Reflection: Pilot Internship Programme

Reflection by Thinam Mali, Intern at PUG’s Pilot Internship Programme 2023

I joined the Politics and Urban Governance (PUG) Research Group as an intern at the beginning of August. I was excited about the prospects of joining PUG even before I was hired or even applied, mainly because I had an opportunity to do my honours research interviews hand in hand with Prof Fiona Anciano. As she was also conducting interviews in Imizamo Yethu for her study that focused on Pandemic Resilience and Cities. That field trip was my first introduction to research, how it is done, and how to ask questions. The awesome thing about it was that I could ask Prof Anciano questions about Imizamo Yethu without consulting several books. As the Xhosa proverb says “inyathi ibuzwa kwabaphambili” meaning “wisdom is learnt or sought from the elders”. 

I saw this internship as an extension of that field trip which fueled my passion for research. Another chance to learn, and who best to learn it from other than my supervisor who would later be my employer. This internship opened portals for me to learn academic-related skills but other skills that I did not expect to gain such as events organising skills. Through PUG, I assisted with organising events such as the Universities as Sites of Activism Symposium. In addition, the Photovoice Exhibition focused on sanitation in informal settlements. 

I also got to utilise my passion for content creation. When I first came to PUG, they had Twitter as a means to engage with the targeted audience. I then suggested that we open an Instagram page. Instagram in my opinion was more fun and allowed for creativity. This meant that I would work without feeling like I was working. I created reels and posted pictures of the research events PUG hosted, whilst ensuring that everything was aesthetically pleasing as the Instagram fanatics always say. I loved that I was not just doing what I was being told to do, but my work supervisor Babongile Bidla allowed me to add my personality to the work I was doing.  

“As mentioned, there are events hosted by PUG, which are attended by researchers, community members, students, activists and organisations, which provides you with the chance to interact and network with various professionals working on different things.”

This role made room for my growth as an individual, in terms of being around people who are doing what I wish to accomplish soon.  In situations where I need a pointer in the right direction when it comes to academics, I could ask anyone, and they were more than willing to help. For example, I knew that when I saw Dr Mmeli Dube, he would ask me about research, I took it as his way of affirming that if I needed help I could just shout. I did not know Dr Mmeli before working as an intern at PUG, therefore, I would say that this role also makes way for networking. As mentioned, there are events hosted by PUG, which are attended by researchers, community members, students, activists and organisations, which provides you with the chance to interact and network with various professionals working on different things. 

I would say that this role is quite helpful in helping you see what PUG is about and what they do. If you are interested in research but don’t know where to start, I would recommend applying for this role if you want to fuel your passion, if you want to network and most importantly if you want to grow both academically and professionally. I think that what made this pilot internship unique is that it grows you professionally but it also contributes to your growth as a student.