Editorial Philosophy Statement

I. The Premise

The Frontier is conceived in the conviction that knowledge is indivisible. At the heart of the Welisa Academy philosophy is a refusal of the artificial separation of knowledges into isolated domains when the human condition itself is neither isolated nor divisible. The human individual is at once intellectual, material, social, cultural, creative, historical, ecological and political; and human experience is correspondingly multidimensional and multifaceted. What we know, how we know it, and what we do with knowledge therefore cannot be adequately understood through rigid disciplinary partitions alone.

The Frontier is an expression of this conviction. It is not intended merely as another scholarly publication with a broader range of subjects. It is conceived as a space in which different ways of knowing encounter, interrogate, enrich and transform one another. Its ambition is to recover a more complete conception of knowledge: one that recognises difference without converting difference into separation; one that values specialisation without allowing specialisation to become enclosure; and one that brings the intellectual, creative, scientific, social and lived dimensions of human existence back into meaningful conversation.

II. Why the Frontier

Welisa Academy understands the fragmentation of knowledge as both historically produced and practically limiting. The modern tendency to divide knowledge into increasingly specialised compartments has generated extraordinary depth and technical capability, but it can also obscure the relationships between phenomena that are experienced by human beings as interconnected. The challenges of our time—social inequality, ecological change, technological transformation, questions of identity and belonging, the politics of knowledge, cultural memory, health, governance, development and the continuing work of decolonisation—do not arrive neatly labelled according to academic departments.

The Frontier therefore begins from a simple but demanding proposition: if reality is interconnected, knowledge must be capable of becoming interconnected.

Multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity are not decorative features of the project. They are methodological and philosophical commitments. The former enables distinct fields of expertise to be brought into proximity; the latter asks what becomes possible when those fields genuinely converse, overlap, challenge their assumptions and produce new syntheses. In this sense, The Frontier seeks not the abolition of disciplines, but their liberation from disciplinary isolation.

III. An Editorial Team as an Intellectual Proposition

The composition of The Frontier’s Editorial Team is itself an embodiment of this philosophy. Its multidisciplinary character is not a confirmation or endorsement of boundaries of difference. It is a practical demonstration that those differences can become the building blocks of synthesis. The team brings together histories, methods, practices and forms of expertise that, when placed in relationship, reveal the inadequacy of any single intellectual vantage point to comprehend the fullness of human experience.

The Publisher — Mr Bhekamachunu H. Zwelethu Mchunu

The publishing leadership brings together historical scholarship, economic history, heritage, public history, education, research and publishing. Mr Mchunu is a historian, economic history scholar, heritage executive, and journal publisher with over two decades of experience in scholarship, publishing, education, public history, and socio-economic development. He is Co-founder and Director of Welisa Academy, where he provides strategic leadership and advances initiatives in education, research, partnerships, and knowledge production. His publishing experience includes overseeing the editing and publication of an in-house journal and contributing to scholarly and public discourse through book reviews, opinion pieces, newspaper columns, translations, and historical research. He currently serves as Deputy Director of the Umsunduzi and Ncome Museums. His scholarly interests include African agrarian history, racial capitalism, land regimes, indigenous knowledge systems, public history, historiography, and heritage studies. He holds an MA in Economic History from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a BA Honours in History, cum laude, from the University of South Africa, and is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of History at UNISA.

As Publisher, Mr Mchunu provides strategic publishing leadership; oversees the journal’s publication programme and production process; supports editorial planning, publishing partnerships, quality assurance, and the effective dissemination of the journal’s scholarly and public-facing content. His background in history, heritage, education and publishing contributes to The Frontier’s wider commitment to knowledge that is rigorous, socially consequential, African-centred and open to dialogue across inherited boundaries.

The Design Director — Mr Zaba Ngubane

The design direction adds another form of intelligence: editorial design, typography, visual storytelling, infographics, branding and digital communication become part of how knowledge is structured, encountered and understood. The visual is not treated as an ornament to the intellectual; it is one of the ways in which meaning is made. Mr Ngubane is an experienced Art Director and multidisciplinary Graphic Designer with over 15 years of experience spanning editorial design, branding, publications, digital visual communication and print production. His editorial work includes magazines, newsletters, annual reports and digital publications, with particular strength in typography, layout, visual storytelling, infographics and maintaining visual consistency across complex publications. He has led projects from concept and visual strategy through to final artwork and production, and has overseen the transition of print publications to digital flipbooks and web-based publishing. As founder and Art Director of Logoman Designs, he has provided creative direction and strategic design consultancy to businesses, NGOs and public institutions. His earlier experience includes senior design and art direction roles at Paton Tupper Associates and Khanya Advertising, where he co-founded one of KZN’s first black-owned advertising agencies and led branding and advertising campaigns for the KZN Department of Transport. He holds a National Diploma in Graphic Design from Technikon Natal, now Durban University of Technology, and is proficient in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign, as well as WordPress, Elementor and Canva.

As Design Director, Mr Ngubane leads the journal’s visual identity and design direction; oversees typography, layout, visual storytelling, infographics and design consistency; manages artwork and production for print and digital publications; and supports the presentation of content across publishing formats. His role reflects The Frontier’s view that the visual is not an ornament to intellectual work but one of the ways in which meaning is made, understood and brought into public conversation.

The Managing Editor — Ms. Witty Nonhlanhla Nyide-Mchunu

The managing editorial function brings higher education, visual arts, art history, research, curatorial practice, academic writing, copy-editing and proofreading into the centre of the publication process. This is significant because the integrity of knowledge depends not only upon what is argued, but also upon how carefully it is prepared, communicated, contextualised and made accessible. Ms. Nyide-Mchunu is a Fine Art lecturer, art historian, researcher, curator, and practicing artist based in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Fine Art at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where her research explores affective narratives of land dispossession through a participatory curation of material objects and their agency from 1913 to the present. She holds a Master of Arts in Art History with distinction from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a Bachelor of Technology in Fine Art from Durban University of Technology. Her professional experience spans higher education, art history, museum and gallery education, curatorial practice, community engagement, and visual arts programming. She is currently a Fine Art lecturer at Durban University of Technology, where she teaches and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students in Printmaking, Drawing, Art History and Art Theory, while contributing to curriculum development, assessment, research supervision, community engagement, and international printmaking exchanges. Her previous positions include lecturing roles at Nelson Mandela University and the University of KwaZulu-Natal, as well as Education and Events Officer at the UNISA Art Gallery and Education Officer at the Durban Art Gallery.

Ms. Nyide-Mchunu’s research and scholarly interests are situated at the intersection of contemporary African art, art history, materiality, social justice, community-based practice, and participatory approaches to art and cultural production. Her academic work has been presented at conferences including Feminist Readings in Motion, the South African Visual Arts Historians conference, and the Art and Social Justice Conference. Her publications and critical writing include contributions to The Writers College Times, Jive Media Africa research initiatives, exhibition catalogues, Umlando Journal, and Agenda Journal. Her curatorial, artistic, and professional practice includes participation in exhibitions and international art projects in South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and Mauritius. She has also coordinated regional and international Thupelo workshops and served on exhibition committees and trustee boards within the South African visual arts sector.

As Managing Editor, Ms. Nyide-Mchunu coordinates the editorial workflow and helps bring academic writing, visual culture, research, copy-editing, proofreading and curatorial sensibilities into a coherent publication process. Her interdisciplinary experience supports The Frontier’s commitment to careful preparation, accessibility, creative expression, and meaningful exchange across forms of knowledge. She helps sustain editorial consistency and quality while facilitating communication among the Editor-in-Chief, Editors, authors, reviewers and production.

The Editor-in-Chief — Dr Mabuyi Gumede

At the centre of scholarly direction is expertise spanning cultural and heritage scholarship, sustainable and community-based tourism, tourism policy, interdisciplinary research, postgraduate supervision, peer review, and engagement with policy and communities. Dr Gumede is a Senior Lecturer and Discipline Head of History, Cultural and Heritage Tourism in the School of Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. She holds a PhD in Cultural and Heritage Tourism, with research focusing on community participation in coastal tourism and sustainable tourism development. Her research interests encompass cultural and heritage tourism, coastal and marine tourism, community-based tourism, sustainable livelihoods, tourism policy, climate change, disability and gender studies, and post-pandemic tourism recovery. She has published extensively in accredited journals and scholarly books and has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences. She serves as a reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals and regularly examines master’s dissertations and doctoral theses for universities in South Africa and internationally. She has successfully supervised postgraduate students to completion across the fields of Cultural and Heritage Tourism, Public Policy and Development Studies. Beyond academia, Dr Gumede contributes to tourism policy development, heritage conservation and community engagement through her involvement in provincial and national tourism initiatives, UNESCO heritage advisory processes, and collaborations that promote sustainable and inclusive tourism development in Africa.

As Editor-in-Chief, Dr Gumede provides scholarly and strategic leadership to The Frontier, helping sustain an editorial culture that is rigorous, open to interdisciplinary exchange, and attentive to the relationships between knowledge, policy, community and lived experience. She provides overall scholarly and strategic leadership; sets editorial direction and policy; oversees peer review and publication quality; supports academic, policy and stakeholder engagement; and ensures coherence across the journal’s areas of inquiry.

The Editor — Dr Hleliwe Khumalo

Dr Khumalo is a Lecturer in the Discipline of Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), South Africa. She completed her PhD in Development Studies at UKZN, where her research examined the role of African Indigenous Knowledge Systems in addressing gender-based violence through contextually grounded interventions, with a focus on the communities of Umlazi and KwaNgcolosi. Her research interests include gender-based violence, African Indigenous Knowledge Systems, community development, participatory governance, decolonial scholarship, and social justice.

She has contributed to interdisciplinary research projects, facilitated participatory community engagement initiatives, and co-authored policy-oriented reports for international conferences in collaboration with organisations such as UNFPA, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Social Development. Dr Khumalo has extensive teaching experience in Development Studies, Economic History, and Academic Literacy, and has supervised undergraduate and postgraduate research in community development. She has published and presented her work nationally and internationally on topics related to Indigenous Knowledge Systems, gender justice, and higher education transformation. Her academic contributions have been recognised through the Andrew W. Mellon Spatial Humanities Doctoral Scholarship and the UKZN Talent Equity & Excellence Acceleration Scholarship.

As an Editor, Dr Khumalo brings expertise in Development Studies, African Indigenous Knowledge Systems, gender justice, participatory governance, decolonial scholarship, and community-engaged research. Her work supports The Frontier’s commitment to bringing different knowledge traditions into conversation without reducing them to isolated categories, and to encouraging scholarship that is contextually grounded, inclusive, rigorous and socially transformative.

The Editor — Dr Lungile Prudence Zondi (Balungile)

Dr Zondi is a Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. She holds a PhD in Anthropology and has extensive experience in teaching, research, postgraduate supervision, and academic leadership. Her research focuses on Indigenous Knowledge Systems, cultural and linguistic anthropology, health systems governance, social cohesion, gender, public policy, and community development, with a strong emphasis on qualitative research methods.

Dr Zondi has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes and serves as a reviewer for several international journals. She has supervised numerous Master’s and PhD students to completion and actively contributes to community-engaged scholarship, policy dialogue, and interdisciplinary research. Her work seeks to advance decolonial knowledge production, promote social justice, and strengthen the role of indigenous perspectives in addressing contemporary societal challenges.

As an Editor, Dr Zondi contributes specialist expertise in anthropology, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, qualitative research, cultural and linguistic studies, health governance, gender, and community development. Her experience in peer review, postgraduate supervision, interdisciplinary scholarship, and community engagement strengthens The Frontier’s capacity to assess diverse forms of knowledge and to foster dialogue across fields, methods and knowledge traditions.

The Editor — Prof. Nakanjani Goodenough Sibiya

Prof. Sibiya is an Associate Professor in African Languages and Culture at the University of Zululand. He holds a PhD, MA, BA Honours and Bachelor of Pedagogics from the University of Zululand, with research and scholarly interests spanning isiZulu language, literature, literary heritage, onomastics, translation, terminology development and indigenous knowledge.

Prof. Sibiya has extensive experience in academia, publishing, language development and literary editing. His previous positions include Director and Editor-in-Chief at Isikhungo Sesichazamazwi SesiZulu, Lecturer in the Department of African Languages at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Principal Language Practitioner in Literature and Terminology Development in the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, and Editor of isiZulu Literature and Language Textbooks at Shuter & Shooter Publishers. A prolific author, editor, translator and literary scholar, he has published extensively across short stories, novels, drama, poetry, children’s literature, biographies, literary criticism and academic writing. His work has also been translated between isiZulu and English, reflecting his contribution to the development and dissemination of African-language literature. Prof. Sibiya has received numerous literary awards and is an experienced manuscript and academic peer reviewer, having reviewed for major publishers and journals including Shuter & Shooter Publishers, Oxford University Press, Macmillan Publishers, UKZN Press, the South African Journal of African Languages, Nomina Africana, Alternation and other African-language and indigenous-knowledge journals.

As an Editor, Prof. Sibiya brings substantial expertise in African-language scholarship, literary studies, publishing, editing, translation and the preservation of indigenous literary heritage. His work advances The Frontier’s recognition that language, literature and creative practice are forms of knowledge in their own right, while his experience as an author, translator, peer reviewer and language practitioner strengthens the journal’s commitment to African knowledge traditions, intellectual plurality and rigorous exchange.

The Editor — Dr Mfanozelwe Shozi

Dr Shozi is an experienced academic, community development practitioner, public administration specialist, and human rights and gender equality advocate with more than 25 years of professional experience spanning adult education, public participation, community development, governance, human rights, and gender equality. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Management Sciences, specialising in Public Administration, from Durban University of Technology, a Master of Social Science in Community Development from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, a BTech in Business Administration, a Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Basic Education, and a Bachelor of Arts.

Dr Shozi currently serves as Deputy Director for Community Engagement and Development at Mangosuthu University of Technology, where he is responsible for community engagement programmes, stakeholder relations, community-based research, outreach, student volunteerism, and community development initiatives. He previously served at Durban University of Technology as Project Manager of the Imbali Education and Innovation Precinct and as a lecturer in the Community and Adult Education Unit. His professional experience also includes ten years with the Commission for Gender Equality, where he served as Commissioner and Chairperson and contributed to policy monitoring, public education, research, advocacy, gender equality, governance, and human rights initiatives. He has participated in national and international forums, including the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

Dr Shozi has research and publication interests in gender equality, peacebuilding, conflict resolution, community development, adult education, human rights, and public participation. His recent scholarly contributions include work examining the roles of women during conflict and the contribution of women to peacebuilding and social change in KwaZulu-Natal. He has also served as an examiner of master’s and doctoral students.

As an Editor, Dr Shozi brings extensive expertise in public administration, community development, gender equality, human rights, governance, public participation, and community-based research. His practice-oriented perspective supports The Frontier’s commitment to connecting scholarly knowledge with public policy, social justice, community experience and meaningful societal impact, while remaining attentive to methodological seriousness and interdisciplinary inquiry.

Taken together, the Editorial Team’s fields and practices reveal the many dimensions through which humanity encounters itself and the world. They show why the separation of knowledge into watertight compartments can never be the final word. The historian needs the social scientist; the scientist needs the humanist; the policy scholar needs the community; the artist needs language and history; the designer participates in the communication of every field; and every field, in turn, encounters questions of ethics, culture, power, meaning and human consequence. This is the intellectual proposition embodied by The Frontier.

IV. An Editorial Practice of Synthesis

The Frontier will consequently seek work that crosses borders of discipline, method, genre and perspective. It will welcome scholarship that is rigorously located within a field while remaining open to questions and insights originating elsewhere. It will create room for research, critical reflection, creative and literary expression, public-facing scholarship, translation, visual and cultural work, and forms of inquiry that may resist conventional categorisation.

Its editorial architecture will bring together an Editor-in-Chief, Editors, a Managing Editor, Publisher and Design Director not as walls between forms of knowledge, but as complementary points of entry into a larger intellectual ecology. The Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor will work with the Editors to sustain scholarly coherence and editorial quality across the whole, while the Publisher and Design Director will ensure that the publication’s intellectual and visual identities remain mutually reinforcing.

The Frontier will also treat African knowledge, African languages, indigenous knowledge systems and decolonial thought not as peripheral additions to an established canon, but as important sites from which knowledge can be reconsidered, expanded and re-centred.

Its decolonial commitment is therefore not reducible to changing whose names appear in a bibliography. It concerns the deeper questions of who produces knowledge, whose experiences count as evidence, which languages carry intellectual authority, how knowledge is classified, and how different knowledge traditions may meet without one being automatically subordinated to another.

V. Our Commitments

VI. The Frontier as Meeting Ground

Ultimately, The Frontier is an invitation to move beyond atomism without sacrificing complexity; beyond silos without sacrificing expertise; and beyond inherited hierarchies without sacrificing intellectual rigour. It seeks a holism that is not simplistic or homogenising, but capacious enough to hold difference in relationship. The frontier, in this sense, is not a line separating one territory from another. It is a meeting ground. A place where disciplines encounter one another. A place where knowledge traditions speak across inherited boundaries. A place where scholarship meets lived experience.

A place where new possibilities emerge from the relationships between things too often treated as separate. This is the work The Frontier undertakes in the name of Welisa Academy. It is an experiment in intellectual wholeness, a platform for multidimensional human inquiry, and a continuing commitment to the proposition that knowledge, like the human being who seeks it, is too rich, too interconnected and too alive to be contained within a single frame. Knowledge is indivisible. The Frontier exists to make that principle visible, rigorous and generative.

“Knowledge is indivisible.”

The Frontier • A Welisa Academy project • Statement of Intent