Rate My Professor Topside Mathonsi

Prof Topside Ehleketani Mathonsi is an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Information Technology in the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in South Africa. He completed his Doctor of Computing in Information Technology at TUT in March 2020. Prior to this, he earned a Master’s degree under the supervision of Prof Paul Kogeda, focusing on areas including the Internet of Things, fifth-generation networks, and wireless communications systems. He also holds a Post-graduate Diploma in Teacher Education from TUT. Mathonsi began his academic journey at TUT as an undergraduate student, participating in the Innovation Hub (CoachLab@Hub) graduate programme, which sparked his interest in research and academia. He originates from Magomani village in Malamulele, Limpopo.

Mathonsi’s research focuses on wireless communication systems, cybersecurity, software-defined networking, the Internet of Things, smart agriculture, fog computing, and related areas including AI-driven cybersecurity and 5G/6G network security. He has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications, including 35 journal articles and 74 conference papers, as well as book chapters. He has supervised 23 Master’s students and two Doctoral candidates to completion and currently supervises additional postgraduate students. Mathonsi serves as an examiner for Master’s and Doctoral theses at institutions including the University of Cape Town, Durban University of Technology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Central University of Technology, University of South Africa, University of the Witwatersrand, University of Zambia, and University of Botswana. He is a member of key academic and research committees at TUT. His contributions have been recognised with the NSTF Emerging Researcher Award and selection as one of the CYBER100 leaders to watch. He maintains a student-centred teaching approach that emphasises practical application, critical thinking, and adaptation to technological advances.