Publications
Academic Publications
Books
Edited Volumes
100 YEARS OF RADIO IN SOUTH AFRICA: Volume 1 - South African Radio Stations and Broadcaster: Then & Now. Publisher – Palgrave McMillan
100 YEARS OF RADIO IN SOUTH AFRICA: Volume 2 - Community Radio, Digital Radio and the Future of Radio in South Africa. Publisher – Palgrave McMillan
Journal articles
Published
Nkoala, S. 2024. Multilingual students’ linguistic repertoires as a resource: a case study of assessments in journalism studies, International Multilingual Research Journal, DOI: 10.1080/19313152.2024.2303570
Nkoala, S., 2023. Twitter’s Technological Affordances and Science Journalism in the Global South: A Media Richness Approach from South Africa. Journalism Studies, pp.1-24.
Matsilele, T., & Nkoala, S. 2023. Metavoicing, trust-building mechanisms and partisan messaging: a study of social media usage by selected South African female politicians, Information, Communication & Society, DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2023.2252862
Nkoala, S., 2023. The Message, the Medium and the Means of Argumentation: Towards a More Holistic Approach to the Rhetorical Criticism of Television News Reports. African Journalism Studies, pp.1-14. DOI: 10.1080/23743670.2023.2244539
Nkoala, S. and Dlanga, S., 2023. ‘My Fellow South Africans’ Cyril Ramaphosa Emulates Mandela in his COVID-19 Presidential Speeches. African Journal of Rhetoric, 15(1), pp.167-192.
Grawe, M.N., Nkoala, S. and Makwambeni, B., 2023. The Use of Social Media for Internal Communication within South African Local Government. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372170396_The_Use_of_Social_Media_for_Internal_Communication_within_South_African_Local_Government
Nkoala, S., Magoda, Z., Mashiya, V., Makwambeni, B. & Mugobo, V. 2022. “Use of digital tools for social engagement in remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: a case study of a South African university”. IJEDICT
Nkoala, S. and Matsilele, T., 2023. The influence of the digital divide on emergency remote student-centred learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: a case study of journalism education. SN Social Sciences, 3(3), p.47.
Nkoala, S., 2022. Educators’ Experiences of using multilingual pedagogies during emergency remote teaching: a case study of South African universities. International Journal of Multilingualism, pp.1-14. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14790718.2022.2074012)
Nkoala, S. 2022. A rhetoric of terror and the terrified. Acta Juridica. pp 119 - 139.
Behari-Leak, K., Nkoala, S., Mokou, G. and Binkowski, H., 2021. Exploring disruptions of the coloniality of knowledge, power and being to enable agency as disciplinary activists for curriculum change. Journal of Decolonising Disciplines, 2(2). https://upjournals.up.ac.za/index.php/jdd/article/download/25/3398
Nkoala, S. 2020. Crimes Against Children: Evaluative Language and News Reports on Sentences. Javnost - The Public. doi: 10.1080/13183222.2021.1844500
Nkoala, S.B., 2020. Songs that shaped the struggle: A rhetorical analysis of South African struggle songs. African Yearbook of Rhetoric 10. p7-16. (https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/EJC-20c6b555ff)
Nkoala, S.B., 2020. Student perceptions on indigenous languages as a social good in journalism education at a South African university. Paradigms, p.70. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Navindhra-Naidoo/publication/344509614_Fostering_transformative_pedagogy_in_Higher_Education_A_teaching_method_preference_survey_of_Emergency_Medical_Care_students/links/5f7d73a8458515b7cf6c68ff/Fostering-transformative-pedagogy-in-Higher-Education-A-teaching-method-preference-survey-of-Emergency-Medical-Care-students.pdf#page=72)
Nkoala, S.B., 2020. Student perceptions of multilingualism and the culture of communication in journalism studies in higher education. Reading & Writing, 11(1), p.9 (http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2308-14222020000100006)
Nkoala, S., 2019. Internal affairs: an Aristotelian perspective on SABC 3 news. African Journal of Rhetoric, 11(1), pp.224-243. (https://journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.10520/EJC-1ae3312c23)
Nkoala, S.M., 2013. Songs that shaped the struggle: a rhetorical analysis of South African struggle songs. African Yearbook of Rhetoric, 4(1), pp.51-61. (https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/EJC165971)
Book chapters
Mbinjama, A. and Nkoala, S., 2024. “I Am the Highest Paid Showrunner in Television!” Shonda Rhimes’ Work and Influence in the Media Industry. In Working Women on Screen: Paid Labour and Fourth Wave Feminism (pp. 147-168). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-49576-2_7
Nkoala, S. and Motsaathebe, G., 2023. Community and Online Radio as Emerging Frontiers of South African Audio Broadcasting. In 100 Years of Radio in South Africa, Volume 2: Community Radio, Digital Radio and the Future of Radio in South Africa (pp. 1-8). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Nkoala, S., 2023. Storytellers, Curators, Watchdogs and Analysts: A Metajournalistic Discourse Analysis of South African Radio Broadcasters’ Role in Agenda-Setting. In 100 Years of Radio in South Africa, Volume 1: South African Radio Stations and Broadcasters Then & Now (pp. 151-170). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Nkoala, S. and Motsaathebe, G., 2023. A Century of South Africa’s Most Renowned Medium. In 100 Years of Radio in South Africa, Volume 1: South African Radio Stations and Broadcasters Then & Now (pp. 1-10). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Motsaathebe, G. and Nkoala, S., 2023. The Road Ahead: Community Radio and the Digital Milieu—Challenges and Opportunities for the Next Century of South Africa’s Radio Landscape. 100 Years of Radio in South Africa, Volume 2: Community Radio, Digital Radio and the Future of Radio in South Africa, pp.179-181.
Nkoala, S., 2023. Emergence of Indigenous Language Podcasts in South Africa: Amplifying the Agency of Indigenous Language Speakers in the Digital Public Sphere. In 100 Years of Radio in South Africa, Volume 2: Community Radio, Digital Radio and the Future of Radio in South Africa (pp. 143-159). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Matsilele, T., Makwambeni, B., Nkoala, S. and Bulani, G.J., 2023. Youth Audiences and Social Media Integration in Community Radio Stations in South Africa: A Case Study of Zibonele FM and Bush Radio. In Converged Radio, Youth and Urbanity in Africa: Emerging trends and perspectives (pp. 123-153). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Matsilele, T. and Nkoala, S., 2022. COVID-19 and the structural inequalities in South Africa's higher education: A case study of Cape Peninsula University of Technology's journalism programme. In Woyo, E., Mare, A., & Amadhila, E In Teaching and Learning with Digital Technologies in Higher Education Institutions in Africa (pp. 245-257). Routledge.
Nkoala, S. “Metaphors in music as a means of persuasion: A rhetorical analysis of the vocal and non-vocal elements of South African struggle songs.” In Fahnestock, J., & Harris, RA. Routledge Handbook of Language and Persuasion. Routledge.
Nkoala, S., 2022. A Comparative Discourse Analysis of African Newspaper Reports on Global Epidemics: A Case Study of Ebola and Coronavirus. In Health Crises and Media Discourses in Sub-Saharan Africa (pp. 163-181). Springer, Cham.
Nkoala, S., 2021. The Curious Case of “Coconut Kelz”: Satire as a Critique of Race-Thinking in South Africa. In The Politics of Laughter in the Social Media Age (pp. 233-247). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mbongeni-Msimanga-2/publication/355891437_Political_Satire_and_the_Mediation_of_the_Zimbabwean_Crisis_in_the_Era_of_the_New_Dispensation_The_Case_of_MAGAMBA_TV/links/618b85ae61f098772079f5ae/Political-Satire-and-the-Mediation-of-the-Zimbabwean-Crisis-in-the-Era-of-the-New-Dispensation-The-Case-of-MAGAMBA-TV.pdf#page=241)
Nkoala, S., 2021. Persuasion Across Platforms: A Rhetorical Analysis of Televised and Digitised News Reports on Economic Matters. Television in Africa in the Digital Age, pp.127-144.
Nkoala, S. and Matsilele, T., In whose interest is it anyway?: An analysis of the content, discourse and programming strategies of South African business radio shows. In Radio, Public Life and Citizen Deliberation in South Africa (pp. 234-250). Routledge.
Nkoala, S.2021. Students’ perspectives of how multilingualism helps or hinders epistemic access in journalism education. In Knowledge beyond colour lines. Pp 99-114. UWC Press.
Popular Press
As a scholar I believe in making my research accessible. For me, this means not only trying to publish in open access publications where possible, but also sharing my research with the public through television, radio and newspaper interviews. My engagement with the popular press in this regard is to foster a discussion on my findings and to share my recommendations with the aim of shaping public debate in this regard. This aspect of my work is different from the community engagement aspect, in that I am usually invited as a guest who is able to speak to a topical issue based on a paper or chapter I have published in that area.My work been featured on eNCA, SABC, Radio 702, Cape Talk, SAFm the Sunday Times, Daily Mverick and Powerfm, as shown in the examples below.
2023 NIHSS Award interview
In 2023 I was awarded the National Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences Best Digital Humanities: Visualisation or Infographic prize for my ongoing project on digitising the Early South African Black Press. In this interview I talk about the project and what this recognition by the NIHSS means.
Even in podcast and social media era, radio continues to play central role
Link: https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/opinion/columnists/2024-02-14-themba-sepotokele-even-in-podcast-and-social-media-era-radio-continues-to-play-central-role/
Professor outlines journey of radio over the years
Link: Professor outlines journey of radio over the years | Netwerk24
Radio 702 Marks 100 years since radio was introduced in South Africa, through the first experimental broadcast at the Railway Headquarters in Johannesburg
Namibian Broadcasting Corporation
Two years ago I did a study on the the use of language as symbolic action in digital violence against South African journalists, which I had the opportunity to present at the Unesco World Press Freedom Day conference. It was great to be discussing this issue again because, while great strides have been made in coming up with policies and guidelines, the situation is still dire, leading many female journalists to self censor for fear of the online hate they get subjected to.
In a stretched global media world, where “beats”, such as health, education and the environment, covered by specialist reporters, have been shrinking as fast as reader numbers and advertising, a job ad for a “modern storyteller” adept in print, audio and visual journalism was bound to be controversial.
South African newsrooms are as depleted as most around the world. Arts, culture and entertainment coverage is often confined to what celebrities say on X or the pictures they post on Instagram.
“If we base the idea of journalism on information that is in the public interest rather than information that the public finds interesting, then reporters who are dedicated to specific celebrities, no matter their cultural, economic and social impact, might not be sustainable nor in the best interest of the field,” says Dr Sisanda Nkoala, senior lecturer in the media department at Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
Link: https://mg.co.za/friday/2023-10-14-tayloring-stories-for-fans/
While many South Africans might not own a wireless any more, radio is still central to our lives [Comment for a Daily Maverick article]
Dr Sisanda Nkoala, senior lecturer in the Department of Communication Sciences at the University of South Africa, said the way people consumed radio was now mostly via their cellphones, and it was expected there would be a decrease in radio ownership. “Is it a cause for concern? Absolutely not; radio as a medium is still loved in South Africa. People still listen in their millions.” She added that contrary to emerging belief, radio was not threatened by digital media but, instead, digital media supported radio.
Click here to read more: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-10-12-while-many-south-africans-might-not-own-a-wireless-any-more-radio-is-still-central-to-our-lives/
Leadership in a crisis: how President Ramaphosa’s COVID speeches drew on Mandela’s ideas of South African unity
In times of crisis, leaders wield more than just political power. They harness the art of rhetoric in a bid to unite their nations towards a common goal. South Africa, with a tumultuous history marked by apartheid, has seen leaders employ persuasive communication to navigate challenges. I’ve been a media and rhetoric scholar for a decade. My colleague and I examined Ramaphosa’s communicative approaches during the pandemic. Our paper on his speeches looked at how leaders use their speeches to unify citizens amid turmoil and uncertainty.
Click here to read more: https://theconversation.com/leadership-in-a-crisis-how-president-ramaphosas-covid-speeches-drew-on-mandelas-ideas-of-south-african-unity-214998
Community radio: young South Africans are helping shape the news through social media
The number of South African internet users has nearly doubled in the past decade. One 2023 study of 45 developed countries suggests that South Africans even lead the world when it comes to the amount of time spent in front of screens, at 58.2% of the day. This digital transformation has significant implications for the country’s media. Particularly for newsrooms that want to engage online audiences in a time when news production has evolved towards greater participation of citizens and civil society. More and more, listeners are contributing to media processes.
Click here to read more: https://theconversation.com/community-radio-young-south-africans-are-helping-shape-the-news-through-social-media-204958
Eusebius McKaiser played a transformative role in talk radio in a democratic South Africa
South African broadcaster, author and political analyst Eusebius McKaiser passed away suddenly on 30 May 2023 at the age of 45. News of his death reverberated through media channels. Tributes bore witness to the impact of his voice and the enduring significance of radio as the medium through which many first encountered his outspoken, insightful commentary. McKaiser blazed a trail that helped inform public debate in contemporary South Africa.
Click here to read more: https://theconversation.com/eusebius-mckaiser-played-a-transformative-role-in-talk-radio-in-a-democratic-south-africa-206876
100 years of radio in South Africa
Cape Talk's Clarence speaks to Dr Sisanda Nkoala Senior Lecturer, Cape Peninsula University of Technology about 100 years of radio in South Africa: https://omny.fm/shows/mid-morning/heritage-half-hour-100-years-of-sa-radio
Media and Society | GBV and media
In this interview, featured on SABC Media and society programme, Dr Sisanda Nkoala speaks to Peter Ndoro about her research on television news reports on gender based violence
Reporting on 16 Days of Activism: How South African media gets it wrong
Clarence speaks to Dr Sisanda Nkoala, senior lecturer in the media department at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Click here to listen: https://omny.fm/shows/mid-morning/16-days-of-activism-how-south-africa-s-tv-news-get#description
Radio in South Africa turns 100 – and collides with podcasting and streaming
This year marks 100 years since radio was introduced in South Africa, through “the first experimental broadcast at the Railway Headquarters in Johannesburg” on 18 December 1923. A century on, up to 94% of South Africans over the age of 15 confirmed in a recent survey that they owned a radio set in one form or other. Radio remains firmly in place as the country’s most loved medium. Millions tune in daily to 40 commercial and public broadcast stations and over 250 community stations. Although other forms, like television, have threatened, as the song goes, to kill “the radio star”, the intimacy, immediacy and sociability of radio remain unmatched.
Click here to read more: Radio in South Africa turns 100 – and collides with podcasting and streaming (theconversation.com)
South Africa’s struggle songs against apartheid come from a long tradition of resistance
African newspapers can be anti-African too: what my research found
An interview on struggle songs featured on Eyewitness News
An article republished in the Cape Argus
August 31, 2022https://www-pressreader-com.ezproxy.cput.ac.za/south-africa/cape-argus/20220831/page/10
Television reports on crimes against women and children tend to get a lot of views and opens up the platform to public scrutiny. It's also the main medium in which viewers are informed about court cases and their outcomes. Sisanda Nkoala from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology has written a research paper on the role news broadcasts play when it comes to reporting on matters that involve the law and the courts. She spoke to Thembekile Mrototo. #eNCA Courtesy #DStv403
In this article, I was featured giving commentory on the implications of closing down a Cape Town-based community radio station that broadcasts tot he Khayelitsha community in Xhosa.
In this edition of the Knowledge Bank, Powerfm's Lukhona Mnguni explored a chapter from the book “Radio, Public Life and Citizen Deliberation in South Africa”. The chapter, “In whose interest is it anyway? - An analysis of the content, discourse and programming strategies of South African business radio shows”, authored by Sisanda Nkoala and Dr Trust Matsilele explores the extent to which South African talk radio stations fulfil their normative role of ensuring that disparate groups participate in shaping narratives around the structure and direction of the country's economy.
As media coverage of the 16 days of activism for no violence against women and children peaks, a recent study challenges newsrooms to reflect on the words and visuals they use to convey stories.In the study, entitled Crimes Against Children: Evaluative Language and News Reports on Sentences, academic Sisanda Nkoala examined television news coverage of three prominent child murder cases by SA’s biggest broadcasters. The peer-reviewed study was published in the Javnost — The Public journal last month. Nkoala zoomed in on SA’s two major broadcasters’ reporting on the judgments and sentencing of Nicholas Ninow, Zintle Maditla and Nkosinathi Ndlela... ~ 10 December 2020
Media should treat cases involving child victims with kid gloves
Link: https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times-daily/news/2020-12-10-media-should-treat-cases-involving-child-victims-with-kid-gloves/
Do media reports on crimes against children focus on emotion rather than facts?
Do media reports on crimes against children focus on emotion rather than facts? University of Cape Town PhD graduate Dr Sisanda Nkoala conducted a study on television news reporting of violent crimes against children.
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 ~ 1 August 2022
Also republished on:
https://indiaeducationdiary.in/university-of-cape-town-media-reports-on-crimes-against-children-focus-on-emotion-rather-than-facts-study/
Media reports on crimes against children focus on emotion rather than facts – study
Link: https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-2022-08-01-media-reports-on-crimes-against-children-focus-on-emotion-rather-than-facts-study
An article published in The Conversation Africa based on my paper on Educators experiences of using multlingual pedagogies in emergency remote teaching during the Covid19 pandemic. Also republished on:
https://www.modernghana.com/news/1180067/covid-was-a-setback-for-indigenous-languages-sout.html
SAFM interview of Sisanda Nkoala on The Point of View
Journalism lecturer Dr Sisanda Bukeke Nkoala is being celebrated for earning her PhD while guiding students through their own studies, playing several vital roles at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and raising three young children. Her son has even dubbed her Dr Mama.
SARS Multilingual Tax Teminology Vusi Ntlakana & Dr Sisanda Nkoala
In this video Dr Sisanda Nkoala interviews Vusi Ntlakana of SARS about the 450 multilingual terminologies developed by SARS in 11 SA official languages for the Indigenous Action Languages Forum.
Dr Sisanda Bukeke Nkoala shares her personal Story of Hope on CCFm 107 5
Former CCFm Presenter and now a Journalism lecturer, Dr Sisanda Bukeke Nkoala, is being celebrated for earning her PhD while guiding students through their own studies, playing several vital roles at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), raising three young boys and being married.