Annual Research Report 2020

25 Mr Zekhaya Benard Shozi Zekhaya Shozi is annGAP scholar in theDepartment of Mathematical Sciences in the School of Natural and Applied Sciences at Sol Plaatje University. He is pursuing his PhD studies in Mathematics at the University of Johannesburg under the supervision of Prof. Michael Henning. His research interest is graph theory, a branch of combinatorial mathematics. Specifically, the study focuses on matchings in graphs with a given maximum degree. He intends to characterise the different families of graphs that achieve certain lower bounds on the matching number. To date, Zekhaya has pub- lished two papers in two prestigious journals, the Journal of Graph Theory and the Journal of Discrete Mathematics . A third paper has been submitted to the Journal of Discrete Mathematics and is still under peer review. Currently, Zekhaya is compiling his PhD thesis and anticipates submitting the thesis early in November 2021. Ms Itumeleng N. Masiteng Itumeleng Masiteng’s research interest was cultivated while work- ing at the Ditsong National Museums of South Africa as a curator and researcher. Her research interests included the Late Iron Age of Southern Africa, archaeo-zoology, forensic anthropology, and human remains in museum collections. These interests led to co-authoring articles from 2007, and in 2014 she wrote her first solo article. The attendance of conferences has assisted her with the dissemination of research and has grown her network for fu- ture collaborations. Itumeleng’s niche area or scholarship lies in heritage resources management with an emphasises on Integrated Conservation Management Plans for heritage sites. She is currently finalising her PhD proposal; the research project focuses on con- servation and management practice of house museums as sites of cultural significance in Kimberley. Ms Laura Arnold Laura Arnold’s journey at Sol Plaatje University began in 2017. In 2018, after the death of her previous supervisor, Prof. Brenda Leibowitz, and her grandmother, she went through a difficult time. Despite this, she was awarded a master’s in Education by the University of Johannesburg in 2018. Laura is currently a PhD candidate at the University of the Witwatersrand, supervised by the Acting Head of School, Dr Thabisile Nkambule. Her PhD focus- es on exploring how teaching practice contributes to the develop- ment of SPU student teachers’ professional identities. The data for the study could not be collected last year, partly because SPU students did not participate in teaching practice in schools due to the rising numbers of cases of Covid-19 in the Northern Cape. By next year, her aim is to submit two papers for publication and to complete her PhD. Laura indicated that she is grateful for the nGAP programme, her colleagues, and most of all to her husband, for the support he has provided throughout her academic career. 2020 nGAP Academics (From left to right): Mr Abongile Zweni, Ms Gail Motlhaudi, Ms Laura Arnold, Ms Itumeleng Masiteng and Mr Zekhaya Shozi. A closer look at five of the nGAP scholars