Relebohile Moletsane

Professor Relebohile Moletsane holds the John Langalibalele Dube Chair in Rural Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal since 2010, following her role as Director of Gender and Development at the Human Sciences Research Council (2008-2010) and Deputy Dean for Post-Graduate Studies at UKZN (2005-2007). Her leadership spans academic, policy, and community spheres with a PhD-qualified research profile.

Her research pioneers the intersection of Rural Education, Gender Studies, and Participatory Visual Methods, examining how visual storytelling can combat sexual violence and transform educational access in marginalized communities. This work manifests in influential publications including the edited volume Education and the Global Rural: Feminist perspectives (Routledge, 2016) and forthcoming books on visual methodologies for social change.

Professor Moletsane's scientific recognition includes South Africa's Distinguished Women in Science Award (2012), Brookings Institution's Echidna Global Scholarship (2014), and Aspen New Voices Fellowship (2015). These accolades reflect her dual impact on academic scholarship and national policy development.

With supervision of over 50 postgraduate students, she maintains an active mentorship program focused on rural educational leadership. Her policy engagement is demonstrated through chairing the 2016 Department of Basic Education team that developed South Africa's Rural Education Framework and serving on critical national task teams addressing textbook evaluation and legislative reform from 2016-2017.

Community involvement remains central to her practice through ongoing membership in Dira Sengwe Conferences and review panels shaping research funding priorities, establishing her as a bridge between academic research and grassroots educational transformation in rural Africa.