Durban – Accepting his doctor of philosophy degree in applied mathematics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Dr Sfundo Gumede stressed the importance of motivating and inspiring the youth of South Africa, especially those who live in rural areas and urban fringes of the country.
Gumede said it was imperative that young people, especially those who come from disadvantaged communities, be taught about the importance of learning maths as a subject while still at primary school, so that they fall in love with it, instead of being made to detest learning maths.
The first in his family to attain a university degree, let alone at the level of a doctor, an academic career was an unfamiliar concept to Gumede’s family, but they trusted his decision to pursue this path and provided him all their support.
Gumede was born and raised in rural Mtubatuba, northern KwaZulu-Natal, where he completed all his schooling.
He grew up curious about the structure and origin of the universe and what underpinned the behaviour of astronomical objects like stars.
Gumede initially set out to qualify as a maths and science teacher, but an encounter with someone at the University of Zululand’s (Unizulu) admission office, who saw his excellent results in maths, led him to enrol for a Bachelor of Science that broadened his career options.
When Gumede studied maths further, he learnt about astrophysics, which he said fit in with his curiosity about the workings of the universe.
As he delved into the subject, he learnt that the physics of the world and astronomical objects could be described using the laws of maths.
At Unizulu, Gumede completed his BSc in maths and statistics, and BSc Honours in maths with distinction, before going on to complete a postgraduate diploma in higher education at Rhodes University.
Gumede joined Mangosuthu University of Technology in Umlazi as a junior lecturer, and continued with Master’s studies at UKZN, thanks to its proximity to MUT and its high rating in terms of its postgraduate offerings, especially in maths.
He graduated with a Master’s degree from UKZN summa cum laude, and continued with PhD studies under the supervision of Professors Sunil Maharaj and Kesh Govinder.
His topic tackled the Einstein-Maxwell field equations, part of Einstein’s theory of General Relativity that describes gravitational interactions between bodies.
Gumede sought to find new solutions to these equations for relativistic fluids, since exact solutions to the field equations can be used to investigate the physical properties of observable cosmological phenomena like stars.
His research applied mathematical equations to the study of physical phenomena as part of his interest in using various techniques to solve differential equations.
This research resulted in new exact solutions to the Einstein-Maxwell field equations in four-dimensional and higher-dimensional spaces, a significant advance in the subject.
He has published papers, on First Integrals of Shear-Free Fluids and Complexity, and on Charged Shear-Free Fluids and Complexity in First Integrals in the Entropy journal, with a third publication forthcoming.
“For me, obtaining a PhD is a dream come true and the culmination of my hard work and resilience,” Gumede said.
He added that he was committed to his career in academia, aiming to develop his research expertise further to progress in the field and gain new insights into the universe that has always fascinated him.
He plans to initiate research collaborations with the contacts he has made through his studies and supervise postgraduate students as he expands his own research.
He credited Professors Maharaj and Govinder for their support throughout his studies, and thanked his family, friends and colleagues for the motivation, inspiration and contributions they provided.
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