On Saturday, 3 May 2025, the Department of Historical and Heritage Studies (DHHS) hosted its annual Postgraduate Colloquium for the Honours students enrolled for History as well as Heritage and Cultural Tourism. The day kicked off with arrival at the Merensky Library Auditorium and a welcoming address from the Head of Department, Prof Karen L. Harris.

All 32 Honours students, nervous, excited, and ready to share their research report projects, were divided into six sessions, with two sessions taking place simultaneously at different venues: namely, the Library Auditorium and the Research Commons. Five - six students presented in each session. Various staff members and supervisors were present as part of the day’s adjudicators to help the students shape their research projects and offer words of encouragement and critique. They were Mr CR Botha, Dr Suryakanthie Chetty, Dr Sias Conradie, Mr Hannes Engelbrecht, Prof Karen L. Harris, Dr Charlene Herselman, Dr Lindie Koorts, Prof Ian Macqueen, Dr Karina Sevenhuysen, Dr Abraham Mlombo, Dr Cornelis Muller, Dr Nisa Paleker, and Prof Thulasizwe Simpson. Moreover, in the spirit of passing the baton to their peers and friends, Master’s candidates served as chairs for each of the sessions. They are familiar with this rite of passage as they had to do the Postgraduate Colloquium in their Honours year. They are Aiden Schutte, Micaela Ferreia, Louisa Jordaan, Jarryd Clarke, Innocentia Nkosi and Alison De Ponte De Gouveia.

Research topics included:

Heritage and Cultural Tourism topics:

• “Like, share, follow: the influence of social media on tourism”
• “Global genealogical tourism: a potential root/route for preservation of cultural heritage?”
• “Clicks, donations and controversies: the impact of in real-life streaming on tourist destinations and host communities”
• “Chicken or beef? Flight attendants navigating more than meals”
• "The Impact of Music Tourism: Festivals and Events in South Africa"
• “How inclusive are South African tourism spaces? An evaluation of accessible tourism and the differently abled person”
• “Reinvigorating cultural authenticity models for contemporary indigenous tourism settings”
• “Developing practical tourism skills in South African Basic Education: A Future-Focused Tourism Teaching”
• “Community-based tourism as a tool for development?: Isithumba and Modjadji in comparison”
• “Finding balance: Empathy and edutainment at dark tourism sites”
• “Tourism, taboos and transformation: A comparative study between the Netherlands and South Africa”
• “Upskilling the City: Tourism Safety and Crime Intelligence in South Africa”
• “Booze in a teapot”: The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on South African guesthouses.
• “The effects of Covid-19 on tourism-dependent regions: A study of pandemic impact on the tourism industry”
• “Under the Microscope: Tourism Micro-trends and Heritage Impact”
• “Post-Pandemic Tourism: Virtual Experiences as a New Normal?”
• “South Africa as a Tourist destination”
• “Preserving Indigenous Knowledge and Promoting Cultural Tourism: Role of Lowveld National Botanical Garden in Sustainable Heritage Conservation in Mpumalanga “

The 2025 Heritage and Cultural Tourism Honours Group

History topics:

• “Unveiling Queen Manthatisi's leadership of the Batlokwa Kingdom”
• “Producing history, raising citizens: Policy, values and citizenship in the production of history textbooks for South Africa’s CAPS-curriculum.”
• “From resistance to advocacy: The role of Siyayinqoba beat it! On raising awareness on HIV/AIDS in Post-Apartheid South Africa”
• “Demographic engineering: Family planning, birth control and apartheid's population policies in South Africa”
• “The Roots of Inequality: Exploring the Intersection of Apartheid and Green Urban Spaces in South Africa”
• “The death of the mother tongue: Constitutional idealism versus the feasibility of mother tongue education in South African schools.”
• “Gender Roles and Sexuality in Women’s Sports in Post-Apartheid South Africa: Case Studies of Caster Semenya and Eudy Simelane”
• “From Vlakplaas to Inkabi: A Historical Study of Contract Killings and Hitmen in South Africa, 1980 to 2010”
• “Photographing Afghan Women: A Study of Gender and Power in McCurry and Bieber’s Photography”
• “A Pragmatic Alliance: The Impact and Legacy of the 1967 Six-Day War on Israel-South Africa Relations”
• “The Commemoration of the forgotten POWs at Zonderwater 1947-1957: Italian POWs in South Africa”
• “In the Name of the Nation": Crusade Rhetoric in the Suez Crisis (1956) and the Gulf War (1990-1991)
• “The Evolution of the Soweto Derby: From Apartheid to Democracy”
• “Bodies of War, Patriarchy’s Battlefield and Erased Memories: A Radical Feminist Critique of Comfort Women in Japan’s World War Two”
• "Commemorating democratic revolutions: A comparative analysis of South Africa and Poland"

The 2025 History Honours Group

There were tea breaks with food and drinks set out by Miss Nusrat Goolam Mahomed, which were brought by all the department’s Honours cohort in the spirit of sharing and camaraderie. This break was spent discussing the presentations and encouraging the others who had upcoming presentations in the next session. The day concluded with a vote of thanks from Prof Karen L. Harris for the hard work of Miss Nusrat Goolam Mahomed, Dr Suryakanthie Chetty and Ms Zimkhitha Tsotso for their contributions in putting together the event. Appreciation was also extended to the lecturers for taking time to adjudicate and to the chairs who set aside their Master’s chapter writing for the day. Most importantly, there was appreciation for the supervisors and students who have worked over the past few months. Their hard work was evident in the rich and fascinating research report presentations. The day ended on a high note with congratulations and more words of encouragement.

This was a day well spent, and the Postgraduate Colloquium for the History and Heritage and Cultural Tourism Honours 2025 cohort will be one of many cherished memories for this year.