A Brief Profile for Dr Simo Mthethwa

Background & personal Info:

I was born and raised in a village known as eSabhuza, KwesakaMthethwa, eMpangeni, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
I Went to eMaqwabe Primary School & Mningi High School.

Academic Background & Achievements:

I Studied & completed the following qualifications at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in the specified time frames:

2012 BSc (majors in Mathematics and Statistics) University of KwaZulu-Natal. University of KwaZulu-Natal.
2013 BSc (Honours) in Mathematics University of KwaZulu-Natal.

2015 MSc., Mathematics, University of KwaZulu-Natal.
2019 D.Phil., Mathematics, University of KwaZulu- Natal.Dissertation Title: “Perfect Compactifications of Frames”Supervisors: Prof D. Baboolal & Dr. P. Pillay

Professional Background.

Senior Lecturer, UKZN, February 2023- Present
Lecturer, UKZN, April 2019- January 2023
Senior Tutor, UKZN (Access Programme), Feb 2014- April 2019
Training Coordinator (MiET Africa – Sanlam), Jan 2017 – Jan 2018

Achievements:

First prize in research presentation at Postgraduate Research & Innovation Symposium (2014)
MiET Hero Award (2017)
Published three research articles from PhD work in high quality journals (2018-2021).
Recognised as Top 100 Shinning Stars of SA (2020)
Assupol Museum of Heroes Award (2020)
My research is funded by NRF Thuthuka Grant (2021-2023) and supported by NGA (MaSS).

Selected Public Speaking:

Over and above presentations of my research in conferences & Mthethwamatics related public speaking I was invited to speak in the following events;
The Youth Business Connect (EThekwini Municipality, Durban)
UKhozi FM, Isidlo Sasekuseni Morning Show.
Academic Awards (NSA, Wits)

Publications:

3.1 Published Articles
1. Simo S. Mthethwa, Baboolal, Dharmanand and Pillay, Paranjothi, Compactifications from generators and relations, Mathematica Slovaca, vol. 68, no. 4, 2018, pp. 929-938. https://doi.org/10.1515/ms-2017-0155
2. Simo S. Mthethwa, Characterising certain compactifications of frames with special attention to Freudenthal, Algebra Univers. 82, Article No. 14 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00012-021-00708-7
3. Simo S. Mthethwa, Perfectness of 2-star compactifications of frames, Topology and its Applications, Volume 297, 2021, 107701, ISSN 0166-8641,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.topol.2021.107701
4. Simo S. Mthethwa & Ali Taherifar (2023), A note on J -spaces and relatively connected subsets, Quaestiones Mathematicae, 46:11, 2023, 2453-2464,
https://doi.org/10.2989/16073606.2022.2125851
5. Simo S. Mthethwa, On J-frames, Topology and its Applications, Volume 342, 2024, 108772, ISSN 0166-8641, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.topol.2023.108772

6. Simo S. Mthethwa, Ali Taherifar, J-spaces and C-normal Spaces: An Algebraic Perspective, Filomat, 38:3 (2024), 1009–1021, https://www.pmf.ni.ac.rs/filomat-
content/2024/38-3/38-3-18-20325.pdf
7. Simo S. Mthethwa, Gugulethu Nogwebela, Rim-perfect Compactifications of Frames and Zero-dimensionally Embedded Remainders, Bulletin of the Iranian Mathematical Society, Volume 50, Article no. 51, 2024, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41980-024-00896-7

8. Siyabonga Dubazana, Simo S. Mthethwa, On Variants and Generalizations of J-frames, Quaestiones Mathematicae, 31 July 2024, https://doi.org/10.2989/16073606.2024.2379348

9. Simo S. Mthethwa, Gugulethu Nogwebela, The Freudenthal and other compactifications of continuous frames, Algebra Universalis, 85 (32), 04 July 2024,
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00012-024-00857-5

10. Siyabonga Dubazana, Simo S Mthethwa, On relatively connected sublocales and J- frames, Categories and General Algebraic Structures with Applications, Volume 22, Number 1, January 2025, 181-196,https://doi.org/10.48308/cgasa.20.1.181
11. Siyabonga Dubazana, Simo S. Mthethwa, Characterizing some Generalizations of Lindelöf Frames, Rocky Mountain Journal of Mathematics, appeared online 16 October 2024, 18 pages, https://projecteuclid.org/journals/rmjm/rocky-mountain- journal-of-mathematics/DownloadAcceptedPapers/231019-Mthethwa.pdf
12. Lindani Cele, Simo S. Mthethwa, On some Properties of Cohesive Frames, Afrika Matematika (2025) 36: Article No. 56, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13370-025-
01263-3
13. Simo S. Mthethwa, Onesipho Ntombela, On the completeness of localic groups via generators and relations, Algebra Univers. 86, 19 (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00012-025-00898-4

3.2 Articles Accepted for Publication
14. Simo S. Mthethwa, Gugulethu Nogwebela, When Freudenthal Coincides with the Smallest Compactification in Frames with a Categorical Slant, Categories and General Algebraic Structures with Applications, (Accepted, October 2024).

POSTGRADUATE STUDENT SUPERVISION

POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS SUPERVISED TO COMPLETION/GRADUATION:

S. S. Dubazana, PhD, 2025, On variants and generalizations of J-frames (UKZN).
G. M. Nogwebela, PhD, 2024, Compactifications of frames with zero-dimensional remainders (UKZN).
O. Ntombela, MSc, 2025, On Completeness and Paracompactness of Localic Groups via Generators and Relations (UKZN).
S. Nkosi, MSc, 2024, An algebraic view of perfect compactifications and structure spaces (UKZN).
N. T. Zuma, MSc, 2024, On the Perfectness of the Higson-Type and Other Compactifications (UKZN).
L. S. Cele, MSc, 2023, On point-based and pointfree connectifications and cohesion (UKZN).
S. S. Dubazana, MSc, 2022, J-spaces and their generalizations (UKZN).
G. M. Nogwebela, MSc, 2022, Some compactifications of spaces with a zero- dimensional remainder (UKZN).

6.3 CURRENT POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS:

L. S. Cele, PhD (Start: 2024).
A. Dlamini, MSc (Start: 2024).
L. E. Seodi, MSc (Start: 2025).
S Mthethwa, MSc (Start: 2025).

LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE

I am serving as a Deputy Chair on the Advisory Committee consisting of nine members for the University of Zululand Department of Mathematical Sciences forthe cycle: 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2027.
I am a founder and a director at Mthethwamatics – An NPC and a movement that seeks to educate the general public about Mathematics, from learning it (academic) to its various careers (real world). This is done through seminars, motivational talks by professionals, actual teaching, sharing of research, etc. EThekwini Municipality, DoE, and College of AES at UKZN largely fund Mthethwamatics programmes. 3. I am serving as the chair of one of the School of Mathematics Re-Organization
Task Teams. These task teams were formed to help the discipline to position itself for the UKZN restructuring, which will be effective from 1 January 2025.
I am one of the UKZN representatives who was assigned to establish a relationship with ARUA and The Guild in order for the discipline of mathematics to be part of the Africa-Europe CoRE for mathematics.
I am a member of the South African National Committee for the International Mathematical Union (SANCIMU), 2020 – 2023. The South African National Committee for the IMU (SANCIMU) consists of four representatives of AMESA (Association for Mathematics Education of South Africa) and four representatives of SAMS (South African Mathematical Society).

SELECTED ACADEMIC CITIZENSHIP AND COMMUNITY SERVICE ACTIVITIES:

Advisory Committee Member of the Department of Mathematical Science at the University of Zululand, 2024-Present.
National Benchmark Test Standard Setting Panel, October 2023, Cape Town.
Library Representative for School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science (UKZN), 2019- Present.

SELECTED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND TALKS:

Successful Postgraduate Student Supervision in Mathematics, Pathways to a Successful Career organized by the UCDP-NGA (MaSS), June 2023.
A few points in pointfree topology, Galway Topology Colloquium, Galway University, Ireland, June 2024.
On classes of frames containing J-frames, International Conference on Topology and its Applications, Nafpaktos, Greece, July 3-7, 2023.
Properties of the full pi-compact basis of frames and their associated compactifications, TAAG, University of Botswana, 18 – 20 September 2017.

OUTREACH AND SCIENCE COMMUNICATION:

Panelist at the World Science Forum South Africa at AIMS, 02 December 2022, under the theme: Advancing Mathematical Sciences for Societal, Human Capital & Skills Development
I am a founder and a director at Mthethwamatics – An NPC and a movement that seeks to educate the general public about Mathematics, from learning it (academic) to its various careers (real world). This is done through seminars, motivational talks by mprofessionals, actual teaching, sharing of research, etc. The following are the main programmes that Mthethwamatics runs:

a. Careers in Mathematical Sciences Indaba
b. Teach The Nation (TTN)
c. Virtual Mathematics Competition (VMC).
d. Teachers’ Workshops- Deductive Thinking (TWDT) For more info, please visit: https://www.mthethwamatics.co.za We use social media (see Facebook Page: @Mthethwamatics) and community radio stations (e.g., Ikhwezi FM, Inanda FM, Umhlobo Wenene FM) for Science and Mathematics Communication.

Radio Langa: Mathematically Speaking – weekly segments on Mathematics and Science (2024)

SELECTED GRANTS:

DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Mathematical and Statistical
Sciences (CoE-MaSS) Grant
NRF Thuthuka-UKZN Grant, cycle 2021-2023, 2025 – 2027
UCDP – NGA (MaSS) Grant, 2019 & cycle 2021-2023

OTHER HONORS & AWARDS

Moses Kotane & EThekwini municipality Award on Service Learning, 2024.
National Youth Development Agency Trailblazer (NYDA), 2022.
Sunday World Unsung Hero, 2021 & 2022.
Assupol Museum of Heros, 2020.
Top 100 Shinning Stars of SA, Inside Education, 2020.
MiET Africa Hero, 2017.

NON-MATHEMATICAL ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES:

South African Literary Awards (SALA) adjudication panelist from 2020 to date.

A Brief Profile for Dr Simo Mthethwa

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