Founders

Bhekamachunu H. Zwelethu Mchunu

Bhekamachunu H. Zwelethu Mchunu is an experienced academic, historian, heritage practitioner, and public-sector development specialist with more than two decades of professional experience across education, museums, government, and community development. A teacher by trade, he holds a Higher Diploma in Education and a Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Basic Education, preceded by a Bachelor of Arts degree with English, History and Anthropology as majors – this has grounded his career in pedagogy, curriculum delivery, and learner support across formal and adult education contexts.

He obtained a BA Honours in History (conferred cum laude) from the University of South Africa, reflecting academic excellence and a strong foundation in historical scholarship. He further holds a Master of Arts degree in Economic History, with his research focused on government intervention in rural social capital formation and rural livelihoods.

Professionally, he has served in senior leadership and academic roles, including Deputy Director within the museum sector, lecturer in Social Sciences, and long-standing tutor and marker in African History within a distance-learning environment. His work spans curriculum development, assessment and moderation, student mentorship, heritage and museum programme management, policy development, and strategic planning. He has also played a key role in community-based heritage projects, youth development initiatives, and public dialogues on social cohesion, reconciliation, and nation-building.

In addition to his academic and public-sector work, he has contributed to scholarly publications, heritage feasibility studies, translation work, and opinion editorials and commentary. His career reflects a sustained commitment to education, historical knowledge production, community empowerment, and public service excellence.

Witty Nonhlanhla Nyide-Mchunu

Witty Nonhlanhla Nyide-Mchunu is a South African artist, art historian, educator and curator whose practice is grounded in community-engaged visual arts, critical pedagogy and socially responsive research. She is currently a PhD candidate in Fine Art at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where her doctoral research examines affective narratives of land dispossession in Nkwezela through participatory curation and material culture, tracing histories from 1913 to the present.

Witty holds a Master of Arts in Art History (with distinction) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, with research focused on self-realisation and art-based community development through the work of the Caversham Centre and its outreach programmes. Her academic foundation also includes a Bachelor of Technology in Fine Art and a National Diploma in Fine Art from the Durban University of Technology, where her practice-led research explored mixed-media painting and the use of found objects in contemporary art. Complementing her visual arts scholarship, she is trained in copy-editing, proofreading and digital writing through the SA Writers College.

With over a decade of experience in higher education, Witty is currently a Lecturer in Fine Art at the Durban University of Technology, teaching across undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Art History/Theory, Drawing, Printmaking and Professional Practice. Her teaching is characterised by curriculum development, community engagement, studio-based learning and critical assessment practices. She has previously lectured at the Nelson Mandela University, the University of South Africa, and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (School of Education and Centre for Visual Art).

Beyond academia, Witty has held significant curatorial and arts-management roles, including Education Officer at the Durban Art Gallery and Programme Manager and Outreach Coordinator at the Caversham Centre for Artists and Writers. She has also coordinated international and regional Thupelo workshops in collaboration with Thupelo Trust and Greatmore Studios, contributing to artist development, transnational exchange and socially engaged printmaking practices.

Her scholarly contributions include peer-reviewed conference papers on land, autobiography, pedagogy and social justice, presented at national forums such as SAVAH and UNISA. Witty has published essays, articles and exhibition texts with institutions including UNISA Press, Durban Art Gallery, and The Writers College Times. Her creative practice spans printmaking, mixed media and participatory projects, with exhibitions presented locally and internationally across South Africa, the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States.

Witty is an active member of professional and governance bodies, including South African Visual Art Historians and the Arts Council of the African Studies Association, and has served on boards and exhibition committees for major cultural institutions. Her work is driven by a sustained commitment to social justice, community collaboration and the transformative potential of art in education and public life.