Among the 169 doctoral degrees conferred during UP’s Spring graduations, Dr Keolebogile Mbebe (38), a lecturer in Philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities, was awarded a PhD in Jurisprudence from the Faculty of Law. Her achievements stand out as a testament to the power of transdisciplinary scholarship, where law and philosophy intersect to shed light on questions of justice, history, and society.

Born and bred in the North-West, Dr Mbebe holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, a Bachelor of Arts Honours, a Master of Arts in Philosophy, and a PhD in Jurisprudence. 

“Working as a philosophy lecturer has significantly enriched my approach to legal studies. Jurisprudence is, after all, the philosophy of law, and my background in the humanities gave me a foundation for thinking critically about human nature and social structures… Law is not a sacred or untouchable entity; it is a human invention,” she said.

Her doctoral thesis, titled “Negation and Naturalisation: Tracing the Logic of Discovery in the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act 35 of 1995,” interrogates how colonial philosophies have shaped legal frameworks globally and locally. This was done under the supervision of Professor Joel Modiri, the Acting Deputy Dean of the Faculty.

“My study revealed that law is not neutral; it is underpinned by particular philosophical logics about what it means to be human, what rights people deserve, and how such ideas are codified.”

Situating her work within global debates on law and colonialism, Dr Mbebe examined how South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) framed its history. Her research argues that the TRC’s narrative, while politically expedient, presented colonialism and apartheid as a closed chapter of the past, obscuring how colonial dynamics persist in the present.

One of her most striking findings is that state-sanctioned narratives in the Interim Constitution, the TRC Act, and the TRC Report “help reproduce colonial patterns of racial hierarchy by treating settler colonialism as natural and denying indigenous sovereignty.” This framing, she noted, “hides fundamental questions about land and power, while reinforcing the idea that white dominance is part of the natural order.”

“Completing my PhD was one of the hardest things I have ever done, and it came at a high personal cost. At the same time, it taught me resilience and allowed me to pursue questions I deeply cared about, particularly why South Africa is a political and philosophical problem,” Dr Mbebe reflected candidly.

Along the way, she also received a Faculty of Humanities Teaching Award, founded a writing circle for Black women PhD students (now with over 100 members), and welcomed her child, whom she calls her greatest motivation. Looking ahead, she hopes to “restore balance in life while continuing to build scholarly spaces informed by anticolonial perspectives.”

Her aim is for her work to contribute to critical national conversations. “The narratives we share and disseminate about history shape how we define justice in the present. By interrogating the TRC’s narrative, and even the constitutional preamble, we can better understand who benefits and who is excluded by these stories.”

For those considering postgraduate study, especially at the intersection of law and philosophy, Dr Mbebe emphasises community and critical enquiry. “Seek out a community of critical thinkers in people who will not just teach you to apply legal principles but encourage you to question them. Philosophy equips you to interrogate the very foundations of law in ways that conventional legal training does not.”

“My PhD took longer than average, but I now see that the extended time was necessary. The project required both intellectual and personal growth,” she reflected. “Brilliance alone is not enough without support, and I am profoundly grateful to the community who carried me through.”