Unisa celebrates three academics and press powerhouses

Joanne Davis is a literary theorist with a special interest in 19th century African literary history.

She completed her doctorate in literature and philosophy at University of SA (Unisa) in 2012 focusing on the English works of the Reverend Tiyo Soga.

She continues her research on Reverend Soga, 19th century African intellectualism, and biblical hermeneutics, digging through obscure archives and presenting and publishing her findings regularly.

She obtained her masters in creative writing at the University of Cape Town in 2004 and publishes poetry occasionally. She loves languages and is fluent in English, Xhosa, Afrikaans and French, with a smattering of Portuguese.

She lives in London where she currently holds a two-year research associateship at the Centre of World Christianity at SOAS University of London.

Davis explores the different representations of Soga in works by other scholars. She explains Soga’s pivotal role in the Xhosa Bible translation and offers innovative ways to read his writings.

The volume incorporates a detailed list of appendices to facilitate further scholarship on Soga. Among these are facsimile copies of original documents, including university and baptism records, and the Soga family register.

Prof Linda Godfrey is principal scientist at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and associate professor at the Northwest University.

She heads the Waste Research Development and Innovation (RDI) roadmap implementation unit on behalf of the department of science and technology (DST), a unit tasked with implementing SA’s 10-years Waste RDI Roadmap.

Godfrey, with the CSIR worked with Unido earlier this year to scope a new project entitled, “Support for transitioning from conventional plastics to more environmentally sustainable alternatives”.

The aim of the project is to address the leakage of waste plastic into the environment, including the marine environment.

Dr Divya Singh holds a doctorate in law from Unisa and a second master’s in tertiary education management from Melbourne University. She is a certified ethics officer and the executive director of Globethics.net, Southern Africa.

She’s been an academic for the last 28 years, serving in university leadership for the last eight years and is currently the chief academic officer at Stadio Holdings – a private higher education investment company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

Her research profile includes 47 articles, several book chapters, and she has delivered keynote papers, locally and globally, as well as serving as editor of both book and journal publications on law, ethics, leadership and governance.

She has successfully initiated and facilitated co-operative and stakeholder relationships with local, continental and international partners and received acclaim both domestically and internationally for her academic contribution and community engagement.

• Article and images provided by Unisa Press