Biography

Bonelwa Nogqaza is a qualified social scientist (Sociologist) with a passion for community-driven development. She holds a Master’s degree in Sociology from the University of the Western Cape and an Honours degree in Sociology from Sol Plaatje University, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Sociology at the University of Mpumalanga.

Bonelwa’s expertise includes research design, data collection and analysis, ethnographic fieldwork, and community-based research. She has conducted fieldwork, published research findings, assisted teaching Sociology and Anthropology at undergraduate level, and co-supervised Honours students. Her research interests lie in community resilience, livelihoods, rural community development, and the social organisation of communities.

Through her involvement in various research projects, as well as her own academic work, Bonelwa has come to recognise that communities are not passive recipients of development. Rather, people are active agents who think, create, deliberate, and possess ideas, knowledge, and resources that can contribute meaningfully to their own development. She has also observed that many of these ideas often remain within community thinking spaces without the opportunity or resources to become action.

This realization inspired her to get involved with CorpsAfrica, whose community-centred approach resonates strongly with her understanding of development and the agency of communities. She is particularly motivated by the opportunity to work alongside communities, learn from their knowledge and experiences, and support locally driven solutions. Bonelwa’s commitment is grounded in the belief that development should be for the people and, most importantly, by the people.