About Us
Members
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.
Dr Xolisa Guzula
Dr Xolisa Guzula is a Senior Lecturer in Applied Language and Literacy Studies with a focus on multilingual and multiliteracies education at the University of Cape Town. She specialises in multilingual education, especially in teaching children to speak, read and write in two or more languages. She is one of the founders of a network of reading clubs growing across the country starting from the Vulindlela Reading Clubs to Nal’ibali Reading Clubs and the Stars of Today Literacy Club. She has written several children’s books including the recent series of Imbokodo: Women who shape us and has translated many children’s books from English to isiXhosa including books by award winning authors such as Astrid Lindgren’s Brothers Lionheart, Niky Daly’s, Sihle-isipho Nontshokweni, Refiloe Moahloli and Nicholas Maritz’books. She won an IBBY/Exclusive Books award for best translation of The Elders at the Door by Shale and Maryanne Bester to Iinkonde eMnyango. Her translation of Wendy Hardie’s book, The Singing Stone/Ilitye Eliculayo made the honour list of IBBY 100 recommended books across the world. Recently, she has released her translation of Sello Duiker’s book titled, ‘The Hidden Star’ into ‘Inkwenkwezi efihlakeleyo’. Xolisa is a member of Bua-lit Language and Literacy Collective (www.bua-lit.org.za), working on social justice in language and literacy education. She is also the Chair of the Western Cape Committee of the Literacy Association of South Africa (LITASA).
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
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 researcher in the Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research at the University of the Western Cape. She specialises in language and literacy in Science and across the curriculum. Robyn was awarded her PhD from the University of Cape Town in 2019 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.
Babalwayashe Molate
Babalwayashe Molate is a Ph.D. Candidate in the School of Education at the University of Cape Town. Her current study explores the language and literacy socialization practices of a Black multilingual family in a dual-household arrangement in South Africa – oscillating between the city and their rural home. Her broader research area is grounded in Language Socialisation, with a keen focus on African languages and multilingualism, family literacies, family language policy, and school language policy. Connected to her main research interest are her experiences in biliteracy club facilitation and family literacies training. She also translates and edits children’s literature into isiXhosa.
Past Members
Athambile Masola (2020-2023)
Athambile Masola is a lecturer in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Cape Town. She has worked at the University of Pretoria. She received her PhD from Rhodes University in African literary studies. Prior to joining higher education as a teacher educator she was a high school teacher for five years in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Her research interests are wide-ranging and include literacy campaigns, African language development, literature and black women’s historiography. As a Mandela-Rhodes Scholar she read for a Masters in Education and her research project was focusing on Foundation Phase literacy education in isiXhosa. She was also involved with Molo Mhlaba: a school for girls in Khayelitsha as a founding board member. Athambile’s work has been published on a variety of platforms such as academic journals, national newspapers as well as blogs. She has published a poetry collection written in isiXhosa, Ilifa (Uhlanga Press, 2021). She has co-written a series of history books, Imbokodo: Women who Shape Us (Jacana Media, 2022) with Xolisa Guzula.
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: [email protected]
Ana Ferreira, Senior Lecturer, English and Literacy Education, Wits School of Education
Ashley Visagie, co-founder, Bottomup Nonprofit
Athambile Masola, Lecturer, Department of Historical Studies, University of Cape Town
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
Candice Livingston, Professor in Education, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Carole Bloch, Associate Professor, University of the Western Cape (UWC) and Director, PRAESA
Cathy Gush, Lebone Literacy co-ordinator
Choice Mpanza, University of Johannesburg, Department of English
Chris Thurman, Associate Professor, University of the Witwatersrand
Dorothy Dyer, FunDza Literacy Trust
Eileen Scheckle, Nelson Mandela University
Elinor Sisulu, Executive Director, Puku Children’s Literature Foundation
Elsa Auerbach, Professor of English, University of Massachusetts Boston
Esther Ramani, Professor, Rhodes University
Fikile Simelane, Lecturer in Childhood Education, University of Johannesburg
Fiona Ferris, Senior Lecturer, Department of Linguistics and Foreign Languages, UNISA
Firdous de Villiers, University of the Western Cape
Gilbert Dolo, Science Education Specialist, Schools Development Unit, University of Cape Town
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 Hardman, Associate Professor, School of Education, University of Cape Town
Joanne Peers, BEd Foundation phase National Curriculum studies Lecturer, Centre for Creative Education
Kate Angier, Senior Lecturer, School of Education, UCT
Kgauhelo Dube, Ambani Africa
Lara Krause, Doctoral student, UCT and Institute for African Studies, Leipzig
Lauren Coffman, Northeastern Illinois University
Leila Kajee, Assoc Prof, Education and Curriculum Studies, University of Johannesburg
Leketi Makalela, Professor and Director of Hub for Multilingual Education and Literacies, Uni. of Witwatersrand
Lisa Treffry-Goatley, PhD student Linguistics, UCT & African Storybook
Lorato Trok, Puku Foundation
Lucia Thesen, Assoc Prof, Language Development Group, Centre for Higher Education Development, UCT
Lwazi Mkula, Teacher, Makhanda
Malusi Ntoyapi, facilitator, KwaFaku Vulindlela Reading Club
Mandla Simelane, Educator, Gauteng
Marlene Rousseau, Independent Literacy Specialist
Masennya Dikotla, Director, Molteno Project
Matsobane Sexwale, Rera Language School
Maria Prozesky, Lecturer, English and Literacy Education, Wits School of Education
Maria Vaz, lecturer in Childhood Studies, University of Johannesburg
Margie Probyn, Research Fellow, Centre for Multilingualism and Diversity Research, UWC
Mastin Prinsloo, Emeritus Professor, School of Education, UCT
Michael Joseph, Rhodes University
Mignon Hardie, Director, Fundza Literacy Trust
Mkululi Nompumza, Centre for Creative Education
Monica Hendricks, Professor and Director ISEA, Rhodes University
Muki Moeng, Head of Department, Nelson Mandela University
Nadeema Jogee, Lecturer, Foundation Phase Education, Nelson Mandela University
Nandipha Nonkwelo, University of Mpumalanga
Nell Foster, PhD candidate, Ghent University, Belgium & University of the Western Cape
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
Nonzukiso Kutta-Mpondwana, Walter Sisulu University
Nora Saneka, Doctoral Student, University of South Africa, Principal of Clare Ellis Brown Pre-Primary School and Grade R Teacher
Nosipho Waqu, Shine Literacy Trainer
Ntombizanele Mahobe, Nelson Mandela Institute for Education and Rural Development and University of Fort Hare
Ogini Bernard, Nigerian Pidgin Playwright, University of Ibadan
Palesa Morudu, Managing Director, Cover2Cover books
Pam Christie, Emeritus Professor, UCT and University of Queensland
Pam Hoffman, Otto Foundation
Pamla Letsoalo, Lecturer, School of Languages and Communication Studies, University of Limpopo
Peter Pluddemann, Dept of Language Education, University of the Western Cape
Pretty Magangxa, Lecturer, Nelson Mandela University
Quentin Williams, Director, Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research, University of the Western Cape
Reneilwe Malatji, Lecturer, School of Languages and Communication Studies, University of Limpopo
Rochelle Kapp, Associate Professor, School of Education University of Cape Town
Rose-Anne Reynolds, Lecturer, School of Education, University of Cape Town
Russell Kaschula, NRF SARChi Chair and Professor of African Language Studies, University of the Western Cape
Sally le Roux, Zithulele Independent School
Samantha Curle, Department of Education, University of Bath
Sara Black, PhD student, School of Education, University of Cape Town
Sebolelo Mokapela, HOD Department of African Languages, University of the Western Cape
Sharleen Haupt, Shine Literacy Programme Manager
Sibusiso Biyela, Science communicator
Simthembile Xeketwana, Stellenbosch University
Thembi Mtshali, Curro Schools
Tholisa Matheza, teacher trainer, Schools Development Unit, University of Cape Town
Vuyelwa Dawn Mbalekwa, Program Manager, Shine Literacy Trust
Vuyokazi Nomlomo, Professor, Education Dean, University of the Western Cape
Zubeida Desai, Professor, Dept of Language Education, 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
