Dr Solomon Kgatle

Unisans are recognised for their high-impact research in the country and around the world. Nothing illustrates that better than the achievement of Dr Solomon Kgatle from the College of Human Sciences. Having been recognised as a 2018 National Research Foundation (NRF) Y2-rated researcher, Kgatle was Unisa’s only Y candidate at the recent Research and Innovation (R&I) awards ceremony on 8 March 2019.

A Y2 researcher is a young researcher (40 years or younger) who is recognised by all or the overriding majority of reviewers as having the potential to establish himself as a researcher, demonstrated by recent research products.

In his roles as an academic author, pastor, life coach and sought-after conference speaker, Kgatle strives to do his very best. This philosophy inspires him to make a difference in his profession and in the community.

Dr Solomon Kgatle spoke with the news team about his experience as the 2018 NRF Y2 recipient:

What was the highlight of the 2018 R&I awards ceremony?

I was the only awardee of the night in the NRF Y Rating category. That blew my mind!

What is your field of research?

My main field is theology and my niche area is African Pentecostal Christianity. I intend to study the current trends and new developments, especially in Southern Africa, by using various methods and techniques. I am currently working on African Pentecostal Hermeneutics as the Hermeneutics of experience.

Who inspires you in your research field?

A black and internationally recognised researcher called Prof Tinyiko Samuel Maluleke. He gives me hope that one day, by the grace of God, as a village boy from Ga-Monwana, in the Bolobedu area, Limpopo Province, I can become a leading international researcher in my research field.

What factors influenced you to choose this field of research?

I enrolled for theology in 2006 after receiving a calling to serve God as a pastor in the church. I furthered my studies in the same field because of my second calling, that is, to become a researcher in the academy. I thought I would contribute more to Pentecostal theology given my life experiences in Pentecostal Christianity. I wanted to influence my Pentecostal brothers and sisters that it is possible to be anointed and have a proper theological qualification. I wanted to increase a Pentecostal presence in the mainstream universities.

What are your research highlights and achievements?

I received my PhD in 2016 at the age of 32 in record time (ie in less than three years from registration in 2013) and the NRF Y2 rating this year at the age of 35 and only 16 months after joining Unisa. I have supervised one master’ student to completion. Furthermore, of the ten peer-reviewed journal articles I published in 2018, three appear in an ISI journal and five in Scopus. I have presented three papers at international conferences in less than two years, in a Schengen country, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

One thing you have learned as an award winner?

I have learnt that success is 1% inspiration but 99% perspiration. Therefore, it is beneficial to come to work early in the morning and leave later in the evening than the normal work time. The benefit of arriving early in the morning is that during this time the mind is still fresh and can perform to the maximum. There are two benefits of leaving late in the evening: you can go an extra mile in your research work on one hand and avoid being caught up in traffic congestions on the other. Like we normally say in Sepedi, o tlaba o bolaya dinonyana tše pedi ka leswika le tee. (You will kill two birds with one stone.)

What’s your advice to Unisa researchers chasing their career goals?

I would like to quote a biblical text, Habakkuk 2:2-3 says: "Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry."

From this text, there’re three principles of goals-setting:

1. The goals must be clear. I have seen many people work hard but produce nothing because they have unrealistic and ambiguous goals. In other words, they are busy but doing nothing. In addition, you need to master the art of translating daily goals into monthly goals and monthly goals into annual goals, and, ultimately, long-term goals.
2. Patience is the mother of success. One friend of mine that I am mentoring will call me almost every day to tell me that the article he submitted to a journal three months ago still says "awaiting assignment". What my friend does not know is that some of my articles published in 2018 were submitted in 2016. Others have since gone fishing but never returned. The key word is wait!
3. Understanding the time(s). We cannot all of us become CoDs, Deans, VCs, EDs, etc, at the same time. The day we do, we will suffer from the sickness I call polycephaly, that is, a body with many heads. All of us have an appointed time for specific purpose at a particular place. Paul in Galatians 6:9 calls it "due season", which means "an appointed time".

The advice is in all the three principles, that is, clear goals, patience and understanding your time to achieve your goals.

What else to expect in future from Dr Solomon Kgatle?

I am currently working on a monograph that reflects on and critically engages with current developments in African Pentecostal Christianity like grass-eating, petrol-gulping, Doom-spraying, selfie-taking in heaven, body-walking, body-resurrecting, forensic prophecy, etc. I will be a visiting scholar at the centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies, University of Birmingham. During my visits, I look forward to international collaborations with other scholars, publications in high impact journals in order to improve my NRF rating in my next cycle of evaluation.

* Interview by Lesego Ravhudzulo, Journalist, Department of Institutional Advancement