by Gerrit Bester
Achievement met recognition on Thursday, 6 November, at the Ivory Manor Boutique Hotel in Pretoria, where the Tshwane University of Technology’s Faculty of Arts and Design honoured its staff’s enduring commitment to excellence.
Speaking at the Faculty’s second Staff Academic Excellence Awards, Prof Nalini Moodley, Executive Dean, said the event is a celebration in the faculty’s academic journey and a growing tradition that honours not only achievement but also the spirit of inquiry, imagination and perseverance that defines its creative community.
In a heartfelt speech, she emphasised that art is a way of making feelings happen and that most decisions are based on feelings. “While science works by generally removing feeling and conducting experiments, creativity and research in the arts is actually ‘adult play,’” she added.
“Art is how adults play. While play is how children learn. And, for us, play is research. We research our feelings, our emotions and this guides us into new creative futures. So, we must know what art does, because if we see art as a luxury, as the dessert instead of the main meal, then, of course, we can’t be surprised when government marginalises us and sees funding as a waste of resources. We can't be surprised when schools remove paints and clay in favour of test tubes and chemicals. We can’t be surprised when universities prefer STEM to STEAM. This awareness is important to frame research against a landscape offering less and less resources,” she highlighted.
Prof Moodley continued to identify three key principles to ensure excellence in arts research.
Prof Nalini Moodley, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design, during the Faculty’s Staff Academic Excellence Awards.
CURIOSITY
“Innovation begins not with answers, but with questions. It begins in the classroom, the studio, even the cafeteria, where someone asks, ‘Why are we doing that? What if we did this?’ In the arts, ‘not knowing’ is not a failure – it is potential waiting to unfold and be realised.”
COURAGE
“To pursue excellence, we must confront discomfort, critique convention and share ideas that may challenge the familiar. Courage in research is both intellectual and emotional. It is daring to explore the uncertain and to play as adults in the arts.”
COLLABORATION
“The arts have always thrived on collective energy. Whether in music, theatre, or design, collaboration transforms individual insight into shared innovation. It is also through collaboration that our faculty continues to grow its national and international footprint, contributing to dialogues that matter across borders.”
In closing, Prof Moodley praised her community for embodying these principles every day. “You teach, you create, you publish, you exhibit. You challenge conventions and you remind society of what art truly does; it makes us feel, think and become more human, especially as we collaborate with technologies and AI while remembering our human and creative intelligence.”
“Let us remember that research in the arts is not a task; it is a calling.”
Awards were made as follows:
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
Certificates of Completion are awarded for the successful participation in the Licence to Supervise Programme 2025.
The programme was presented by the Haaga Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland. The Licence to Supervise programme was implemented onsite in Pretoria from 26 – 30 May 2025.
- Prof Pfunzo Sidogi (Assistant Dean: Postgraduate Studies, Research and Innovation)
- Dr Rostislava Pashkevitch-Ngobeni (Performing Arts)
- Dr Nicola Haskins (Performing Arts)
- Dr Carol Kühn (Fine and Studio Arts)
IMPROVEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS (obtained from the TUT Faculty: Arts and Design, unless indicated differently)
MASTER’S
- Clifford Moleko (Interior Design) A user-centred compact kitchen design for government-subsidised houses.
- Xolani Mayikana (Fine and Studio Arts) Exploring the use of additive manufacturing solutions in SMME jewellery businesses in Tshwane.
- Busisiwe Silulu (Performing Arts) Linguistic comprehension of text in the interpretation of a song: a study of trained independent performers (obtained from the Faculty: Humanities).
- Johan Mahungela (Performing Arts) An exploratory study of consumers’ perceptions concerning sugarcane products at Nkomazi, Mpumalanga (obtained MBA from the Tshwane School of Business and Society, Faculty: Humanities).
IMPROVEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS (obtained from the TUT Faculty: Arts and Design, unless indicated differently)
DOCTORAL DEGREES
- Dr Thamsanqa Zungu (Performing Arts) The Voice of the Black Choir: Exploring the Sounds of Vernacular Language Singing in a Performance of Mzilikazi Khumalo’s UShaka (obtained from the University of the Witwatersrand).
- Dr Joyce Ringane (Executive Dean’s Office) Monitoring and Evaluation of the indigent exit programme in selected metropolitan municipalities in South Africa (obtained from Faculty: Humanities).
- Dr Aubrey Ramatla (Fashion Design) The Application of the Braille Communicative Tool for Visually Impaired Consumers When Purchasing Apparel in a Retail Environment.
- Dr Schalk Van Staden (Visual Communication) An Adapted Epistemology of Design: The Exploration of The Everyday.
- Dr Carol Kühn (Fine and Studio Arts) Digital Re-mediation in Contemporary Sculpture Praxis: Human-Technology Co-Creation (obtained from the University of Pretoria).
MASTER’S IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA) DEGREES IN EDUCATION MANAGEMENT
The following staff members have successfully earned their Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) degrees in Education Management from the Haaga Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland.
- Dr Rostislava Pashkevitch-Ngobeni (Performing Arts) Artivism in Performing Arts Education: Conceptualisation of an online Short Learning Programme.
- Dr Roland Moses (Performing Arts) Developing a conceptual framework for online jazz piano learning at a University of Technology.
CREATIVE OUTPUTS 2022/2023
CREATOR OF THE YEAR
This category runs in a two-year cycle from 2022 to 2023 and is awarded to the best creator.
MERIT CREATOR OF THE YEAR
- Dr Thamsanqa Zungu (Performing Arts)
SENIOR CREATOR OF THE YEAR
- Dr Roland Moses (Performing Arts)
RESEARCH OUTPUTS 2024
EMERGING RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR
This category is awarded to researchers who earned their doctoral qualification within the last five years and who were engaged in research, either individually or as part of a group, during the reporting year, 2024.
- Dr Nicola Haskins (Performing Arts)
SENIOR RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR
This category recognises the top researchers who published in accredited journals and who supervised Master’s and Doctoral degrees during the reporting year, 2024.
- Prof Pfunzo Sidogi (Assistant Dean: Postgraduate Studies, Research and Innovation)
RESEARCH OUTPUTS 2025
EMERGING RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR
This category is awarded to researchers who earned their doctoral qualification within the last five years and who are engaged in research, either individually or as part of a group, during the reporting year, 2025.
- Dr Leandi Steyn Delport (Performing Arts)
WOMAN RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR
This category recognises the top women researchers who published in accredited journals and who supervised Master’s and Doctoral degrees during the reporting year, 2025.
MERIT WOMAN RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR
- Prof Anne Mason (Fashion Design)
RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR
This category recognises the top researchers who published in accredited journals and who supervised Master’s and Doctoral degrees during the reporting year, 2025.
MERIT RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR
- Dr Herman Botes (Visual Communication)
IN PICTURES: The Faculty of Arts and Design at the Tshwane University of Technology celebrated its staff’s steadfast pursuit of excellence on Thursday, 6 November, at the Ivory Manor Boutique Hotel in Pretoria.
- PHOTOS: