NOTE FROM THE EDITOR CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS EDITION The University of Johannesburg acquired The Thinker in April 2019 f rom Dr Essop Pahad. Over the last decade, The Thinker has gained a reputation as a journal that explores Pan-Af rican issues across fields and times. Ronit Frenkel, as the incoming editor, plans on maintaining the pan-Af rican scope of the journal while increasing its coverage into fields such as books, art, literature and popular cultures. The Thinker is a ‘hybrid’ journal, publishing both journalistic pieces with more academic articles and contributors can now opt to have their submissions peer reviewed. We welcome Af rica-centred articles f rom diverse perspectives, in order to enrich both knowledge of the continent and of issues impacting the continent. - All contributing analysts write in their personal capacity Prof Ronit Frenkel Lizzy Attree is the co-founder of the Safal-Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature. She holds a PhD from SOAS, University of London. Blood on the Page, her collection of interviews with the first African writers to write about HIV/AIDS from Zimbabwe and South Africa, was published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing in 2010. She is the UK Director of Short Story Day Africa and was the Director of the Caine Prize from 2014 to 2018. In 2015, she taught African literature at Kings College, London and has since taught at Goldsmiths College. She now teaches Narratives of Change, World and Contemporary London Literature at Richmond, the American International University in London. She is the Producer of ‘Thinking Outside the Penalty Box’, an African Footballers project partnering with Chelsea and Arsenal, funded by Arts Council England and supported by the Poetry Society, as well as a freelance writer, reviewer and critic. Lusanda Batala is an economist with a junior degree from the University of Cape Town, Honours from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and Master’s from University of London (SOAS). He is currently completing his PhD with Stellenbosch University with a focus on ‘Access to Financial Services and the Implications of Being in Poverty in South Africa.’ He has vast experience in regional integration, as well as regional, continental, and global development issues. Juanee Cilliers is the Head of the School of Built Environment, and Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Technology Sydney (Australia). She has 17+ years’ experience as a Professional Planner, with professional registrations from both the South African Council for Planners (SACPLAN) and the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA). She is currently appointed as an Adjunct Professor of Planning at North-West University (South Africa), following her position as Head of Urban Planning and Leader of the Research Program for Sustainable Development, Implementation and Planning. Jua is the Co-chair of the Climate Action Group of the Commonwealth Association of Planners and Board Member of the International Society of City and Regional Planners. Trynos Gumbo is currently an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning within the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of Johannesburg.  He holds a PhD from Stellenbosch University, as well as Master’s and Honours degrees from the University of Zimbabwe. He has previously worked in the Africa Institute of South Africa of the Human Sciences Research Council as a research specialist for the sustainable development programme, and as an international instructor in the Urban Management Master’s programme within the Ethiopian Civil Service University College (ECSUC) in Addis Ababa. He has published three books, several book chapters, journal articles, and conference proceedings on urban transportation, informality, housing, urban planning, development, and management. Mondli Hlatshwayo is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Education Rights and Transformation of the University of Johannesburg. He has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on the following topics: xenophobia and trade unions, football world cup and stadia, education and immigrant learners, and trade unions T H E T H I N K E R | J o u r n a l I S S N : 2 0 7 5 2 4 5 8 and technology. He is co-editor (with Aziz Choudry) of the forthcoming Pluto Press book, Just Work? Migrant Workers, Globalization and Resistance. Zaakirah Jeeva is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Johannesburg. She is also affiliated  as a Researcher with North-West University. She has over 15 years of research experience as an Urban and Regional Planner. Her research interests align with the Spatial Administrative Reform of South Africa.    David Moore retired last year as Professor of Development Studies at UJ but is hanging on a bit as an associate and co-teaching an honours course. After work in Canada and Australia for ten years he moved to South Africa, where he remains after over two decades. In addition to Mugabe’s Legacy this year has seen the appearance of New Leaders, New Dawns? South Africa and Zimbabwe under Cyril Ramaphosa and Emmerson Mnangagwa, co-edited with Chris Brown and Blair Rutherford (McGill-Queen’s University Press).   Nkafotseng Laurencia Motloung is a teacher at Cosmo City Secondary School with five years’ experience, helping thousands of learners to fulfil their academic needs. She specialises in teaching African Languages. She holds a degree in Senior and FET teaching, specialising in History and IsiZulu language. Laurencia also holds Honours and Master’s degrees in African Languages, both attained at the University of Johannesburg, specialising in African Literature, concentrating on the preservation and adaptation of culture in African literary works. In her Master’s study, titled ‘Some Cultural Aspects in Zulu Novels’, she explores sexuality, immorality, and cultural devotions. Her line of research is African traditions and culture. When she is not teaching, Laurencia spends her time researching in preparation for her PhD studies in African languages. Zilibele Mtumane is Professor and Head of the Department of African Languages and School of Languages at the University of Johannesburg. He holds the degree of DLitt et Phil from the University of South Africa, specialising in African languages. He also has a Higher Education Diploma from the University of Fort Hare and a Diploma in Translation from the University of South Africa. He has presented a number of academic papers at various national and international conferences, where he chaired sessions as well. He has authored and co-authored over thirty articles in various accredited journals. He has also authored and edited books. Apart from publishing, he is a regular adjudicator for various accredited journals and has edited (and evaluated) book manuscripts for various publishing houses. Mtumane has supervised a number of postgraduate students, some of whom passed cum laude. He is also external examiner of both undergraduate and postgraduate students for various universities. He is a member of various professional and academic organisations. Mandla J. Radebe is an Associate Professor in the University of Johannesburg’s Department of Strategic Communication and Director for the Centre for Data and Digital Communication. He is the author of Constructing Hegemony: The South African Commercial Media and the (Mis)Representation of Nationalisation (UKZN Press) and the  forthcoming The Lost Prince of the ANC: The Life and Times of Jabulani Nobleman ‘Mzala’ Nxumalo (Jacana Media). Tanusha Raniga teaches Social Work and Community Development at the University of Johannesburg. She is a C2 NRF Rated Researcher. She is actively involved in research primarily in the areas of social protection policy, feminization of poverty and sustainable livelihoods. She has published widely in national and international journals and has presented at numerous Social Work conferences. Her teaching areas include: Social Policy, Development Management and Integrated Social and Economic Development.   Nokulunga Shabalala is a clinical psychologist registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). She consults at Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital. She also works as a lecturer, clinical and research supervisor at the University of Johannesburg. She teaches predominantly in the Clinical Master’s programme and is responsible for the work-integrated learning component of the programme. Areas taught include: Developmental Psychology and Psychopathology at undergraduate levels; Abnormal Child Psychology at Honours level; Adult Psychopathology, Child and Adolescent Psychopathology and Psychotherapy, Legislation, and Psychological Assessments at Master’s level. Dr. Shabalala also coordinates the Psychology PhD programme. Her research areas of interest include decoloniality in psychology in South Africa, critical psychology, intersectionality and feminism, as well substance use disorders in South Africa. CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS EDITION V o l u m e 9 2 / 2 0 2 2 | J o u r n a l I S S N : 2 0 7 5 2 4 5 8