Edgar Julius Malatji Editor

Fulufhelo Oscar Makananise is an NRF-rated researcher and Associate Professor in Media Studies at the University of South Africa (UNISA). He holds a doctoral degree in Media Studies from the University of Limpopo. Prof. Makananise obtained a PG (dip)HE from Rhodes University. He also serves as an external examiner in other South African universities and as a reviewer in international and national scholarly journals. Prof. Makananise has authored and published academic articles in peer-reviewed and DHET-accredited journals. In addition, Prof. Makananise has presented papers at both national and international conferences. His research interests include new media technology, digital media, indigenous language media, social media, political communication, digital diplomacy, and news media consumption.

Edgar Julius Malatji is a Senior Lecturer in Media Studies at the University of South Africa and holds a PhD in Media Studies. Also, he was a coordinator of the Programme of Media Studies within the Department of Communication, Media, and Information Studies at the University of Limpopo. Dr. Malatji has recently acquired a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education from the Durban University of Technology. He published several scholarly contributions, including book chapters, articles as well and conference papers. Some of his scholarly presentations were delivered in Ireland, France, Russia, and Nigeria. Currently, Dr. Malatji is working on a book titled “Decolonising Communication for Development and Social Change Research: Intercultural Perspectives from the Global South”. Lastly, his research interests focus on Indigenous Language Media, Digital Media, Development Communication, and Broadcasting Studies.

Shumani Eric Madima is a Linguistics Senior Lecturer at the University of Venda (UNIVEN) in the Department of English, Media Studies and Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education. He teaches Linguistics to undergraduate and postgraduate students. He completed his BA degree at the University of South Africa (Unisa), BA (Hons) in Applied Linguistics at the University of Pretoria, MA (Cum Laude) in Linguistics, and PhD in Linguistics at the University of Venda. He has been a teacher and a lecturer at South African Teacher Education (SACTE). His fields of specialisation are Sociolinguistics, Language Planning, Psycholinguistics, Language and gender, Linguistics in Educational Context and Media Studies. He has written several articles on various themes, such as Linguistics and Media Studies, which have been published in different international journals.

Tshepang Bright Molale holds a PhD in Communication Studies and is a senior lecturer in Media Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. He has published journal articles and book chapters widely in international and locally accredited peer-reviewed outlets, including a co-edited anthology entitled “Strategic Communication Management for Development and Social Change: Perspectives from the African Region”. His research interests also include Communication for Development and Social Change, Development Journalism and African Language Media Studies.