Nobubele Phuza
Nominee's Province:
Gauteng
Project Name/Description:
Phuza, a manifestation of her community’s dreams Nobubele Phuza is a researcher, teacher and keen sportswoman. She is currently doing her PhD while teaching at Nelson Mandela University under the New Generation Academics Programme. She holds an undergraduate degree from Rhodes University and BA Honours and Master of Arts (Cum Laude) from her current university. As a researcher, Phuza’s work has been deliberately focused on women, bringing gendered issues from the periphery to the centre of scholarly and political debate. In her Master’s, she investigated the meaning and implications of “emphasized femininity” – the idealised standards of women which encourage conformity to the needs and desires of men – in the context of sport. Her focus was on netball, which can reflect and reinforce traditional ideas of female physicality and heterosexuality. In her PhD, Phuza focusses on radical articulations of gender transformation in South Africa. This research will make strong contributions in our understanding of women’s experiences in the protest field and how black women navigate between Western colonialism and African patriarchy. She is also passionate about the development of young girls, providing research assistance to Strategic Analytics Management, who coordinate research on Rise Clubs, youth entrepreneurship and holistic learner development in schools located in Bethelsdorp, New Brighton, KwaNobuhle, Motherwell, Walmer location and Zwide in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. Phuza is also a practitioner of sports and has enjoyed a successful career in netball and basketball. She has represented the UGU District, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and South Africa in both sports at age group and senior level. Highlights include the Zone VI Youth Games in Zambia, World Youth Netball Championships in Glasgow, World University Netball Championships in Uganda and her participation in the Netball Diamond Challenge hosted by Netball South Africa. Nobubele has served as the Vice President of Madibaz Netball and the Development Officer of Madibaz Basketball. She is currently the secretary of netball in the National University Sport Association. Her leadership and excellence in research and sport have earned her numerous awards and nominations. Her most notable accolades for academic and scholarly work include receiving the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Scholarship, National Research Foundation – DAAD scholarship, GradStar Top 100 Award and the Department of Science and Innovation’s Albertina-Sisulu Fellowship in recognition of her research at Master’s level on women and gender issues. For sporting excellence, Phuza holds the Rhodes-Investec Top 100 students award, the Madibaz Director of Sports and Nelson Mandela Bay Netball Association’s Sports Leadership awards, and the uMuziwabantu Municipality and UGU District Youth Awards for sporting excellence and sports leadership. “In the end I am just a girl from Harding who made the most of all the opportunities afforded to her. I am a product of continued investment from a community of people who would not allow me to be mediocre. “ The person reflected in this bio is a manifestation of their dreams. It is not easy to see yourself beyond the small towns that we come from. Never mind being a national netball player or an emerging academic in a university named after the most iconic man in South African political history. “ Thank you to Sunday World for this kind of recognition. May it remind other young women of their own capabilities and encourage more investment in women from academia, sport, entrepreneurship and community development". Instagram: @Nobu_Phuza Twitter: @Nobu_Phuza Facebook: Nobubele Phuza
