Promoting Ubuntu and women’s rights through noun pedagogy in the IsiZulu home language classroom

Nontobeko Bongi Gumede ORCID iD

Issue: Vol. 7 No.6  2026 Article 19 pp. 1689 – 1702
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20267619 Published online 31st July 2026

© 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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In language classes, words that hurt other people’s feelings, words that make other students feel uneasy or feel discriminated against, are used. It cannot be denied that learners adopt language informally from their communities, and the language use is solely from the communities. South African research indicates that most women are victims of abuse. Abuse does not promote Ubuntu. This abuse starts from the language, which is known as verbal abuse, and then it grows in stages. Hence, this research seeks to investigate how teachers teach learners about humanity and respecting the rights of women in IsiZulu HL and the content embedded in it, investigating how nouns are taught, used and applied to girl learners both in class and in the community. This study used a qualitative case study design within an interpretive paradigm. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations with four isiZulu HL teachers.  Data analysis was carried out using the thematic analysis approach, and the study was guided by Afrocentric theory. The findings reveal that teachers employ an Afrocentric approach, yet classroom discussions frequently surface deeply discriminatory nouns. This study also underscores the need for collaboration. The participants quoted discriminatory nouns from the learners. This study recommends greater collaboration between the school and the community, positing that fostering respect and Ubuntu cannot be the responsibility of teachers alone.

Keywords: Ubuntu, Women’s Rights, Collaboration, Abuse and Afrocentric Philosophy.

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Dr Nontobeko Bongi Gumede is a lecturer in the School of Education at the University of the Free State, South Africa, where she teaches isiZulu language education and supervises postgraduate research. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Language Education from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, for which she received the prestigious Dean’s Award of Excellence. With more than 30 years of teaching experience across secondary and higher education, Dr Gumede has established herself as a specialist in African languages, language education, and isiZulu linguistics. Prior to joining the University of the Free State, she served as an isiZulu Home Language educator and subject head in KwaZulu-Natal, consistently achieving outstanding Grade 12 results, including a 100% pass rate with numerous learner distinctions over many years. She has also lectured at the North-West University and the University of Zululand. Her research focuses on language education, home language teaching, isiZulu linguistics, language pedagogy, curriculum development, teacher education, and assessment. Her doctoral research investigated teaching methods and strategies for isiZulu parts of speech in the Further Education and Training (FET) phase. She has a particular interest in improving the teaching and learning of African languages through innovative pedagogical approaches, linguistic analysis, and culturally responsive education. Dr Gumede teaches undergraduate and postgraduate modules in isiZulu language education and lifelong learning, supervises Honours and Master’s research, reviews scholarly manuscripts, and actively participates in national and international academic conferences. Her academic interests include curriculum design, assessment practices, e-learning, teacher professional development, and the promotion of indigenous African languages in education. She is committed to advancing excellence in language education through research, scholarship, and the preparation of future educators who can contribute meaningfully to multilingual and inclusive education in South Africa.

Gumede, Nontobeko Bongi. “Promoting Ubuntu and women’s rights through noun pedagogy in the IsiZulu home language classroom.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 7, no.6 (2026): 1689 -1702. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20267619

© 2026 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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