The Centre for Teaching and Learning on the Qwaqwa Campus has been enriching the student experience through its vibrant Decoloniality Essay Writing Competition since 2020.
For many first-year students, the leap from high school to university writing is steep. Research highlights that students often enter higher education underprepared for the demands of academic writing, leaving them uncertain, overwhelmed, and lacking confidence. Secondary education traditionally favours creative or narrative writing, while university assessments require structured, research-driven argumentation, which can be especially challenging for students working in a second language.
To bridge this gap, the
Academic Language and Literacy Development (ALLD) unit launched the Decoloniality Essay Writing Competition as an innovative way to build academic writing skills while amplifying student voices on a topic central to South Africa’s intellectual landscape. Through the competition, participating students receive structured, scaffolded support in writing their essays, with support gradually decreasing as their confidence and proficiency grow. This approach, grounded in research, helps students master the conventions of academic writing in a supportive environment.
Thandaza Msimang, coordinator of the competition and lecturer in ALLD, indicates that this is a deliberate effort to create a decolonial writing space – a place where students can explore identity, knowledge, and representation, and contribute meaningfully to conversations shaping higher education. “We wanted to teach students about decoloniality and give them a voice on this critical topic; as a result, we established a decolonial and writing environment for our students.”
With each essay submitted, students are not just learning to write; they are also learning to think critically, engage deeply, and contribute boldly. The competition is more than an academic exercise; it is a pathway to empowerment.
Since its inception in 2020, the competition has enjoyed steadfast support. The Office of the Principal of the Qwaqwa Campus championed the initiative from 2020 to 2024 by sponsoring prizes for the winning students. In 2025, the
Academy for Multilingualism, under the leadership of Tholani Hlongwa, proudly took up the role of benefactor, ensuring that the programme continues to thrive. In 2024, a poetry section was also added to the competition, and undergraduate and postgraduate categories were created.
The winners for 2025 are:
Essay winners: Undergraduate students
First place: Zungu Nosipho
Second place (shared): Abenathi Pakathi and Noxolo Dlamini
Essay winners: Postgraduate students
First place: Nthabiseng Motaung
Second place: Palesa Mofokeng
Poetry winners:
First place (shared): Amahle Mgungwane and Phelokazi Mjuleka
Second place: Boipelo Kekana
Third place: Lebohang Mothebe