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17 April 2025 | Story Onthatile Tikoe | Photo Kaleidoscope Studios
Thabiso Khoeli
Dr Thabiso Khoeli, Lecturer in Historical and Constructive Theology at the UFS, celebrates the completion of his PhD.

The University of the Free State (UFS) celebrated one of its own, Dr Thabiso Khoeli, a Historical and Constructive Theology Lecturer in its Faculty of Theology and Religion, when he received his PhD in Theology with specialisation in religion studies during the recently completed April graduation ceremonies. 

Dr Khoeli’s achievement not only marks a personal milestone but also advances the university’s Vision 130, a strategic initiative to position UFS as a research-led institution by its 130th anniversary in 2034. Dr Khoeli’s academic journey is one of resilience, transformation, and a profound commitment to telling African stories from an African perspective. 

 

From uncertainty to purpose

Dr Khoeli’s path into studying Theology was unplanned. As a former KovsieFootball  player, his initial academic interest was in Sports Science. However, after some admission hurdles, he found himself directed towards Theology, a field that soon captured his full attention.

“Honestly, I did not choose Theology, instead it chose me,” he shares. “… Theology whispered to me and said, ‘Do not deviate, Brother. Your calling is here.” Despite initial scepticism, his first semester revealed the intellectual and spiritual depth of the discipline, compelling him to pursue it with passion.

 

A research focus on African voices

His doctoral research, titled ‘Exploring the Zion Christian Church’s Teachings and Qualities in Comparison with Zion Churches’, examines the theological, historical, and cultural distinctiveness of the Zion Christian Church (ZCC), one of the largest and most influential religious movements in Africa. Motivated by a desire to decolonise theology and challenge externally imposed narratives, Dr Khoeli engaged directly with primary sources, including archival materials and interviews with Church elders.

“Africans must now write their own stories and never rely on the findings presented by others,” he says. His work not only fills critical gaps in theological scholarship but also reflects the UFS’s vision of becoming a centre of thought leadership on the African continent.

 

Research shaping teaching

As a Lecturer in Historical and Constructive Theology, Dr Khoeli’s research directly informs his methods of teaching. He approaches the classroom with a decolonised, historically grounded perspective that helps his students engage with both their spiritual heritage and contemporary realities critically.

“My research enabled me to analyse documents and align them to my objective,” he explains. “That is the strategy I use to collect the relevant reading materials to prepare for the students.” His teaching method fosters independent thinking and encourages students to become scholars who are both academically rigorous and socially conscious.

 

Overcoming challenges through community and conviction

Gaining access to the ZCC’s historical documents was a major challenge. The Church’s deep-rooted secrecy required careful relationship-building and persistent effort. But Dr Khoeli remained undeterred. “I intended to leave no stone unturned,” he says. Through perseverance, mentorship, and faith, he accessed essential material for his literature-based study.

He also credits colleagues at the Faculty of Theology and Religion for their belief in his potential at a time when few others would give him a chance. “It feels great,” he reflects. “I don’t have enough words to explain how overwhelming it feels to prove to yourself that you are the greatest.”

 

A vision beyond the doctorate

With his PhD now complete, Dr Khoeli is setting his sights on further research projects that contribute to the reconstruction of African religious history and knowledge systems. He sees his work as part of a larger mission to revive indigenous spirituality and cultural identity in the face of modern erasure.

“Modernity is converting us to be a nation without roots,” he cautions. His aim is to produce scholarship that restores heritage while also responding to the physical and spiritual needs of African communities, one of the fundamental goals of the UFS’s Vision 130.

 

Inspiring the next generation

To current and future UFS students, especially those considering postgraduate study, Dr Khoeli offers this message, with his own story as proof: “Believe in your purpose, even when the path seems uncertain… There is greatness in you.” 

Through his academic excellence, teaching innovation, and dedication to African-centred research, Dr Khoeli exemplifies the values of the UFS’s Vision 130. His journey reflects a university that is not only committed to high-impact research but also to empowering scholars who bring change, both in the academic world and beyond.

News Archive

Wrongful suffering must be compensated, Prof Johann Neethling argues
2016-04-20

Description: Prof Johan Neethling, wrongful suffering must be compensated Tags: Prof Johan Neethling, wrongful suffering must be compensated

From the left are Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector, Prof Caroline Nicholson, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof Neethling, Prof Rita-Marie Jansen, Vice-Dean, and Dr Brand Claassen, Head of the Department of Private Law.
Photos: Stephen Collett

On 11 April, the Faculty of Law held the first of the year’s series of Prestige Lectures presented by Prof Johann Neethling, Senior Professor in the Department of Private Law.  The event was attended by senior faculty members, the Dean of Law Prof, Caroline Nicholson, and the Vice-Chancellor and Rector, Prof Jonathan Jansen.

In his opening remarks, Prof Jansen said “Prestige lectures are at the heart of a university’s academic endeavour. It would serve the university community well to present them more often, as they go to the heart of important issues that affect society”

Prof Neethling made a compelling case for compensation for wrongful suffering by a child born with impairments. Since the mid-1960s, the actions of wrongful conception and wrongful birth have been recognised in South African law. Wrongful conception is defined as when a healthy child is born as a result of failed sterilisation or abortion, and wrongful birth is when a doctor fails to inform parents of a disability before the birth of their child.

“The reality is that a child born with impairments may indeed suffer (sometimes extreme) pain, loss of amenities of life, which would justify an award of damages,” he said.

So far, the action for wrongful suffering has been dismissed by the High Court and the Supreme Court of Appeal. However, he highlighted several cases where wrongful conception and wrongful birth was recognised by the courts.

“Why can the same approach (for wrongful conception and wrongful birth) not be followed in wrongful suffering claims by accepting that a disabled child seeks to address the consequences of its birth?” he asked.

Prof Neethling is regarded as one of the greatest minds in Private Law, not only in South Africa but in the African continent.

A festschrift, Essays in Honour of Johann Neethling (2015), with contributions from more than 50 of his peers around the world, was also launched at the lecture.

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