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UFS scholar recognised as emerging leader in climate adaptation research

19 August 2025 | Story Martinette Brits

Dr Tlou Raphela-Masuku, Senior Lecturer in the University of the Free State (UFS) Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (DiMTEC), has been selected as one of only 15 early-career researchers from Southern and Eastern Africa to participate in the prestigious British Academy-funded International Writing Workshop on Climate Change Adaptation.

Her selection follows a highly competitive process involving applicants from across the region, underscoring her growing influence in climate research. “Being selected as one of only 15 early-career researchers from the SADC and East Africa region was truly humbling. It affirmed the value of my research and passion for climate adaptation and further motivated me to keep making a meaningful contribution in this field,” she said.

Strengthening research visibility and collaboration

The workshop is jointly organised by York St John University (UK), the University of the West of England (UK), the University of Nairobi (Kenya), and the University of Cape Town (South Africa). It brings together emerging scholars from a range of disciplinary backgrounds to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, strengthen academic writing and publishing skills, and develop grant proposal expertise.

For Dr Raphela-Masuku, the programme is a natural fit with her work at DiMTEC. “At DiMTEC, my work spans ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. I am the core teacher for this module for master’s students. My recent and upcoming research, including work on flood risks and climate vulnerability among subsistence farmers, directly aligns with the themes of the workshop,” she explained.

Her focus within the programme will be on climate-induced vulnerabilities and resilience, particularly in rural and peri-urban communities, with a strong emphasis on extreme weather events and nature-based solutions. She looks forward to both the online and in-person engagements in Nairobi and Cape Town, which will run between 2025 and 2027. “These offer a fantastic opportunity for peer learning, mentorship, and deeper engagement with fellow climate researchers. Exchanging ideas face to face is always energising and often leads to lasting collaborations,” she said.

Advancing DiMTEC’s mission

Participation in the workshop will not only advance Dr Raphela-Masuku’s own academic profile but also strengthen DiMTEC’s regional and continental footprint. “My participation directly supports DiMTEC’s mission to build climate resilience and disaster preparedness across Africa. It strengthens our footprint in the region and facilitates collaboration with other institutions working on similar challenges, especially in rural vulnerability and adaptation,” she noted.

She sees the experience as a vital platform to amplify her work on flood resilience and the health impacts of climate change to audiences that include academics, policymakers, and practitioners. “The workshop will enhance the visibility of my work and provide the tools and strategies to navigate high-impact publishing, which is crucial for emerging African scholars,” she added.

Reflecting on her journey, Dr Raphela-Masuku said it has been “rooted in both academic enquiry and real-world impact”, driven by the urgent need to support vulnerable communities. Her advice to aspiring researchers is clear: “Stay curious. Stay rooted in the needs of your communities. And don’t be afraid to ask hard questions or chase ambitious goals. Climate adaptation research is not just about publishing papers – it’s about finding real solutions for real people.”

News Archive

#Women’sMonth: Who am I? Questions of identity among Rwandan rape survivors

2017-08-03

Michelle Nöthling, master’s degree student
in the Centre for Trauma, Forgiveness, and
Reconciliation Studies at the UFS.
Photo: Eugene Seegers

From 7 April to 15 July 1994, a mass genocide swept through Rwanda after years of Belgian colonial rule that divided the country along ethnic lines. Rape was also used as part of a political strategy to torture and humiliate mainly Tutsi women, and as a means of spreading HIV.

Individual focus
Why is it important to listen to what these rape survivors have to say? Michelle Nöthling, a master’s student in the UFS Centre for Trauma, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation Studies, responds, “We speak of groups – refugees, foreigners, and the like – yet we tend to forget the individuals and the lasting impact trauma has had on each person.”

Narrative exploration
Michelle maintains that we are the product of the narratives around us; things like – how to be a woman, how to dress, speak, or treat others. Her research delves into how these rape survivors see themselves, how they narrate their lives. She also investigates power relations based on gender; for example, how language can be used as a divisive tool.

Rwandan backdrop
In Rwanda, gender roles are deeply entrenched. Traditionally, a ‘girl’ remains such while she is a virgin. Her transition into womanhood is usually marked by marriage and followed by motherhood. But rape disrupts this structure, leading to an identity crisis as these girls are catapulted into motherhood with an unplanned child resulting from a traumatic event.

“We are the product of
the narratives around us.”

Reaching their mid-teens, the children, too, started asking questions about identity or paternity. For those mothers who were finally able to open up to their children, the experience has been mostly liberating – often leading to a closer relationship between parent and child. Michelle intends to interrogate how such significant moments shape the way these women perceive themselves. Research tends to portray these survivors solely as mothers of rape-born children. Michelle, however, seeks to examine their identities more deeply.

“These survivors still bear the heavy burden of being marginalised, stigmatised, and severely humiliated. Despite this, they have developed their own communities of belonging; people with whom they connect, to whom they relate, and to whom they are not ashamed to tell their experiences,” she said.

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