Brand SA says the discovery of the Omicron variant demonstrated South Africa’s strong reputation for scientific and epidemiology excellence. - and believes SA’s reputation and contribution to the global fight against the Covid-19 pandemic have been enhanced. Sisanda Nkoala, Brand South Africa Trustee, spoke to Newzroom Afrika's Hugo Ribatika

In celebration of Heritage Day, South Africans took time out to enjoy this day in their own unique manner. In the face of corruption allegations and problems in South Africa's economy people as left asking how they can leave their heads up high? Sisanda Nkoala, Board Trustee for Brand South Africa joins CNBC Africa's Chris Bishop to answer this question.

The NGO "Voice of the Unborn Baby" has approached the High Court in Pretoria. This to amend a law that currently denies parents of stillborn or miscarried babies the right to bury or cremate them if they're 26 weeks or younger. In a court application launched earlier this month, the organisation says the law does not give parents the right to decide on what to do with the remains of the fetus. But instead incinerates the prospective baby as medical waste. By Sisanda Nkoala

A child goes missing every five hours in South Africa. That's according to the South African Police Service's Missing persons bureau. While most are eventually reunited with their families, around a quarter are never found. South Africa is set to mark International Missing Children's Day. By Sisanda Nkoala

The documentary depicts events surrounding the arrest of 10 Salt River High students, 2  teachers and a parent by the oppressive Apartheid regime. This occurred  during the height of political unrest in the struggle for liberation  against discrimination and racial subjugation.

Scripted by Sisanda Nkoala

 An academic in the Media Department is a member of a new working group on strategies to address mis/dis/mal-information in South Africa. Sisanda Nkoala serves on the multi-stakeholder working group in her capacity as a public representative of the South African Press Council and said she would “no doubt” draw on her work as a Media Studies academic.

Emerging scholar, Sisanda Nkoala, has been awarded an Early Career Conference grant by the Association of Commonwealth Universities to present two papers at the International Association for Media and Communications Research’s (IAMCR) 2021 conference.

The IAMCR is the preeminent worldwide professional organisation in the field of media and communication research and the theme of this year’s conference, which will be held online, is: Rethinking borders and boundaries.

Nkoala, a lecturer in the Media Department, said the first paper she will be presenting is based on her ongoing research on South African television news reports on crime and justice called “Crimes Against Children: Evaluative Language and News Reports on Sentences”.

A collaboration between the Journalism Programme and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)’s Western Cape office will be aimed at fostering and researching youth participation in the 2021 local government elections in the province.

CPUT and the IEC have been working together for several years and this year’s collaboration will involve several online activities.

The journalism programme will assist the IEC to curate content to promote participation by South African youths in the elections.

An academic in the Media Department, Sisanda Nkoala, has been appointed as a public representative on the Press Council of South Africa.

The Council’s primary aim is to promote and develop ethical practice in journalism and to promote the adoption and adherence to those standards by the South African print and online media.

The state of TV journalism was the focus of a thought-provoking webinar recently presented by the Media Department.

 The panellists were eTV journalist Natalie Malgas, acting cameraman for the SABC’s George bureau, Sphiwe Hobasi and multi award-winning investigative journalist, documentary producer, visual art critic, writer on contemporary culture and author, Hazel Friedman.

Journalism lecturer Sisanda Nkoala said the webinar formed part of a series that will deal with different sectors of media including film, photography and communication and media broadly. “Journalism is the most topical at the moment, hence it was a starting point. The changes that are happening locally in terms of how newsrooms function and how news is understood, make exploring journalism particularly relevant,” she said.

The University of Cape Town (UCT) hosted its first live and in person PhD graduation ceremony since the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Over 100 doctoral graduates from all faculties at UCT received their degrees on Friday, 22 July 2022 during morning and afternoon sessions held inside the Sarah Baartman Hall. 

UCT community sends congratulations and well wishes to all PhD students who graduated in July 2022. 

Acknowledging that the advent of mass media has been one of the most significant developments in shaping the world as we know it today, recent University of Cape Town (UCT) PhD graduate Dr Sisanda Nkoala wanted to understand how that shaping occurs and what it persuades us of.

For the mother of three – two three-year-olds and a one-year-old – her PhD journey was a juggling act between her personal, professional and academic life. But this did not stop Nkoala – and because of her motivation and the support of those around her, she was able to finish her studies in record time, publish 12 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and present at various local and international conferences.

A mother of three little boys is on cloud nine after bagging her PhD in Rhetoric Studies from UCT During her candidature, Sisanda Nkoala juggled being a mom, wife, and media lecturer at CPUT The newly minted doctor also uses her position to support young women of colour who are aspirant researchers Read more: https://briefly.co.za/people/women/134134-womens-month-sa-mom-3-boys-bags-phd-uct-reflects-balancing-job-media-academic-motherhood/