About Us

Soraya Abdulatief
Soraya Abdulatief holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Language and Literacy studies from the University of Cape Town and a Masters Degree in English Literature from the University of the Western Cape. She has lectured English Communication at a university of technology. She worked as an online editor and technical writer. Her PhD research is on teaching critical literacy and academic literacy practices to Postgraduate Certificate in Education students training to be Senior and FET phase science teachers. Other research interests include multimodalities, using technology in education and debates around race, gender, language and literacy.

Xolisa Guzula
Xolisa Guzula is lecturer in multilingual and multiliteracies education at the University of Cape Town. She has interest in language and literacy as social practice; biliteracy development; emergent literacy; critical literacies; multimodality; third spaces and bilingual children’s literature. She is a doctoral student researching third spaces as a way of disrupting monoglossia and monomodal education and is one of the founders of Molo Mhlaba School.

Catherine Kell
Catherine Kell is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at UCT, specializing in language and literacy in education. She is also the Director of the School of Education. She has worked in the field of literacy and language education since the early 1980s, initially as an activist in NGOs teaching literacy and language to adults in the trade union movement and community organisations. Her PhD focused on the theoretical development of the social practices approach in literacy studies with reference to the role literacy plays in participatory development. She has lectured at UWC and at three different universities in New Zealand and in a development initiative in Tanzania, called Twaweza, which has been responsible for the Uwezo literacy project in East Africa. She is currently working on projects around the uses of digital technologies in literacy education.

Glynis Lloyd
Glynis Lloyd is a literacy specialist with a Masters degree in Applied Language and Literacy (UCT, 2014). Glynis worked as an English teacher in schools on the Cape Flats for eight years during apartheid. She has worked in teacher development and training, in publishing as a textbook writer, editor and publisher for all three post-1994 curricula, and is currently engaged in literacy intervention programme research and evaluation. Her main areas of interest are critical literacy, feminist theory and materials development.

Pinky Makoe
Pinky Makoe is Associate Professor at UNISA, Department of English Studies. She holds a Ph.D. in English Education from the Institute of Education, University of London. Her doctoral research focused on how children, particularly English language learners, become socialised into dominant linguistic and cultural practices in the early years of formal schooling. Her current research interests include monolingual and monoglossic language ideologies, issues of class and identity, and heteroglossic practices in contexts of diversity.

Carolyn McKinney
Carolyn McKinney is Associate Professor of Language Education in the UCT School of Education. Her PhD research (2003, London Institute of Education) focused on critical literacy. She has been working in language and literacy education since 1994 and in teacher education at Wits and UCT since 2004. Carolyn has led a number of ethnographic style funded research projects on language and literacy in a range of South African schools (elite to poor) and informal learning spaces (Gauteng, Western and Eastern Cape).

Robyn Tyler
Robyn Tyler is a specialist in language and literacy in Science and across the curriculum. She has recently completed her PhD which was an ethnographic case study on the practices of bilingual isiXhosa/English learners in a high school Science class and study group in Khayelitsha. Her work experience includes high school English teaching, lecturing in language and literacy in education and supervising student teachers. Robyn also currently serves as a parent member on the School Governing Body of an ex-model C primary school in Cape Town.
Affiliates
(supporters of the bua-lit collective position)
Please contact us if you would like to add your name in support of the bua-lit collective position: bualitcollective@gmail.com
Ashley Visagie, co-founder, Bottomup Nonprofit
Athambile Masola, Lecturer, University of Pretoria
Babalwayashe Molate, MEd Student, Language and Literacy, University of Cape Town (UCT)
Brian Lwazi Ramadiro, Dr, University of Fort Hare (UFH) and Deputy Director at Nelson Mandela Institute for Education and Rural Development
Bukelwa Yuze, Early Literacy Specialist, Wordworks
Bulelwa Mbanga-Galada, Foundation Phase Instructional Coach, ACORN Education
Carole Bloch, Associate Professor, University of the Western Cape (UWC) and Director, PRAESA
Cathy Gush, Lebone Literacy co-ordinator
Chris Thurman, Associate Professor, University of the Witwatersrand
Elinor Sisulu
Helene Rousseau, co-founder, Bottomup Non-profit
Hilary Janks, Emeritus Professor, University of the Witwatersrand
Jamiellah Domingo, Lecturer, Foundation Phase Education, Nelson Mandela University
Joanne Peers, BEd Foundation phase National Curriculum studies Lecturer, Centre for Creative Education
Kate Angier, Senior Lecturer, School of Education, UCT
Lara Krause, Doctoral student, UCT and Institute for African Studies, Leipzig
Leila Kajee, Assoc Prof, Education and Curriculum Studies, University of Johannesburg
Lorato Trok, Puku Foundation
Lucia Thesen, Assoc Prof, Language Development Group, Centre for Higher Education Development, UCT
Malusi Ntoyapi, facilitator, KwaFaku Vulindlela Reading Club
Margie Probyn, Research Fellow, Centre for Multilingualism and DIversity Research, UWC
Mastin Prinsloo, Emeritus Professor, School of Education, UCT
Mignon Hardie, Director, Fundza Literacy Trust
Monica Hendricks, Professor and Director ISEA, Rhodes University
Nadeema Jogee, Lecturer, Foundation Phase Education, Nelson Mandela University
Nobuntu Sibongile Xamlashe, BEd – Foundation Phase and Intermediate Phase Lecturer, Cape Town University of Technology
Nokhanyo Mdzanga, Professor, Education, Nelson Mandela University
Nombuyiselo Guzula, Principal, Molo Mhlaba school
Nora Saneka, Doctoral Student, University of South Africa, Principal of Clare Ellis Brown Pre-Primary School and Grade R Teacher
Ntombizanele Mahobe, Nelson Mandela Institute for Education and Rural Development and University of Fort Hare
Pam Christie, Emeritus Professor, UCT and University of Queensland
Pamla Letsoalo, Lecturer, School of Languages and Communication Studies, University of Limpopo
Pretty Magangxa
Reneilwe Malatji, Lecturer, School of Languages and Communication Studies, University of Limpopo
Rethabile Sonibare-Mashale, Director, Thope Foundation and Molo Mhlaba Schools
Rose-Anne Reynolds, Lecturer, School of Education, University of Cape Town
Samantha Curle, Department of Education, University of Bath
Sara Black, PhD student, School of Education, University of Cape Town
Simthembile Xeketwana, Stellenbosch University
Vuyelwa Dawn Mbalekwa, Program Manager, Shine Literacy Trust
Vuyokazi Nomlomo, Professor, Education Dean, University of the Western Cape
In Focus
UNDERSTANDING MATRIC RESULTS: PART 1
Part 2: UNDERSTANDING MATRIC RESULTS
How language and literacy influence Matric Science results