On a quiet afternoon in a Makhanda classroom, a Rhodes University student sits beside a high school learner, working through a maths problem that once seemed impossible. The answer eventually appears on the page, but something else happens too: the learner begins to believe that university might one day be within reach.

A global study led by Rhodes University researcher Dr Jarmo-Charles Kalinski and University of California, Riverside Professor Daniel Petras has found that human-made chemicals are now a pervasive component of marine dissolved organic matter (DOM), highlighting the extent to which industrial pollution has become embedded in ocean ecosystems.

Literature is far more than just words on a page; for the scholars honoured by the English Academy of Southern Africa, it is an existential compulsion. For the first time ever, the Academy brought its prestigious awards ceremony to the Department of Literary Studies in English at Rhodes University.

At a time when South Africa continues to grapple with gender-based violence, the conversation reflected Rhodes University’s commitment to fostering critical dialogue and empowering students to play an active role in building safer, more equitable communities.