Pastor Gugu Ndlovu, a student pursuing a PhD in theology with pastoral studies at the Vanderbijlpark Campus of the North-West University (NWU) and a dedicated full-time pastor at Mount Olives Ministries, recently won the prestigious national Visualise Your Thesis Competition.

She is now through to the international Visualise Your Thesis Competition with her thesis titled “Experiences of premarital counselling among African Christians in South Africa”.

The Visualise Your Thesis Competition is a chance for graduate researchers to present their research in a 60-second video to a non-specialist audience. The competition provides graduate researchers with an opportunity to build essential information and digital literacy skills to communicate complex research to a general audience effectively and provides institutions with an opportunity to showcase graduate research.

"I was pleasantly surprised when I won,” says Pastor Ndlovu. “It was my first time answering questions about my research to people other than my supervisor, and I was nervous about the question-and-answer session. Seeking advice from the 2023 winner during the preparatory session was helpful. The judges requested additional time during deliberations due to the tight competition. When my name was not called for second place during the winners' announcement, I thought I did not make it," she explains.

"Participating in the competition improved my research and communication skills and my digital literacy. Being exposed to research from participants in different fields has also been beneficial."

The international competition is developed and hosted annually by the University of Melbourne, Australia. Currently in its sixth year, it has become a widely adopted postgraduate programme in many higher education institutions globally. The first, second and third place winners for 2024 will be announced at the eResearch Australasia conference on 30 October 2024.

With a master of theology degree in practical theology (cum laude) and a bachelor of theology honours degree in practical theology (cum laude) from Unisa, as well as a bachelor of theology from Auckland Park Theological Seminary, Pastor Ndlovu's academic journey has been nothing short of impressive.

Her research focuses on premarital counselling in black South African churches to address the country's high divorce rate. Her study explores the impact of pastoral premarital counselling on couples and aims to design programmes tailored to African Christians to improve marital stability.

She says she hopes that this achievement will draw more attention to the significance of the field of theology and its practical applications, emphasising that theology is not solely concerned with the knowledge of God, but also deeply intertwined with human actions.

"I am researching premarital counselling in black South African churches to help tackle the high divorce rate in the country. South Africa's divorce rate is twice as high as the marriage rate, which has negative effects on individuals and society. Premarital counselling has been proven to reduce marital distress and prevent divorce, but little is known about the premarital counselling provided by clergy in South Africa. My study aims to explore the content and impact of pastoral premarital counselling as perceived by clergy and couples. The findings will help in designing effective programmes tailored to African Christians, ultimately improving marital stability in South Africa," she adds.

NWU student and Pastor Gugu Ndlovu.