SPU’s Postdoctoral Fellows Up Close series brings our emerging scholars into focus, highlighting the work that strengthens our research identity and contributes to the development needs of the Northern Cape. These researchers are advancing important questions, applying rigorous methodologies and deepening SPU’s academic presence within national and global research spaces.
Today’s Up Close feature introduces Fellows whose work spans key academic areas that include Entrepreneurship Development, Early Childhood Education and Curriculum Development, Arid Region Studies and African Identities and Heritage.
Dr Wellington Chakuzira
An accomplished researcher in Entrepreneurship Development and Consumer Behaviour, Dr Wellington Chakuzira serves as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. His work focuses on advancing entrepreneurship development by collaborating with both private and public sector partners to design and support initiatives that prioritise social impact and the growth of innovative entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Dr Chakuzira’s current research examines the entrepreneurial skills required by Small Medium and Micro Enterprises in the Northern Cape. He has contributed four chapters to various academic publications and authored ten peer reviewed journal articles, with a strong focus on enterprise development and the sustainability of small businesses. His research projects have explored the resilience of small scale enterprises and the ways in which entrepreneurs use available support systems to strengthen their marketing strategies and long term sustainability.
Dr Deborah Arasomwan
With more than eight years of experience in Foundation Phase and Early Childhood Education, Dr Deborah Arasomwan serves as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer in the Faculty of Education. Her research focuses on three key areas. The first is action participatory research that equips Early Childhood Care and Education practitioners with foundational music skills that support music based pedagogy in the classroom. The second explores challenges faced by Foundation Phase lecturers in using digital formative assessments. The third investigates students experiences of virtual learning environments.
Dr Arasomwan is also active in community development projects. She provides reading support to rural first year Foundation Phase students and offers foundational music skills training to rural ECD educators to enhance teaching effectiveness. In addition, she is a reviewer for the South African Journal of Childhood Education.
Dr Morena Mapuru
A Postdoctoral Fellow in the Arid Region Water Research Centre in the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Dr Morena Mapuru conducts research across several interconnected domains. These include remote sensing, biogeomorphology, land degradation assessment, ecological modelling, conservation ecology and the use of advanced GIS techniques.
His work is centred on understanding and restoring arid and semi arid environments through quantitative spatial analysis and environmental monitoring. He is particularly committed to evidence based conservation and sustainable land management initiatives that support dryland ecosystems in South Africa. As a registered scientist with the South African National Scientific Professions, Dr Mapuru contributes to national efforts that promote environmental resilience, rehabilitation and ecological stewardship.
Dr Charl Blignaut
Based in the Faculty of Humanities, Dr Charl Blignaut brings expertise in Afrikaner history, historical sociology, political history and affective history. His early work focused on women’s history, with attention to the roles played by women in the Ossewa Brandwag and the organisation’s place within South African political history during the Second World War.
His current research examines Afrikaner cultural nationalism between 1929 and 1949. He explores how cultural nationalists shaped and advanced ideas of Afrikaner identity during this period, and how these ideas influenced political and cultural life. His work engages deeply with concepts of memory, commemoration, social mythology and shared imaginaries to understand how national mythology is constructed and reproduced. Dr Blignaut’s research provides insight into the cultural dynamics that shape identity formation and historical consciousness within South Africa.
As SPU continues to grow, it remains committed to nurturing emerging scholars who bring intellectual depth, innovation and global perspective into our academic community. Through their contributions, SPU strengthens its research capacity, builds strategic partnerships across sectors, and positions the University as a hub for inclusive growth, knowledge creation and research-driven development in the Northern Cape and beyond.
