Dr Sithembiso Mthembu
Lecturer
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Education (F.E.T.) from UNIZULU in 2015
- Bachelor of Arts Honours in isiZulu from UNIZULU (2016).
- Master of Arts in IsiZulu from UNIZULU (2020)
- Doctor of Philosophy in isiZulu, UNIZULU (2023)
About
Dr Sithembiso Mthembu is a lecturer in the Department of African Languages and Culture at the University of Zululand. His research interests pertain to Zulu culture and human rights and their influence on societal phenomena including, customary marriage issues including ilobolo (bride price), hegemonic masculinity and polygyny, inheritance disputes, and levirate marriages and gender politics in traditional societies. He also has an interest in isiZulu languages since rich IsiZulu languages gradually fading away. He also serves as the chairperson of the UNIZULU Reading and Writing Club, which promotes and improves writing abilities and books that have already been published with students and others in progress books. The club is mostly affiliated with the KZN Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture (DSAC). He also receives certificates in recognition of being an emerging writer in DSAC. Dr Mthembu is also a member of the Usiba Writers Guild which focuses on creative writing based on modern prose and drama. He leads UNIZULU’s Wikipedia project, which is continuously in progress. In 2024, he requested Wikipedia officials and the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) to provide training on how to upload information to Wikipedia. His teaching focuses on language development and literature, including phonetics, phonology, morphology, semantics, heritage and culture, Zulu folktales/traditional literature, and modern prose (poetry, drama, short stories, and essays).
Research Interests
- Gender politics in traditional society
- Domestic and gender-based violence.
- Language practice and semantics
- Teaching and learning in educational settings
Professional membership
- Member of the Usiba Writers Guild
Publications