North-West University (NWU) alumnus Dr Thulisile Bhuda has been selected for the Sunday World Unsung Heroes 2024 list under the Youth in Academia and Education category.

The Sunday World Unsung Heroes list acknowledges individuals for their entrepreneurial spirit in making significant contributions to the country.

Dr Bhuda is an academic and specialises in indigenous studies. She describes herself as career-driven and passionate about education. In 2019, she obtained her master's degree with distinction, followed by a PhD in 2022. Her work has earned her the Voice of Heritage and an NWU Alumni Excellence award in 2023.

She says she is grateful for the acknowledgement. "This recognition indicates that my work as a young emerging academic is taken note of, and this encourages me to work harder and explore my capabilities."

She adds that she owes this recognition to her mentors who always pushed her to reach her fullest potential.  “I hope this achievement may serve as an inspiration to young people. As an academic myself, I can confirm that academic spaces are now occupied by young people."

More about Dr Bhuda

Dr Bhuda is a lecturer in culture and heritage studies at the University of Mpumalanga and completed her bachelors, master’s and PhD degrees in indigenous knowledge systems at the NWU’s Mahikeng Campus.

Her master's study focused on Ndebele ethnomathematics, demonstrating that Ndebele women use symmetrical geometry in their beadwork and mural art. Her PhD research investigated the origin of mathematical ideas and concepts in Ndebele artifacts. Her areas of expertise include African metallurgy, African ethnomathematics, and African cosmology and metaphysics.

Dr Thulisile Bhuda made the Sunday World Unsung Heroes 2024 list. Here she is during the NWU’s Biennial Alumni Excellence Awards in 2023 where she received an award in the Education category.