Editorial Team:
The Thinker was the brain-child of Dr Essop Pahad, former Minister in the Presidency of South Africa.
Dr Essop Pahad has been involved in the struggle against racism and apartheid for more than 50 years. He has held numerous political offices, as a member of the National Assembly from 1994-2008, Parliamentary Counsellor to the Deputy President 1994 to 1996, and Deputy Minister from 1996 to 1999. Dr Pahad was appointed Minister in 1999 with specific responsibility for the Office on the Rights of the Child, Office on the Status of Women and Office on the Status of Disabled People in The Presidency, as well as for the National Youth Commission and the Government Communication and Information System. He was a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the African National Congress (ANC), Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the South African Democracy Education Trust and Member of the Board and Executive Committee of the International Marketing Council. Dr Pahad was Minister in the Presidency until 2008. He holds a BA degree in Political Science from the University of Witwatersrand and a MA in African Politics and PhD in History from Sussex University.
Dr Essop Pahad has been involved in the struggle against racism and apartheid for more than 50 years. He has held numerous political offices, as a member of the National Assembly from 1994-2008, Parliamentary Counsellor to the Deputy President 1994 to 1996, and Deputy Minister from 1996 to 1999. Dr Pahad was appointed Minister in 1999 with specific responsibility for the Office on the Rights of the Child, Office on the Status of Women and Office on the Status of Disabled People in The Presidency, as well as for the National Youth Commission and the Government Communication and Information System. He was a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the African National Congress (ANC), Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the South African Democracy Education Trust and Member of the Board and Executive Committee of the International Marketing Council. Dr Pahad was Minister in the Presidency until 2008. He holds a BA degree in Political Science from the University of Witwatersrand and a MA in African Politics and PhD in History from Sussex University.
Ronit Frenkel is the editor of The Thinker. She is also a professor of English at the University of Johannesburg with many years of editorial experience. She has a background in African Studies with a specialization in African Literatures, Cultural Studies and Critical Theory. She lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Leila Hall is the assistant editor of The Thinker. Born is Lesotho where she still resides, Leila has put together a women's storytelling archive and is currently completing her PhD at the University of Johannesburg. She has a background in freelance editorial work.
About the journal:
The University of Johannesburg acquired The Thinker in April 2019 from Dr Essop Pahad. Over the last decade, The Thinker has gained a reputation as a journal that explores Pan-African issues across fields and times. Ronit Frenkel, as the incoming editor, plans on maintaining the pan-African scope of the journal while increasing its coverage into fields such as books, art, literature and popular cultures.
The Thinker is a journal, publishing both journalistic pieces with more academic articles and contributors can now have their submissions peer reviewed. We welcome Africa-centred articles from diverse perspectives, in order to enrich both knowledge of the continent and of issues impacting the continent. (ISSN 2075 2458).