I am a Lecture. I hold a Doctorate in IsiXhosa from Nelson Mandela University, along with a Master's and Bachelor's Honours degree from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. My academic qualifications, combined with my current role as Acting Head of the Department, have provided me with valuable insights into the operational, educational, and administrative aspects of our department. I am also currently doing second MA- Linguistics in Translation studies 

Anesipho Tshisani is a Master's student at Rhodes University, specializing in Language Planning.

Angelique is a Masters student in Applied Linguistics. Her focus is on the historical-racial history of South Africa and its correlation with how black women are perceived as epistemic subjects. 

Avi Moodley is a Principal AI Specialist at the CSIR with over a decade of experience leading multidisciplinary teams to successfully deliver value-driven software, data and AI solutions across industries such as research, mining, consulting and telecommunications. He is a proven problem solver who excels in providing efficient, elegant and practical solutions to challenges in diverse domains. 

Mr. Hlaudi Daniel Masethe, an academic lecturer and section head for Data Science at Tshwane University of Technology. He is pursuing his PhD, focusing on Word Sense Disambiguation and its challenges in Natural Language Processing. His research interests includes Natural Language Processing for low-resourced languages, Data Science, AI in Cybersecurity, and Big Data Analytics.

Evaristus Adesina is a dedicated researcher and Mass Communication lecturer, passionate about addressing social issues through evidence-based and positional research.  He holds a Bachelor's degree from Bowen University, a Master's degree from the University of Lagos, and earned his Ph.D. from Covenant University, Nigeria.  His research interests span Development and Health Communication, Public Relations, and Media Studies. Currently, he serves as a Postdoctoral Fellow at North-West University, South Africa.

Makumbe Felistus Tafadzwa is a Holder of a Masters in Applied Linguistics (University of Zimbabwe), a Bachelor of Arts Dual Honours in Linguistics and Ndebele (University of Zimbabwe). Experienced lecturer in Communication Skills, English Language for Academic Purposes, Court Interpreting, Court Intermediary, Translation, Forensic Linguistics, Corpus Linguistics and Sociolinguistics. Research interests in Forensic Linguistics, Applied Linguistics and Theoretical linguistics. Current lecturer and Communication Skills Coordinator in the department of Language and Communication at the Women’s University in Africa. Lecturing history; University of Zimbabwe and Women’s University in Africa.

I am a PhD student, almost finished with my first year. I am committed to researching how low-resourced language speaking farmers, of indigenous crops and who use Indigenous Knowledge Systems can gain access to essential climate services using AI in South Africa. I am also disabled and use wheelchair. As a natural consequence I am very passionate about the accessibility of essential services and AI for underrepresented communities.

Hunadi Ramvubela is a Master of Setswana student at North-West University, specializing in Translation Technologies. She is also a Setswana Educational Language Practitioner at NWU, with expertise in translation, interpreting, editing, and linguistic research. Her work focuses on integrating Machine Translation (MT) tools to enhance the translation and development of African languages, particularly Setswana

Dr Hossein Masoumi Karakani is a Senior Researcher at the University of Pretoria (UP). He holds a Ph.D. in Mathematical Statistics from UP and a certificate in Statistical Learning from Stanford University. With expertise in Advanced Analytics, Hossein has developed numerous ethical, interpretable predictive models that address practical challenges in higher education. He has also worked on developing AI tools for monitoring and evaluating the SDGs. Hossein believes that data is the new global language and is fundamental to advancing Africa Agenda 2063. Hossein is also a Kaggle Silver Medalist, ranking among the top 1% of global data scientists. Kaggle is the world’s largest data science community and most well-known competition platform for data analytics. Hossein has recently been elected to serve as an Executive Member of the Southern African Association for Institutional Research (SAAIR), reflecting his growing influence and contribution in the field of institutional research across the region. 

My name is Jack Makhubela, first time Masters' student. A student at University of KZN, in the field of socio-linguistics. Specializing in languages.

Jessica Mabaso manages the ESCALATOR Programme at the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR). With 15 years of experience in business support and administration, she brings valuable expertise to her role in advancing digital humanities initiatives. Jessica holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management and is a certified PRINCE2 Project Management Practitioner, combining her academic background with practical project management skills.

In her current position at SADiLaR, Jessica has been instrumental in coordinating various DH-IGNITE regional events across South Africa, helping to build capacity in digital humanities and computational research. Her strong background in stakeholder management and cross-cultural business relations makes her particularly effective in fostering collaborations within the academic community.

Prior to joining SADiLaR, Jessica held various senior administrative and management positions at North-West University and ArcelorMittal South Africa, where she developed extensive experience in program coordination, strategic planning, and organizational development.

My name is Dr Luyanduhlobo Bophelo Makwati.  I am a holder of a Ph.D. in African Languages from the University of South Africa. Currently I am lecturer at Gwanda State University since 2022. Prior to that I was at Midlands State University Language Institute, as a Research fellow. My research interests are Linguistics and Sociolinguistics in African languages. I have also served a lecturer at the Catholic University of Zimbabwe where I lectured for a period of eight years. I have been a research fellow at St Mary's University Twickenham in London under the Cerian program.  The thrust of my research is largely linked to previously marginalized languages in Zimbabwe and how they have remained stifled in terms of their growth especially Sesotho among other languages. I delved much into the contesting orthographies of the language in question.  Qualifications: PhD in African languages, Master's Degree in African Languages & Culture, Undergraduate Degree in African languages and Culture & Post Graduate Diploma in Education.

A hard-working, self-motivated woman who is able to work on own initiative and as part of a team. A quick learner and always persevere to achieve the best results. Have good problem solving and analytical skills to develop effective solutions. Ability to manage projects within agreed deadlines. Willing and able to work under pressure and handles directions from superior’s very well. Always ready to learn new skills and participate among my fellow peers and seniors. An emerging researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Natural Language Processing. A dedicated mentor to young teams to participate in datathons and/or hackathons annually to encourage students in discovering their potentials and abilities in this field of AI. I am registered as a full time PhD student, so that I may dedicate more time to complete this qualification on acquired time.

UMnumzane Mthuli Buthelezi ungumfundi weziqu zobudokotela eNyuvesi yakwaZulu-Natali. Unolwazi olubanzi kanye namava emkhakheni wezocwaningozilimi. Usefunde, waphinda futhi wafundisa iminyaka eyevile kweyishumi emkhakheni wezocwaningozilimi. Uneziqu zakhe ze-Bachelor of Social Sciences azithola eNyuvesi yakwaZulu-Natal. Unezinye iziqu ze-Bachelor of Arts Honours azithola khona  eNyuvesi yakwaZulu-Natali.  Unezinye futhi iziqu ze-Master of Arts azithola khona  belu eNyuvesi yakwaZulu-Natali. Njengamanje uphothula iziqu zakhe ze-PhD eNyuvesi yakwaZulu-Natali emnyangweni wezocwaningozilimi. UMnumzane Mthuli Buthelezi umatasa ucwaninga ngezindlela zokufundisa, ukufunda kanye nokuthuthukisa izilimi zaboHlanga emkhakheni weziqoqelalwazi kanye nesizindalwazi. UMnumzane Mthuli Buthelezi uthi: “Izilimi zabantu bomdabu wase-Afrika azinabo ubuchwepheshe obanele besimanje obungasetshenziselwa kwiziqoqelalwazi.” Emuva kokubeka leli phuzu,  uMnumzane Mthuli Buthelezi ube esephetha kanje: “Kubalulekile kakhulu ukufunda ngokwakha izinhlelo zeziqoqelalwazi, kanye futhi nangokufunda ngokwakha izinhlelo ezikwazi ukuthi zisebenze kwisizindalwazi. Lezi zinhlelo kumele ukuba zakhiwe ngabantu abamnyama, bazakhele abanye abantu abamnyama.” Imininingwane ethe thuthu ngaye uMnu Buthelezi kanye nalokho acwaninga ngakho itholakala lapha: [https://www.mthulibuthelezi.com/].

I have a keen interest in all things NLP, with a key focus areas within Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) as well as text based NLP. I have both worked within the CSIR as a researcher as well as experience within industry within the Data Science and Data Engineering space focusing on enabling AI and Machine Learning in large corporate environments. This gives me unique insight not only into the technologies within the NLP domain but also where and how value can be extracted and used in the real world. Having returned to the CSIR, a key focus area and personal goal is to find ways in making NLP more accessible to a wider audience, as it is a cornerstone of Human Computer Interaction.

Raphael Nhongo is a linguistics lecturer in the Department of Arts at Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, South Africa. He holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Fort Hare. His research interests are in linguistics, particularly translanguaging, language teaching and learning, intellectualisation of African languages, terminology development and language policy and planning. To date he has published 35 research outputs in DHET accredited sites inclusive of journal articles and book chapters.

I hold a master’s degree in applied Linguistics, Honours in Applied Linguistics, BA in Media studies from the University of Venda. Over 7 years of progressive exposure in Radio Broadcasting, initially as a Tutor in Media studies and Applied Linguistics at the University of Venda. I have worked as a Marketing Intern under the South African graduate Development at Investong Group of Companies. Currently working as a Media and Publications Intern at the University of Venda. Experienced in the end-to-end Talent Management process, staff management and Key stakeholder collaboration projects at a strategic level, Employee Engagement, Performance management, and Advisory role). During my studies, I have gained theoretical knowledge in various areas, including sociolinguistics, research methodology, and sign language. Additionally, I have managed to publish an article on the perception of students regarding the use of indigenous African languages by Uneven FM radio to promote COVID-19 awareness messages. This experience has deepened my understanding of media dynamics and strengthened my passion for teaching and academia. Alongside my academic journey, I have acquired comprehensive knowledge in core media courses, communication science, news-gathering, and digital media. My goal is to contribute to the development of future media professionals and researchers. I firmly believe that my academic qualifications and professional experiences make me a suitable candidate for the junior lecturer position at your institution.

My name is Seun Olukanmi. I received my PhD in Electrical Engineering (Artificial Intelligence) from the University of Johannesburg in 2023. I am a lecturer at the School of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, University of the Witwatersrand. My research focus includes Artificial Intelligence and Data Science for Social Impact, hence my interest in the NLP/Linguistics Retreat. It will empower my current research on detecting depression from South African social media data which is multilingual by nature. 

Steyn Khesani Madlome [ORCID 0000-0002-4006-0134]

Steyn Khesani Madlome is a full time Senior lecturer of at Great Zimbabwe University in the Robert Mugabe School of Heritage & Education and currently the Head of Department for Languages, Media and Communication.  He holds a PhD degree in Xitsonga, Masters of Arts in Xitsonga from the University of Venda, Honours Degree in Xitsonga (University of Venda), Bachelor of Arts degree [Mathematics and Xitsonga] (Great Zimbabwe University) and a Diploma in Secondary Education [Mathematics] (Mutare Teachers College-University of Zimbabwe). His areas of research are General and applied Linguistics, Translation, African Languages Technology, Onomastics, Indigenous knowledge systems, Intercultural communication and interdisciplinary research. Madlome is also a committee member of the National Languages Advisory Committee, a board member of Avuxeni FM a chiredzi based community radio (research and production portfolio),  member of the Foundation of Endangered Languages. He is also a and reviewer for academic articles in Scopus indexed journals. Madlome is a writer of academic texts for tertiary education and an honorary member of the Xitsonga Promotion Association. 

Sthembiso Mkhwanazi is an AI researcher at CSIR with a strong background in Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing (NLP). His academic journey in BSc Data Science and an honors degree in Computer Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal laid the foundation for his passion in AI, particularly in low-resourced languages. Currently, he is pursuing an MSc at North-West University, focusing on NLP applications for isiZulu, and actively contributes to advancing AI solutions for low-resourced languages.

Manala Tyobeka is a curious Statistical Sciences Master’s student, specialising in Advanced Analytics, at the University of Cape Town, with experience tutoring, lecturing and convening Applied Statistics courses at the same institution. She is currently completing a minor dissertation within the field of Natural Language Processing, focusing on exploring data-efficient strategies to tokenize text for the translation of English to low-resource South African spoken languages using Transformer-based Neural Machine Translation models. Tyobeka possesses a robust foundation in mathematical and statistical topics, and an enthusiasm for utilising AI to drive meaningful impact within the African context, this is evidenced by her recent engagement at the Deep Learning Indaba and Indaba X South Africa conferences, where she presented her Master’s research, and her participation in a Meta-sponsored hackathon for the task of fine-tuning a Meta large language model for the translation of text from English to Twi, where she placed among the top 10 submissions for the hackathon. Tyobeka is propelled by community, collaboration and developing creative data-driven solutions to address uniquely African problems.