Keneilwe Hlahane

Keneilwe Hlahane obtained a BSc in geology from UKZN, followed by a BSc honours in geographic information systems (GIS) at UCT, where she is enrolled for an MSc in GIS and Remote Sensing.

Her MSc research is part of the Earth Observation National Eutrophication Monitoring Project, which is led by CyanoLakes (Pty) Ltd and funded by the Water Research Commission (WRC). Hlahane’s master’s project focuses on monitoring eutrophication using GIS and satellite remote sensing in the Vaal River. Eutrophication is a leading cause of water pollution in freshwater and coastal marine ecosystems. Her research is important because it aims to find new methods of studying the water quality in rivers using data obtained from remote sensing satellites. Hlahane has presented the preliminary results of her MSc dissertation to the Rand Water Board and the WRC. She also assisted as a GIS intern in a project assessing the acid mine drainage pollution at Tweelopiesspruit on the West Rand.

Hlahane won the 2017 Esri Young Scholar Award for South Africa, and presented her research at the Esri International User Conference in San Diego.

Hlahane contributed to a book chapter entitled Management and Mitigation of Acid Mine Drainage. Her article “Every drop counts: watching water from space” was published in Science Today, after being selected as part of a postgraduate science writing competition in 2016.

The International Alliance of Research Universities awarded her a scholarship to participate in a summer school on sustainable water management in Africa in 2016. Hlahane also received a student conference scholarship to present her MSc work at the International Symposium of Remote Sensing of the Environment in South Africa in May 2017.