On this episode of Let's Talk Science with Thuli, we chat to doctoral candidate Maphuti Madiga about nyaope. Nyaope is a concoction of addictive substances that continue to see the youth of South Africa growing in addiction. Maphuti argues that addicts are often the centre of research and interventions without a focus on the effects this addiction may have on the mental health. Maphuti's research therefore looks at the resultant mental illnesses incurred by family members of nyaope addicts.  

In the #BeyondScience Maphuti shares her experience as a young parent and mother of a teenager. We chat about being a single mom, dating and everything in between.
 
Maphuti Madiga is a Professional Officer (PO) at the National Research Foundation (NRF) who holds a Master’s degree in Science from University of Limpopo. She is currently enrolled for her doctoral degree at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University in the Department of Public Health. She has thirteen (13) years cumulative working experience in academic research and research management in the higher education sector and science councils. She is a co-authorship of more than 10 peer- reviewed research articles in high impact factor international journals with more than 903 citations and a Google Scholar h-index of 7. She is a mother of two who is passionate about helping others and finding solutions to our country’s socio-economic challenges. A free spirited being who lives by the quote that says Life is for the living.