NRF 25 years: Dr Tafadzwa Clementine Maramura

This year, the NRF is celebrating a major milestone in our history as we commemorate 25 years of Research, Innovation, Impact and Partnerships. It gives us great joy to share the accomplishments and impact of the many students and researchers that we have supported during various stages of their careers. We thank all participants for submitting their stories and we hope that you enjoy reading about their journey with the NRF.

Dr Tafadzwa Clementine Maramura is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Public Administration and Management at the University of the Free State. She currently holds an NRF Y-rating (promising young researcher).

How did your journey start?

I will not lie and say I envisioned this for myself growing up, but I knew I would definitely go to university to study. What, exactly, I had no idea. Honestly, I just enjoyed reading. I went to school at the age of four and I was always the quiet one in the family but who enjoyed reading and counting, literally reading and counting everything until my family got tired and had to put me into some institution (THE SCHOOL).

Fast forward, post high school, I got the Presidential Scholarship as a daughter of a War Veteran. His Excellency, the late President Robert Mugabe, awarded me a fully funded scholarship to study in South Africa. I mean fully funded; I remember eating takeaways at the Student Centre for the entire month (if you are a student, you know what this means). I vividly remember I only then bought my first set of pots as a postgraduate student when I started cooking on my own, well because the scholarship only funded my undergraduate studies (I will forever be indebted to His Excellency). Fortunately, I was placed at the University of Fort Hare (probably because of the rich political history that it carried for the late President HE Robert Mugabe). Remember, he was also awarded a scholarship to study there back in 1949, so it was just sentimental for me also knowing uTata Nelson Mandela learnt at the same institution among other inspirational African leaders such as Govan Mbeki, Kenneth Kaunda, Julius Nyerere and Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

I stepped into the university lecture halls in 2010. In 2013, I graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science cum laude; in 2014 with an Honors in Public Administration cum laude; and in 2015 with a Master’s in Public Administration as valedictorian. The Master’s was completed in a year and it was supervised by Prof Reckson Thakhathi, both examiners issued unconditional reports for my dissertation. So technically, for every degree that I received from the University of Fort Hare, I was top of my class with a cum laude or either valedictorian.

My uncle was also a very strong critic of mine in this academic journey, by the way. Prof Mudzamba, “a strong critic of mine”, I repeat in case you missed it the first time. He advised me to explore other universities for my PhD. I sent applications to five universities and all of them accepted me. After some cost-benefit analysis, I settled for North West University. I did my PhD under the supervision of Prof Hofisi and completed the PhD journey in two years, graduating with a PhD in Public Management and Water Governance.

I graduated from North-West University in 2018 and my former undergraduate lecturer, Prof Nzewi, offered me a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Fort Hare back where it all began. I did not even think twice because I knew I would learn from the best, and we worked together from 2018 to 2020. In between the Postdoctoral journey, I also worked with Prof Thakhathi from 2020 to 2021. A special shoutout goes to my former supervisors and postdoc mentors who all shaped the researcher I am today.

In August 2021, my journey with the Department of Public Administration and Management at the University of the Free State began as a Senior Lecturer, and it has been an interesting learning curve switching from being a postdoc Fellow to being a full-time, mid-career academic at the other end of the table.

I don’t know why, but I will always be a student at heart. There is the thirst for learning that is really deep-seated within me.

How has your affiliation with the NRF impacted your studies/career?

My NRF journey began in 2022 when I applied for an NRF Rating through the confidence of the Emerging Scholars Acceleration Program (ESAP), spearheaded by Dr Henriette van de Berg of the University of the Free State. Honestly, if you hear NRF Rating and don’t shake at the knees as a first-time applicant, then high-five to you. Well, the University of the Free State provided enough support and confidence in me to apply, and I received my Y2 rating in 2024 April. (Yay, congrats Tafadzwa!)

In 2023, I applied and was awarded the NRF KIC Travel grant which allowed me to travel to the International Water Association Conference (IWA) in Rwanda in December 2023. Since my research interests are in sustainable service delivery and water governance, the conference created a hub of networks which led me to being a part of the Young Water Professionals ZA and becoming the Free State-Provincial Lead for the Young Water Professionals.

What is your research focus on/what is your area of expertise?

My area of expertise is in Public Management and Water Governance. My current work focuses on sustainable service delivery, water governance and the water-energy-nexus in the African context. Some people ask “why Africa?” I ask “Why not Africa? It’s the motherland.” Hence, my research is aligned with the Global Agenda in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 and Chapter 4 of the National Development Plan of South Africa.

Why is your work/studies important?

Globally, two billion people do not have access to potable water. In Africa, almost one billion people lack access to potable water and one in three Africans are affected by water insecurity, (WHO/UNICEF JMP report, 2023). Nationally, South Africa is ranked as the 40th driest country globally, with more than half of its water management areas being in a water deficit. We cannot overemphasise how the achievement of the other 16 SDGs is highly dependent on access to potable water as entrenched in SDG 6. Let me light up your brain, think of it:

• You cannot eliminate poverty without factoring in access to water (SDG 1)
• You cannot ensure access to health without factoring in access to water (SDG 3)
• You cannot ensure access to education without factoring in access to water (SDG 4)
• You cannot ensure gender equality without factoring in access to water (SDG 5)
• You cannot speak of industrialisation and innovation without factoring in access to water (SDG 9)
• You cannot ensure of reduction of inequality without factoring in access to water (SDG 10)
• You cannot ensure climate sustainability without factoring in access to water (SDG 13)

I could go on and on aligning each SDG with SDG 6 but lest I digress. My research on water governance and sustainable service delivery in low-income households, along with the exploration of the water-energy nexus, holds significant importance due to its potential to address and achieve all the other global critical challenges highlighted by the United Nations through the SDGs.

In South Africa, where water insecurity and energy insecurity are pressing issues (with the various loadshedding stages) my work aims to develop innovative governance frameworks that ensure equitable access to these essential public services, from a Public Management perspective. By exploring the intersection of water and energy systems, my research further seeks to identify synergies and inefficiencies, thereby promoting more sustainable service delivery models. This is obviously crucial for improving the quality of life, more especially in low-income communities where access to clean water remains a persistent challenge.

On a broader global scale, the insights gained from my research interests can inform policy and practice in other regions facing similar issues, thereby contributing to global efforts in sustainable development. Ultimately, through my research interests, I hope to influence both local and international policy, while encouraging the adoption of holistic and sustainable strategies that address the interconnected nature of water and energy systems.

My research aims to not only provide practical solutions but also to contribute to the theoretical understanding of sustainable service delivery, thus fostering a more sustainable and equitable future for all.

What are some of your proudest academic achievements?

In no particular order:

• Y2 NRF Rating (2024)
• Emerging Researcher of the EMS Faculty (2023)
• Among the 100 Brightest Young Minds in Africa (BYM- 2017)
• Vice Chancellor’s Award for Valedictorian (2015)
• Vice Chancellor’s Award for Valedictorian (2014) B.Admin Hons (Cum Laude)
• Vice Chancellor’s Award for Valedictorian (2013) B.Soc Sci (Cum Laude)

Some of the articles I have been featured include:

• It takes a good child to be raised by a village
• UFS team shines at Southern African public administration conference
• ‘Couplepreneurs’: stirring legacies, one ‘kidpreneur’ at a time!

My Google Scholar profile is available here.

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