Avuyile Bongco
Her study, titled “Mothering Mandela: Re-inserting Nosekeni Fanny Mandela as the Foundation of the Maternal Liberation and Literary Archive of Democracy in South Africa,” examined how dominant histories tend to focus on male political figures while overlooking the role of women, particularly mothers.
“Maternal labour is often treated as background, rather than as a formative force in shaping political consciousness, values, and leadership”.
“In the case of Nelson Mandela, his mother’s influence is acknowledged but not deeply examined. My work addresses this gap by positioning maternal influence as central, rather than peripheral, to the making of history and democratic thought,” says Bongco.
Early influences
Bongco’s academic focus is rooted in her upbringing in a family shaped by political activism during apartheid. Stories of resistance, including those of her forefathers such as Washington Bongco, sparked an early interest in both visible and hidden forms of influence.
“Hearing about militant activism made me curious not only about resistance itself, but about the quieter forces behind it. I became particularly interested in the admiration they held for their mothers, and the role these women played in shaping their political consciousness,” she said
Raised among strong women whose often-unseen labour sustained families and communities, Bongco credits her grandmother, Ntombesicelo Nogaga, as a formative influence in shaping her understanding of leadership and historical inquiry. That curiosity developed into an academic project that interrogates the absence of maternal voices in historical archives.
Master’s research
At the heart of her study is the argument that motherhood, particularly within African contexts, is deeply political and philosophical. Bongco’s work foregrounds indigenous understandings of motherhood as a force that shapes identity, values and resistance.
“A key takeaway from my research is that motherhood is not only about care, but about cultivating values, identity and resistance. Repositioning maternal figures like Nosekeni Mandela allows us to rethink liberation as something nurtured, sustained and reproduced within intimate spaces.”
Her research, however, was not without challenges. Working within archives, she encountered structural biases that privilege certain voices over others. “Tracing maternal histories often requires reading between the lines and working with fragments,” she noted.
Support from institutions such as the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Nelson Mandela Museum proved instrumental, granting her access to critical archival material. She also highlights the significance of pursuing her research at the only university that bears the name of Nelson Mandela.
“Studying at Nelson Mandela University created a unique intellectual and symbolic connection to my research. It reinforced the importance of critically engaging with Mandela’s legacy in a space dedicated to his name; not only celebrating it but expanding it by bringing forward the voices that shaped him, particularly that of his mother”.
A collective achievement
For Bongco, graduating represents more than an academic milestone.
“It is the culmination of years of hard work and a deep belief in the importance of this research,” she said. “This achievement reflects perseverance, purpose and the power of community.”
She credits her supervisors, Professor Babalwa Magoqwana and Professor Pamela Maseko, along with her family and support network, for sustaining her throughout the journey.
Looking ahead
Bongco hopes to expand her research into a published work and continue contributing to scholarship that centres African perspectives.
“More broadly, I want to be part of ongoing efforts to decolonise knowledge and ensure that history reflects the fullness of our stories,” she said.
Her advice to students, especially young women, is to trust their perspective: “the questions you ask and the stories you choose to tell are important. Often, the gaps in knowledge are exactly where meaningful work begins.”
By re-examining the life and influence of Nosekeni Fanny Mandela, Bongco’s work offers a broader understanding of South Africa’s past – one that recognises the women whose contributions have long been embedded, but seldom foregrounded, in the country’s history.