“VUT’s Professor Teboho Pitso was nominated for the 2026 ASSAf Humanities Book Award, recognising his contribution to African scholarship.”
20 July 2026 | Story by: By Qhawekazi Memani | Picture:
For Professor Teboho Pitso, writing has never been about publishing books or collecting accolades. It has always been about restoring voices, preserving African knowledge and challenging the way history has been told.
That commitment has now earned the Director of Research Capacity Development at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) national recognition through his nomination for the 2026 Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) Humanities Book Award in the Established Scholar category.
The nomination recognises his book, The Forgotten: Reconstructing and Reclaiming African Spirituality in the Post-Truth Era, which examines the place of African spirituality and indigenous knowledge systems within contemporary scholarship.
Although honoured by the nomination, Professor Pitso says the recognition belongs to a much larger journey.
“It is most humbling and serves as motivation to continue building this legacy for posterity as part of the decolonisation project within Pan-African scholarship, so that we can contribute to a decolonised curriculum and restore our Africanism,” he said.
At the heart of The Forgotten is Professor Pitso’s belief that African ways of knowing have too often been overlooked or dismissed.
“Western civilisation has largely been built on the extirpation of our ways of knowing through epistemicide, particularly our spirituality. I was motivated to write The Forgotten to preserve this rich history for future generations and as part of the Alkebulan Telagogy Academy, which seeks reparatory justice.”
His passion for research took on new meaning in 2020 when he traced his ancestry to the Mthimkhulu clan of the pre-colonial Kongo Kingdom. What began as a personal journey soon evolved into a renewed academic purpose, inspiring him to produce scholarship
that celebrates African identity and contributes to the growing body of indigenous knowledge.
Since then, Professor Pitso has authored several books, including The Colossal Life of Molefi Oliphant, and continues to expand his research. He is currently preparing to launch Telagogy 5.0, the latest evolution of his internationally recognised work on technology-enhanced learning.
He believes this work aligns closely with VUT’s Strategic Plan 2033+, particularly its commitment to advancing research excellence, innovation and knowledge creation that addresses societal challenges.
Professor Pitso is equally passionate about nurturing the next generation of researchers. He encourages emerging academics to pursue original ideas, remain curious and contribute research that advances their disciplines.
“Choose your research niche, study the existing literature thoroughly, aspire to be great and, more importantly, add unique features that can revolutionise the discipline. I am available to support VUT students and staff.”
His nomination is not only a personal achievement but also a reflection of VUT’s growing research culture and its commitment to producing scholarship that is relevant, transformative and rooted in African realities.
As the University continues to strengthen its research profile, Professor Pitso’s work stands as a reminder that impactful scholarship is not only measured by citations or awards, but by its ability to preserve history, inspire new thinking and shape future generations.