“I’m super excited, it is such a dream come true. It’s been five years of commitment to my studies, and the feeling of becoming a doctor is out of this world. I am so proud to have finally got to this stage of graduating,” said Dr Zikho Qwatekana jubilantly.
She was the proud recipient of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management Sciences Specialising in Hospitality and Tourism at DUT 2026 Graduation ceremony held at the Indumiso Campus Hall in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday, 12 May 2026.
Dr Zikho previously worked as an Ecotourism Lecturer at DUT. Currently, she works at a French Tourism School, spending her work time between Saudi Arabia and Paris.
With over a decade of academic experience, she now holds a PhD in Management Sciences specialising in Ecotourism and Environmental Management. Her research interests include ecotourism, climate change, rural development, tourism governance, and protected area management.
She focused her research to push boundaries and make a significant impact, with the goal of being recognised both locally and internationally. Whilst at DUT, she was part of and represented South Africa and the DUT BRICS Research Institute, a prestigious event which brought together young scholars, researchers, diplomats, and journalists from over 35 countries.
Hence, it was when she had participated in the DUT BRICS Research Institute, that she wanted to study an issue that focuses on the global South and rural communities within the global South. Besides her research acumen, Dr Zikho is also quite competitive in nature, sharing that she had won the best paper award at the 2023 GISU Research Symposium in Australia.
“In terms of my research, I wanted to do something that is related to rural communities because that is the type of setting that I come from. I do believe that a lot of us tend to leave those places in search for better places instead of doing something to develop them. I wanted to do research that was going to take me back to some of those issues that we face in those settings,” she emphasised.
She explained that she chose a study on how local people are collaborating in managing tourism in their rural settings. She said that the protected areas play a critical role in biodiversity while also shaping the socio-economic conditions of surrounding communities.
Dr Zikho shared that her research indicated that tensions often arise between conservation objectives and local livelihood needs, particularly governance structures limit meaningful participation and equitable benefit-sharing, creating challenges for sustainability and community development.
“The study highlights the importance of adaptive and inclusive governance approaches, providing a foundation for more effective and sustainable management of protected areas,” she said.
Her advice she has imparted to first year students at DUT is to work hard and to find something that they passionate about.
“Studying can be quite a long journey, so you have to find something that you really love that even when you are exhausted, even when you feel demotivated, you are happy to wake up and go work on your studies or research,” she said.
Pictured: Zikho Qwatekana
Photography: S’bonelo Dlamini
Waheeda Peters
