“It’s a bittersweet milestone.  While there is a sense of immense excitement in reaching this point, it also marked the culmination of five years where the only constant was the PhD itself,” said an exhilarated Dr Yâchal du Plessis.

Dr Du Plessis, a seasoned lecturer of the Durban University of Technology’s (DUT’s) Applied Management proudly graduated with her Doctor of Philosophy Management Sciences: specialising in Public Relations and Communications Management. The prestigious ceremony took place at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) 2025 Autumn Graduation Ceremony at the Olive Convention Centre, Durban.

Dr Du Plessis shared that this journey had been filled with challenges, growth, loss, hard lessons and invaluable experiences, and while she looks forward to what comes next, there’s a certain nostalgia in officially closing this chapter.

Proudly sharing more on her PhD dissertation, Dr Du Plessis emphasised that her thesis focused on communication which is the foundation of organisational success, especially in managing emergent change within diverse workforces.

However, she further shared that internal communication is often overlooked as a strategic tool for navigating change.

“Existing communication models are still shaped by post-colonial, Western, and Eastern influences, making them less effective in today’s globalised and culturally diverse workplaces. This study applied Chaos Theory as a framework to integrate South African cultural elements into internal organisational communication,” she explained.

Dr Du Plessis proffered that the findings revealed that current internal communication models lack adaptability from a glocal perspective.

“The study confirmed that the chaos theory provides a viable framework for enhancing internal communication as a tool for managing change in diverse organizations. As an original contribution, the research proposes a glocal process for managing emergent change through internal organisational communication,” she added.

Part of her academic journey was enshrined into the DUT values and principles such as commitment which requires discipline, a deep connection and unwavering  resilience to one’s goal, especially when its difficult.

My PhD journey further instilled this quality in me and now it is a part of my DNA. Excellence, for me excellence is not a destination but a pursuit.  There is always room for growth, refinement and improvement. The journey and pursuit of excellence is what excites me and drives me. I don’t ever want to arrive,” she indicated.

Looking back, Dr Du Plessis explained that what she used to see as challenges and life altering events, she now labels as opportunities that she appreciates because it helped her learn, grow and evolve.

“The time I spent working towards graduating reads like a fictional best-seller-from macro challenges such as COVID19 and lockdown and the KwaZulu-Natal floods. To in a short two-year period navigating a bitter divorce with no attorney, fighting for custody of my children, selling my personal belongs, and surviving a home invasion that saw four armed men robbing me of everything I owned, and almost strangling me to death. In between all this, I juggled a full time job, being a single mom and doing my PhD,” she confided.

Fo Dr Du Plessis, she indicated that she  will always be an eternal student.

 “I am in love with learning, I am too curious and always want to know the ‘why’ and ‘how’ so studying further will always be on the cards.  Right now, my focus is on research and publication,” she expressed.

  Dr Du Plessis is currently working towards her promotion to senior lecturer, while at the same time working on the requirements for promotion to Associate Professor.

 Her advice to fellow researchers is to use every opportunity to learn, meaning to donate one’s time and expertise.  “I believe in paying school fees.  Don’t start your career with the goal to earn money, your goal needs to be to learn.  Offer your skills to local charities and community organisations.  Work for free, develop work ethic and the rest will come,” she said proudly.

Dr Du Plessis highlighted that when she looks back at the person she was five years ago she does not recognise her.

 “If having to go through all the pain, trauma and challenges is what has led to me being the person I am today, then it was worth it, and I would do it again if I had to.  There is that famous song that says Thank you for sunshine, Thank you for rain, Thank you for joy, and Thank you for pain…it’s a beautiful day.  You can never truly appreciate joy when you have not experienced pain,” she concluded.

Pictured: Dr Yâchal du Plessis

Waheeda Peters