At the recent South African Speech-Language Hearing Association (SASLHA) Conference in Gqeberha (17–19 October), academic and clinical staff, together with students from the Department of Natural and Rehabilitative Sciences, made an impressive mark through their research contributions. Their presence powerfully echoed Philip Zimbardo’s belief that “academic success is research.”
With this conference being one of the largest in the country, featuring national and international speakers from the professions of speech therapy, audiology, and Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT), attendees were treated to the most recent, evidence-based research. The department’s visibility and participation were, without a doubt, noticeable.
Firstly, the head of department, Professor Mikateko Ndhambi, was headhunted to lead a masterclass on “The multilingual language assessment and therapy: evidence-based resources and strategies for bilingual and culturally diverse clients.” Her expertise and research niche area of multilingual language development and culturally responsive assessments made her the best candidate to share her experience, as well as lead the much-needed conversations within the field of speech and language therapy, considering that our country prides itself on having 12 official languages, yet the need for culturally and linguistically diverse assessments in African languages is yet to be realized. In this session, Ms Mamaila Joy Mogolane, the department’s NESP internship candidate, presented her research on “Respect in Pedi Communication: A Pragmatic and Ubuntu Perspective,” which stems from her Master’s degree (graduated cum laude in 2024). Ms. Mamaila’s research highlighted the importance of speech therapists developing a thorough understanding of how verbal and non-verbal language is used in African cultures, so that they can apply this knowledge when providing services.
In the second Masterclass, led by Prof. Juan Bornman and Dr. Emma Forsgren, entitled “Talk the Talk, Walk the Right: Speech-Language Therapists at the Intersection of Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC), Education, and Home Context,” The department’s senior lecturer, Dr Vuledzani Ndanganeni and Mrs. Samantha Bassingthwaighte were invited as keynote speakers due to their postgraduate work in the area of AAC. Dr Ndanganeni presented on her research work, which focused on practical and evidence-based strategies for parent-implemented augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) with young children who have little to no functional speech at home, drawing on evidence-based practice. Mrs. Bassingthwaighte, on the other hand, provided practical and evidence-based strategies for implementing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) with preschool and school-aged children on the autism spectrum (stemming from her Master’s project, which she graduated cum laude in 2024).
The third Masterclass under the speech and language therapy was titled ‘Care Strategies for Speech-Language Therapists (SLTs) in Dysphagia Assessment and Management.’ In this session, a research project conducted by the 2024 final year students titled “exploring final year nursing students’ experiences in dysphagia management at an Eastern Cape university, “which was supervised by Ms Refiloe Masinge, the clinical preceptor, and Ms Khomotjo Kgare, the nGAP lecturer from the department. The paper presented highlighted the much-needed conversation on integrating interprofessional education within the health sciences as one of the essential methods of teaching multidisciplinary collaboration, especially in this specialized area of feeding and swallowing disorders (dysphagia), to improve the nursing students’ knowledge, confidence, and practice.
While on the students’ work being showcased, of note is the fact that our 2025 final year students’ project (Ms Sive Mntwapi and Ms Ofentse Tsotsotso) on Exploring attraction and retention strategies for speech-language therapists working in rural communities was accepted for poster presentation at the conference. With the current national challenge of low numbers of speech therapists working in rural areas, this study highlighted the lived experiences of rural SLTs. It also provided valuable insights for creating contextually responsive policies and practices that support workforce sustainability and fair access to SLT services in South Africa’s rural healthcare system.
Ms. Khomotjo Kgare, the nGAP lecturer in the department who also serves as the departmental research coordinator, was invited to chair an audiology masterclass on “speech-in-noise testing: What’s the big deal? “. Considering that the primary complaint among patients treated for hearing loss is difficulty understanding speech in the presence of background noise, this Masterclass equipped audiologists with evidence-based skills and tests they can use to assess and manage this complaint in their practices. Dr. Unati Stemela-Zali, a lecturer in the department, and Ms. Luanet White, a clinical preceptor, were invited to adjudicate research posters in audiology and speech therapy, respectively.
Lastly, the clinical support staff and clinical supervisors from hospitals that host our fourth-year students also attended the conference in large numbers. The high attendance of the department’s academic staff and clinical support staff demonstrates that the department’s practice aligns with the Health Professionals Council of South Africa (HPCSA) requirements for practitioners’ Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The HPCSA states that health practitioners must maintain their competence, update their skills and knowledge, and ensure the delivery of high-quality patient care. This compliance is essential when practitioners are involved in student supervision and training. By attending and participating in the conference activities, the department’s staff is positively contributing to their professional development.
As a research coordinator, it is essential to ensure that the department contributes to the university’s goal of transforming the institution into a research-focused institution that conducts research addressing local, regional, and national needs. Secondly, as our department is the last to be established in the field of speech therapy in the country, we must showcase the research conducted by our staff and students on national and international platforms. This will enable us to present ourselves to colleagues in other institutions and departments, thereby opening doors for potential collaborations. With an understanding that our department is the youngest at the University of Fort Hare, I am proud of the commitment that both staff and students are showing towards research, as well as the positive strides they are making in profession
Written by Ms Khomotjo Kgare