Gilbert Motsaathebe
Biographic Data
| ID | 4052046 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gilbert Motsaathebe |
| GIVEN NAMES | Gilbert |
| FAMILY NAME | Motsaathebe |
| SIGNATURE | MOTSAATHEBE G |
| AFFILIATIONS | North-West University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8681-6945 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 37 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Cultural symbols and proverbs in Setswana YouTube and TikTok content as lingual positioning efforts
African films and languages
This editorial explores the usage of African languages in African cinemas using insights from scholars such as Ngugi wa Thiong’o. Such an exploration is significant given this themed edition’s main argument that African films play a vital role in exporting African culture to the world. These films also function as a tool for self-representation in the context where African stories have largely been misrepresented, neglected or distorted in mainst…
Data Journalism Appropriation in African Newsrooms: A Comparative Study of Botswana and Namibia
African multilingual public sphere: A critical analysis of minority indigenous language(s) representation on Breeze FM talk radio in Zimbabwe
It is significant to note that the African public sphere has not been fully explored beyond Habermas or Mouffe's theoretical lens. Relying on what we call the African multilingual public sphere, this article analyses talk shows on commercial radio to ascertain the marginalisation of minority ethnolinguistic groups in Zimbabwe. The study uses an ethnographic observation technique and in-depth interviews with radio hosts, and presenters to analyse …
The Political Economy of Indigenous Local Media for Minority Languages in Zimbabwe: A Case of Lyeja FM Community Radio
This article analyses the political economy of indigenous language media for minority ethnolinguistic groups in Zimbabwe. Using political economy as theory, the study engaged members of Lyeja-Nyai Development Trust to analyse socio-cultural and political challenges for Lyeja FM community radio of the Nambya and Dombe/Tonga ethnic groups in a multilingual community of Hwange. The findings of the study show that Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (…
Community Radio Content in Print Facebook Posts: Limitations and Opportunities for Indigenous Languages
With the advent of social media, traditional analogue radio has converged to audio-visual with print formats. Using the case of community radio in Zimbabwe, this article explores how radio broadcasters have taken advantage of media convergence to disseminate text as implant on radio. A qualitative content analysis of community radio platforms on Facebook reveals that some multilingual community radio stations still maintain their local languages …
Reconceptualising multilingualism on African radio: A multilingual accommodation theory
Media organisations in radio broadcasting are gradually fine-tuning to accommodate multilingual socio-cultural identities. Africa presents unique challenges of lingual diversity which some of the media, particularly public radio have struggled to accommodate. This article advocates for multilingual accommodation on radio to foster more liberating and inclusive ways for multilingual speakers. It is a conceptual paper informed by the Afrikology per…
Play on Twitter During Health Crisis in Non-Democratic Context: Gratification or Dissent
There is scholarly debate on whether digital political participation influence decision-making or merely make citizens feel good. Using digital public sphere theory and play, this article explores political participation on Twitter during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe. The study applies a qualitative content analysis on tweets as it answers questions: does perspective by media users in a health crisis exert political change and in what way do…
Media Discourse, Legal, and Ethical Issues Arising from the Zuma Saga and Nkandlagate
Allegations of corruption and rape against President Jacob Zuma constituted among the most covered stories in South Africa and beyond. Widely dubbed “the Zuma saga” by the media, the twin stories began with allegations of corruption in the arms deal. While the corruption case still gripped the public, another damning allegation (rape) surfaced and fermented the story to levels surpassed by no other story at the time. Zuma was subsequently acquitt…
Diversity and Multiculturalism Accommodation: The Cultural and (In)Humane Existence of the Indigenous San (Basarwa) Community in Botswana
This article examines and problematises the “rights” of Indigenous communities under multiculturalism debates with reference to the San community popularly known as “Basarwa” or “Bushmen” in Botswana, paying particular attention to the tension between perceived government effort to accommodate this community and the concomitant violence inflicted upon its members. The article refers to the Sesana and Others v Attorney-General (2006) case as a spr…
African Languages and Gender Identity in Marginal Films Made Outside the Mainstream Film Industry in South Africa
Discursive Communities, Protest, Xenophobia, and Looting in South Africa: A Social Network Analysis
The article informs on a study that employed a digital ethnographic approach to analyse a network of human relationships and connections based on the physical and social phenomena of political protest and xenophobia, accompanied by looting and the destruction of property in South Africa. It examines how social media have been used to fuel violence, protest, xenophobic attacks, and the looting of shops, and for ordinary citizens to post videos or …
Newsroom Disruptions and Opportunities in Times of Crisis: Analysing Southern African Media During the Covid-19 Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic currently ravaging the world has brought massive disruptions to every facet of life. However, a crisis can present revolutionary change and growth opportunities for both individuals and institutions. This study is a cross-country study that examines the disruptions and opportunities that the pandemic has wrought to mainstream news reporting practices. Utilising data from Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, we seek to answer…
Television in Africa in the Digital Age
Implications of gatekeeping on talk radio
Radio programmes that encourage audience participation through call-ins are often hailed as empowering, giving voice to the voiceless and, more importantly, ensuring that a range of voices are accommodated. By encouraging listeners to participate through phone-ins, for example, such programmes often attract large audiences that are not only listeners but cocreators in the production of messages that are put across. However, this chapter argues th…
Radio, Public Life and Citizen Deliberation in South Africa
Artificial Intelligence Practices in Everyday News Production: The Case of South Africa’s Mainstream Newsrooms
This article explores artificial intelligence (AI) uptake in selected South African mainstream newsrooms. It seeks to determine the extent to which AI has been adopted and how journalists and editors perceive its appropriation in newsmaking practices. To address these two broad aims, the study used in-depth interviews with journalists and editors. Our findings suggest a slow, varied but methodical uptake of AI practices in South Africa’s mainstre…
Radio Public Life and Citizen Deliberation in South Africa
Re-imagining News Values and Labels of Controversies with Reference to Political Scandals
Scandals involving heads of state are generally the staple diet of news media. Internationally, the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s “bunga bunga” sex escapades are some of the most memorable. In South Africa, scandals that marred former president Jacob Zuma’s term of office have continued to be the centre of attention long after he resigned as president. During his presidency, Zuma became…
When the subaltern speaks: Re-examining indigenous-language media as alternative public sphere during colonial South Africa
This article attempts to examine the efficacy of indigenous-language newspapers published in South Africa during the colonial era. In doing so, the article is particularly interested to see how the success achieved by those publications could be replicated to boost post-apartheid indigenous-language media in their encounter with the hegemonic onslaught of the mainstream media whose scope and hegemony continue to expand at an alarming rate. The ar…
Journalism education and practice in South Africa and the discourse of the African Renaissance
At the turn of the century there was sheer optimism that ‘Africa's time’ to address all its problems had come, and as a result the 21st century was widely hailed as the ‘African century’ (Ban 2008; Makgoba 1999; Mbeki 1999; O'Reilly 1998; Zoellick 2009). This pronouncement was accompanied by the parallel call for the African Renaissance, which challenged many institutions to align themselves with this ‘crucial phase’ in the history of Africa. In …
Gendered roles, images and behavioural patterns in the soap opera Generations
This article evaluates gender stereotyping in Generations , South Africa's leading soap opera. Making use of the results of an analysis and survey method, the article examines subtle areas of denigration and other negative connotations in the speech, emotions and habits of the characters that are highlighted as displaying typically male or female behaviour. The article explores whether male and female characters featured in Generations display th…
Artificial Intelligence Practices in Everyday News Production: The Case of South Africa’s Mainstream Newsrooms
This article explores artificial intelligence (AI) uptake in selected South African mainstream newsrooms. It seeks to determine the extent to which AI has been adopted and how journalists and editors perceive its appropriation in newsmaking practices. To address these two broad aims, the study used in-depth interviews with journalists and editors. Our findings suggest a slow, varied but methodical uptake of AI practices in South Africa’s mainstre…
Journalism education and practice in South Africa and the discourse of the African Renaissance
At the turn of the century there was sheer optimism that ‘Africa's time’ to address all its problems had come, and as a result the 21st century was widely hailed as the ‘African century’ (Ban 2008; Makgoba 1999; Mbeki 1999; O'Reilly 1998; Zoellick 2009). This pronouncement was accompanied by the parallel call for the African Renaissance, which challenged many institutions to align themselves with this ‘crucial phase’ in the history of Africa. In …
African multilingual public sphere: A critical analysis of minority indigenous language(s) representation on Breeze FM talk radio in Zimbabwe
It is significant to note that the African public sphere has not been fully explored beyond Habermas or Mouffe's theoretical lens. Relying on what we call the African multilingual public sphere, this article analyses talk shows on commercial radio to ascertain the marginalisation of minority ethnolinguistic groups in Zimbabwe. The study uses an ethnographic observation technique and in-depth interviews with radio hosts, and presenters to analyse …
The Political Economy of Indigenous Local Media for Minority Languages in Zimbabwe: A Case of Lyeja FM Community Radio
This article analyses the political economy of indigenous language media for minority ethnolinguistic groups in Zimbabwe. Using political economy as theory, the study engaged members of Lyeja-Nyai Development Trust to analyse socio-cultural and political challenges for Lyeja FM community radio of the Nambya and Dombe/Tonga ethnic groups in a multilingual community of Hwange. The findings of the study show that Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (…
Newsroom Disruptions and Opportunities in Times of Crisis: Analysing Southern African Media During the Covid-19 Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic currently ravaging the world has brought massive disruptions to every facet of life. However, a crisis can present revolutionary change and growth opportunities for both individuals and institutions. This study is a cross-country study that examines the disruptions and opportunities that the pandemic has wrought to mainstream news reporting practices. Utilising data from Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, we seek to answer…
Radio, Public Life and Citizen Deliberation in South Africa
Play on Twitter During Health Crisis in Non-Democratic Context: Gratification or Dissent
There is scholarly debate on whether digital political participation influence decision-making or merely make citizens feel good. Using digital public sphere theory and play, this article explores political participation on Twitter during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe. The study applies a qualitative content analysis on tweets as it answers questions: does perspective by media users in a health crisis exert political change and in what way do…
Gendered roles, images and behavioural patterns in the soap opera Generations
This article evaluates gender stereotyping in Generations , South Africa's leading soap opera. Making use of the results of an analysis and survey method, the article examines subtle areas of denigration and other negative connotations in the speech, emotions and habits of the characters that are highlighted as displaying typically male or female behaviour. The article explores whether male and female characters featured in Generations display th…
Journalism education and practice in South Africa and the discourse of the African Renaissance
At the turn of the century there was sheer optimism that ‘Africa's time’ to address all its problems had come, and as a result the 21st century was widely hailed as the ‘African century’ (Ban 2008; Makgoba 1999; Mbeki 1999; O'Reilly 1998; Zoellick 2009). This pronouncement was accompanied by the parallel call for the African Renaissance, which challenged many institutions to align themselves with this ‘crucial phase’ in the history of Africa. In …
When the subaltern speaks: Re-examining indigenous-language media as alternative public sphere during colonial South Africa
This article attempts to examine the efficacy of indigenous-language newspapers published in South Africa during the colonial era. In doing so, the article is particularly interested to see how the success achieved by those publications could be replicated to boost post-apartheid indigenous-language media in their encounter with the hegemonic onslaught of the mainstream media whose scope and hegemony continue to expand at an alarming rate. The ar…
Re-imagining News Values and Labels of Controversies with Reference to Political Scandals
Scandals involving heads of state are generally the staple diet of news media. Internationally, the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s “bunga bunga” sex escapades are some of the most memorable. In South Africa, scandals that marred former president Jacob Zuma’s term of office have continued to be the centre of attention long after he resigned as president. During his presidency, Zuma became…
Television in Africa in the Digital Age
Implications of gatekeeping on talk radio
Radio programmes that encourage audience participation through call-ins are often hailed as empowering, giving voice to the voiceless and, more importantly, ensuring that a range of voices are accommodated. By encouraging listeners to participate through phone-ins, for example, such programmes often attract large audiences that are not only listeners but cocreators in the production of messages that are put across. However, this chapter argues th…
Radio, Public Life and Citizen Deliberation in South Africa
Artificial Intelligence Practices in Everyday News Production: The Case of South Africa’s Mainstream Newsrooms
This article explores artificial intelligence (AI) uptake in selected South African mainstream newsrooms. It seeks to determine the extent to which AI has been adopted and how journalists and editors perceive its appropriation in newsmaking practices. To address these two broad aims, the study used in-depth interviews with journalists and editors. Our findings suggest a slow, varied but methodical uptake of AI practices in South Africa’s mainstre…
Radio Public Life and Citizen Deliberation in South Africa
Discursive Communities, Protest, Xenophobia, and Looting in South Africa: A Social Network Analysis
The article informs on a study that employed a digital ethnographic approach to analyse a network of human relationships and connections based on the physical and social phenomena of political protest and xenophobia, accompanied by looting and the destruction of property in South Africa. It examines how social media have been used to fuel violence, protest, xenophobic attacks, and the looting of shops, and for ordinary citizens to post videos or …
Newsroom Disruptions and Opportunities in Times of Crisis: Analysing Southern African Media During the Covid-19 Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic currently ravaging the world has brought massive disruptions to every facet of life. However, a crisis can present revolutionary change and growth opportunities for both individuals and institutions. This study is a cross-country study that examines the disruptions and opportunities that the pandemic has wrought to mainstream news reporting practices. Utilising data from Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, we seek to answer…
Media Discourse, Legal, and Ethical Issues Arising from the Zuma Saga and Nkandlagate
Allegations of corruption and rape against President Jacob Zuma constituted among the most covered stories in South Africa and beyond. Widely dubbed “the Zuma saga” by the media, the twin stories began with allegations of corruption in the arms deal. While the corruption case still gripped the public, another damning allegation (rape) surfaced and fermented the story to levels surpassed by no other story at the time. Zuma was subsequently acquitt…
Diversity and Multiculturalism Accommodation: The Cultural and (In)Humane Existence of the Indigenous San (Basarwa) Community in Botswana
This article examines and problematises the “rights” of Indigenous communities under multiculturalism debates with reference to the San community popularly known as “Basarwa” or “Bushmen” in Botswana, paying particular attention to the tension between perceived government effort to accommodate this community and the concomitant violence inflicted upon its members. The article refers to the Sesana and Others v Attorney-General (2006) case as a spr…
African Languages and Gender Identity in Marginal Films Made Outside the Mainstream Film Industry in South Africa
Community Radio Content in Print Facebook Posts: Limitations and Opportunities for Indigenous Languages
With the advent of social media, traditional analogue radio has converged to audio-visual with print formats. Using the case of community radio in Zimbabwe, this article explores how radio broadcasters have taken advantage of media convergence to disseminate text as implant on radio. A qualitative content analysis of community radio platforms on Facebook reveals that some multilingual community radio stations still maintain their local languages …
Reconceptualising multilingualism on African radio: A multilingual accommodation theory
Media organisations in radio broadcasting are gradually fine-tuning to accommodate multilingual socio-cultural identities. Africa presents unique challenges of lingual diversity which some of the media, particularly public radio have struggled to accommodate. This article advocates for multilingual accommodation on radio to foster more liberating and inclusive ways for multilingual speakers. It is a conceptual paper informed by the Afrikology per…
Play on Twitter During Health Crisis in Non-Democratic Context: Gratification or Dissent
There is scholarly debate on whether digital political participation influence decision-making or merely make citizens feel good. Using digital public sphere theory and play, this article explores political participation on Twitter during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe. The study applies a qualitative content analysis on tweets as it answers questions: does perspective by media users in a health crisis exert political change and in what way do…
African films and languages
This editorial explores the usage of African languages in African cinemas using insights from scholars such as Ngugi wa Thiong’o. Such an exploration is significant given this themed edition’s main argument that African films play a vital role in exporting African culture to the world. These films also function as a tool for self-representation in the context where African stories have largely been misrepresented, neglected or distorted in mainst…
Data Journalism Appropriation in African Newsrooms: A Comparative Study of Botswana and Namibia
African multilingual public sphere: A critical analysis of minority indigenous language(s) representation on Breeze FM talk radio in Zimbabwe
It is significant to note that the African public sphere has not been fully explored beyond Habermas or Mouffe's theoretical lens. Relying on what we call the African multilingual public sphere, this article analyses talk shows on commercial radio to ascertain the marginalisation of minority ethnolinguistic groups in Zimbabwe. The study uses an ethnographic observation technique and in-depth interviews with radio hosts, and presenters to analyse …
The Political Economy of Indigenous Local Media for Minority Languages in Zimbabwe: A Case of Lyeja FM Community Radio
This article analyses the political economy of indigenous language media for minority ethnolinguistic groups in Zimbabwe. Using political economy as theory, the study engaged members of Lyeja-Nyai Development Trust to analyse socio-cultural and political challenges for Lyeja FM community radio of the Nambya and Dombe/Tonga ethnic groups in a multilingual community of Hwange. The findings of the study show that Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (…
Cultural symbols and proverbs in Setswana YouTube and TikTok content as lingual positioning efforts
Sociology (16 works) · Political science (15 works) · Media Studies and Communication (13 works) · Law (9 works) · Media studies (9 works) · Politics (9 works) · Law (7 works) · Journalism (6 works) · Mainstream (6 works) · Indigenous (5 works)