College of Human Sciences

Unisan nominated to the SA Film and Publication Board

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Prof Siya Tyali

The Chair of the Department of Communication Science, Prof Siya Tyali, has been nominated to serve as council member and deputy chairperson of the South African Film and Publication Board (FPB).

His appointment is for a five-year term, running until April 2026. Founded in 1996, the FPB exists to ensure efficient and effective consumer protection through the regulation of films, games and certain publications, while empowering the public, especially children, through robust information sharing.

With the FPB as a key strategic entity, especially in areas of content classification, Tyali is looking forward to playing an advisory role, in partnership with his fellow board members, in the board’s key strategic focus areas. The board oversees important policy implementation on issues of artistic freedom, public education and other freedom-related matters that are associated with content.

"I am excited because my academic background in the media studies discipline is most relevant to the work of the FPB," says Tyali.

Tyali’s career profile is remarkable. He was a Ford Foundation International Fellow at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, USA), prior to which, in 2010, he held a trainee position as a graduate intern at Rhodes University's School of Journalism and Media Studies. He has also served as a senior lecturer, lecturer and junior lecturer in Unisa’s Department of Communication Science and has worked as a high school teacher and a broadcasting reporter/broadcasting producer at Forte Community Radio.

Born in the Eastern Cape, Tyali holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Wits University, a Master of Social Science degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) degree awarded by the University of Fort Hare.

Tyali has also been awarded various certificates, among them, the Leadership in Strategic Health Communication certificate (Johns Hopkins University), the Higher Education Assessor certificate (University of South Africa) and the Planning Research and Proposal Writing certificate (Stellenbosch University).

He anticipates that one of his areas of focus will be to make sure that the work of the FPB moves forward despite Covid-19 challenges. This is especially true at a time when people are increasingly working from home and where consumption of media content by society is growing due to their being home-bound.

This hard-working professor, with his vast experience in the higher education, policy and research spaces, is inspired by the need to do more and to make a contribution to society. "My motto speaks to doing more for the betterment of society and so I am driven by that," he adds.

Congratulations Prof Tyali!  #TheWinningSOATeam

* By Tebogo Mahlaela, Marketing & Communication Specialist, College of Human Sciences

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Publish date: 2021-07-06 00:00:00.0

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