sa Leboa and Tshivenda. A wordnet is a lexical database consisting of words that are grouped into sets of synonyms called synsets. Various conceptual-semantic and lexical relations are indicated between synsets. Wordnets in general have proven to be indispensable components of large automatic language understanding systems. The uniqueness of the AWN project lies in the fact that this digital language resource, the first of its kind for African languages, is freely available for use in various natural language processing applications. The AWN (version 1) is currently disseminated as part of the Open Multilingual Wordnet (http://compling.hss.ntu.edu.sg/iliomw/omw), and is also accessible from the online Language Resource Management Agency catalogue (https://rma.nwu.ac.za/). Over and above the primary deliverable of building wordnets for five African languages, the African Wordnet project also succeeded in (a) fostering human resource development of mainly women researchers in a team environment; and (b) multidisciplinary collaboration with one local partner university and three international universities. The collaboration between researchers and developers has set the scene for future work and improvements to the AWN. The incremental inclusion of further African languages is envisaged in the next stage of the AWN project, which will be funded by the newly constituted South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) (cf https://rma.nwu.ac.za/index.php/about-sadilar/). |
Prof Sonja Bosch |
+27 12 429 8253 / boschse@unisa.ac.za |
1 |
|
Flagship 3: Hate Crimes Project |
The Hate Crimes Monitoring Project, which aims to determine and describe the nature and extent of hate crimes in South Africa, is managed by the research subcommittee of the Hate Crimes Working Group (HCWG), co-led by the Unisa Department of Psychology and the Psychological Society of South Africa, with Juan Nel as project leader, co-researcher and supervisor, and supported by Ubora Research Solutions together with local and international experts. In partnership with key civil society organisations in five provinces (Eastern Cape/Gauteng/KwaZulu-Natal/Limpopo/Western Cape) we collected 1 060 cases (thus 160 more than the required 900 cases) of which 945 were analysed to provide a baseline record for a five-year longitudinal study (2013–2017). This was achieved by conducting fieldwork in all five provinces from January to June 2017. The research report was launched in December 2017. See: Mitchell, Y & Nel, JA. 2017. The Hate and Bias Crimes Monitoring Forum Project: January 2013 to September 2017. Johannesburg: Hate Crimes Working Group. http://www.observer.co.za/hate-crimes-shocker-70-of-documented-cases-not-reported/ |
Prof Juan Nel |
+27 12 429 3111/ nelja@unisa.ac.za |
3 |
CHS's research portfolio is led by Head of Graduate Studies and Research:
Prof Puleng Segalo
Tel: +27 12 429 8292/6491/4524
E-mail: segalopj@unisa.ac.za
The origins of Unisa’s College of Law go back to 1873. During this time, the University of the Cape of Good Hope replaced the Board of Public Examiners, and the University’s Certificate of Proficiency replaced the Certificates in Law and Jurisprudence offered by the Board in Law and Jurisprudence and the LLB degree (Bachelor of Laws). It is currently the largest faculty of law in Africa.
| Flagship | Description | Project leader | Contact details | Niche areas |
|
Flagship 1: Child justice |
This project involves researchers in both the Schools of Law and Criminal Justice, and focuses on issues relating to child justice from both a legal and criminal justice context. |
Prof Marelize Schoeman |
+ 27 12 433 9491 / schoemi@unisa.ac.za |
1 & 4 |
|
Flagship 2: Dispute resolution in Africa |
This project creates an avenue for the interrogation of tools necessary to redress effects of wars and national conflicts (peace negotiation, elections). It also provides research support and capacity building. |
Dr Andreas Velthuizen |
+27 12 484 1103 / velthag1@unisa.ac.za |
1 & 4 |
|
Flagship 3: Learner and Emerging Researcher Subcommittee |
The project teaches learners from a high school to conduct scientific research, focusing on issues relating to science, engineering and technology. This is a collaboration effort between CSET and CLAW. |
Ms Safia Mahomed |
+ 27 12 484 1023 / mahoms1@unisa.ac.za |
1 & 4 |
|
Flagship 4: Research Indaba @ Law |
Student debates and seminars are held. This strategic programme is designed to provide law students with a platform to interact with the CLAW management, enabling CLAW to address certain discipline-specific issues with the students. |
Mr Phazha Ngandwe | +27 12 429 2855 / ngandpj@unisa.ac.za | 1 |
|
Flagship 5: Journal of Law, Society and Development |
This project supports the university’s goal of increasing innovative research and research capacity, and inculcating MIT. |
Dr Ephriam Thoahlane |
+ 27 11 403 6650 / thoahte@unisa.ac.za |
1 |
|
Flagship 6: ODL |
This project supports the university’s pedagogical and operational framework and is central to the college’s tuition activities, including curriculum renewal and transformation. |
Dr Thabiso Matshaba |
27 12 433 9494 / dmatshab@unisa.ac.za |
1 & 4 |
|
Flagship 7: Community safety networks |
Community safety networks focuses on empirical research specifically related to property crimes committed in residential neighbourhoods and the potential mitigation of these crimes. This project analyses crime data collected by various community safety networks in Gauteng. An assessment of the neighbourhoods where the majority of property crimes occur is conducted in an attempt to identify possible risk factors that may contribute to certain areas being more susceptible to crime incidents than others are. Based on the outcomes of this crime data analysis and assessment, a basic measuring instrument will be developed that will provide communities with enhanced knowledge and understanding of these risk factors. This measuring tool could potentially enable communities to measure the vulnerability of a household or neighbourhood to crime, and to identify initiatives and measures that communities can implement to mitigate opportunities for crime, thus improving safety and security in their neighbourhoods. |
Prof Johan van Graan |
+27 12 433 9471 / vgraajg@unisa.ac.za |
1 |
CLAW’s research portfolio is led by the Head: Office of Graduate Studies and Research:
Prof Puseletso Letele
Tel: +27 12 429 6164
E-mail: letetp@unisa.ac.za
There are many research groups in CSET and to focus their research activities, the college has identified five flagship research projects that capture the essence of its two niche areas: Innovation and Capacity-building in Science and Technology and Open Distance and eLearning. CSET’s focus is in line with Unisa’s goal of increasing research activity and outputs, developing research capacity and inculcating multidisciplinary research.
| Flagship | Description | Project leader | Contact details | Niche areas |
|
Flagship 1: ODL research |
While other higher education institutions all over the world have been struggling to implement ODL tuition and learning in science, engineering and technology, CSET at Unisa has been doing this for many years. Thus, ODL practice forms a natural area of research focus for CSET, and indeed several individuals or small groups in the college are already doing research into various aspects of ODL. This research flagship builds on the day-to-day need in the college for practical and innovative solutions to the problems of teaching science, engineering, technology and mathematics at a distance. | Dr Eeva Rapoo | + 27 11 670 9259 / rapooe@unisa.ac.za | 5 |
|
Flagship 2: Topology |
This flagship project focuses on three topics in the broad field of topology:
|
Dr Partha Ghosh |
+27 11 670 9162 / ghoshpp@unisa.ac.za | 3 |
|
Flagship 3: Green Energy for Africa |
The Green Energy for Africa Research (GEAR) is a technology centre dedicated to renewable energy technologies. GEAR has as its vision to change the African energy landscape by turning waste and other underutilised resources into fuel, electricity and jobs. This will be achieved through continued internationally recognised and ground-breaking research, training of skilled African engineers and scientists and the creation of strategic partnerships. The leader of the GEAR flagship team is Prof Diane Hildebrandt, an internationally recognised researcher in materials and process synthesis. |
Prof Diane Hildebrandt |
+27 11 670 9046 / hilded@unisa.ac.za |
3 |
|
Flagship 4: Catalysis |
Catalysis and reactor technology form the cornerstone of industrial chemistry and chemical and fuel processes. The research fields associated with catalysis have provided the sole basis for the oil and gas processing industry and are major contributors to emerging green technologies for chemical manufacturing, energy conversion and environmental protection. Over 90% of manufactured goods depend partly on catalytic processes. CREATE is one of the largest research groups in catalysis in South Africa and it has a diverse focus of research activities that include a blend of science and engineering that is unique in South Africa. | Prof Linda Jewell |
+27 11 471 2761 / jewelll@unisa.ac.za |
3 |
|
Flagship 5: Information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) |
ICT4D refers to the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for development aimed at improving the human condition. ICT4D can mean dealing with disadvantaged or marginalised communities anywhere in the world, but more applications are in developing countries. ICT4D research incorporates multi- , inter- and trans-disciplinary approaches to resolving real-life problems at theoretical and practical levels. Aside from its reliance on technology, ICT4D also requires an understanding of the context, which can be community development, agriculture, healthcare or basic education. Community involvement is an important aspect of our ICT4D research, which focuses strongly on the use of mobile technologies in health and education. The ICT4D flagship currently has 16 members, including four NRF-rated researchers. |
Prof Hossana Twinomurinzi | +27 11 670 9361 / twinoh@unisa.ac.za | 5 |
CSET’s research portfolio is led by the Head: Office of Graduate Studies and Research:
Prof Sarah Jane Johnston
Tel: +27 11 670 9246
E-mail: johnssj@unisa.ac.za