UJ Philosophy Lembede Essay Prize 2024

The Department of Philosophy at the University of Johannesburg runs an annual essay competition to award excellence in philosophical writing in any area of philosophy by postgraduate students.

The prize is named after Anton Lembede, one of the most outstanding figures of the New African Movement. Lembede – the son of Mbazwana Martin, a farm labourer, and Martha Norah MaLuthuli – was born on 21 March 1914 on a farm in Eston, Natal, where he was home schooled while he was young. Later, he would be awarded both a BA and an LLB degree, and go on to complete an MA in Philosophy at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in 1945, titled “The concept of God as expounded by and as it emerges from the philosophers from Descartes to the present day”. Besides this, Lembede was also a founder of the ANC Youth League in 1944.

In celebration of this legacy, students are encouraged to enter the competition, which not only awards them, but also provides entrants with feedback for the development of their essays into publishable articles.

In 2024, we had 10 entrants which were then shortlisted after being judged by a panel of philosophers. The top three finalists were then chosen by an external judge, a position undertaken by the esteemed Professor David Spurrett from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal. Prof. Spurrett not only provided valuable feedback to the candidates, but also graciously made time to meet with them online for a brief discussion about their papers, and to answer any questions they had about publication. Prof. Spurrett had the following to say about the finalists:

I was impressed by all three of the final essays. All of them showed a good sense of a topic worth taking seriously and treating philosophically. All of them showed genuine understanding of significant parts of demanding philosophical literatures. Every one of them had a clear and reasonable overall argumentative design. Every one of them was evidently the result of thoughtful and independent effort. […] My congratulations to all three of the finalists, and to UJ philosophy for sustaining a collegial and philosophically ambitious ‘scene’ where postgraduate students have an outlet like this, and enjoy such a good training, and such excellent support.

Our three finalists ranked first to joint second are:

• 1^st place: Franklyn Ugochukwu for his essay, “What Makes a Good Doctor?”
• 2^nd place: David Lucas for his essay, “The Search for an Alternative Warrant for Causal Induction”
• 2^nd place: Emmanuel Oboh for his essay, “Gender Based Violence in South Africa: Environmental Degradation, an Underexplored Exacerbator.”

The winner of the Lembede Essay Prize 2024 is awarded an all-expenses paid trip to the PSSA 2025.