Dr Jonas Thinane, who recently obtained his PhD in Theology from the University of South Africa (Unisa), has been working in the
Department of Hebrew since his first year as a Theology student; he is currently employed as departmental administrator in the department.
It was his diligence and comments that convinced Prof Cynthia Miller-Naude to offer him employment as student assistant in the department. His work involves overseeing the administration of three entwined units within the department. “I am really proud of all that he has accomplished since then, seizing every opportunity available for learning and growing, without allowing obstacles to block his path,” said Prof Miller-Naude.
His PhD focused on
Human rights abuse by some self-styled spiritual leaders within the ‘Nyaope religion’ in South Africa and was supervised by
Prof MS Kgatle from the Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology at Unisa.
An avid academic and researcher
Apart from the research he undertook to complete his PhD in less than two years, he published nine accredited articles and a chapter in a book between 2021 and 2022. “I currently have six articles undergoing peer review and am working on more to publish in local and international journals this year,” says Dr Thinane.
Dr Thinane’s research specialisation lies within Missiology, where he has introduced new knowledge to the subject matter through extensive writing on concepts of missio hominum (mission of human beings) in relation to the broader setting of the Missio Dei (Mission of God). “Beyond this, some of my published articles cover broad yet relevant topics such as COVID-19 and vaccine challenges in South Africa, the question of mandatory vaccination from a religious perspective, the ANC step-aside rule in conflict with Thuma Mina objectives, and many other topics relevant to our current challenges in South Africa,” Dr Thinane says.
“I am sure that he will make a great contribution to academia for the benefit of society in the future,” says Prof Miller-Naude.
Support and motivation from department
Dr Thinane is very appreciative of the support he received from the department throughout his PhD journey.
This is indeed a great achievement within the scope of the UFS’ encouragement for publication on subjects that greatly contribute to the cognition and advancement of our society.
From the left: Dr KJ Padi (UFS Practical and Missional Theology), Dr A Motsei (UFS African Languages), Dr JS Thinane (Department of Hebrew),
Dr M Choane (UFS Political Studies and Governance), Prof MS Kgatle (UNISA Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology),
Dr ME Maibi (UFS alumnus). (Photo: Supplied)