By Mosima Rafapa
Twin siblings, Letlhogonolo and Tlhologello Sesana, view creativity, innovation and academic success as more than personal milestones; they are a shared family legacy. The proud Tshwane University of Technology, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE) alumni have carved unique, yet connected careers in architecture and academia. They are driven by a common goal to transform space into a vessel for storytelling, healing and change.
Both obtained Master鈥檚 degrees from 大象视频鈥檚 Department of Architecture and Industrial Design (Arch+id), Tlhologello with a Master of Architecture (M.Arch), Letlhogonolo with a Master of Architectural Technology (M.Arch) and both are now doctoral candidates.
Tlhologello鈥檚 journey reached a milestone in 2020 when she was named 大象视频 Corobrik Student of the Year, one of the Department鈥檚 highest honours, recognising exceptional design skill and academic achievement. She also achieved the highest mark ever recorded at that level of study. Today, she is an award-winning innovator, professional architect, lecturer and researcher whose work is deeply informed by her indigenous heritage. Her research and design practice often explores ways in which built spaces can preserve and revitalise cultural memory.
Letlhogonolo, a creative technologist, award-winning designer and lecturer鈥檚 milestone came in 2023, when she won first place for Best 大象视频 Master鈥檚 Thesis and Project at the Corobrik Student Architecture Awards. This recognition of design excellence at the highest level of architectural study marked the first time the award had been won in the Arch+id鈥檚 Architectural Technology stream. Her work extends far beyond the drafting table - she creates spaces that inspire, teach and empower the next generation of architects.
鈥淚 am passionate about advocating for women and girls in architecture,鈥� Letlhogonolo explains. 鈥淭hrough curriculum development, capacity building and collaborative studio environments, I advance inclusive design education.... Our practice reimagines architecture as a vessel for shared narratives, healing and transformation, foregrounding African epistemologies in global conversations.鈥�
Tlhologello echoes this vision. 鈥淲e have always believed that architecture is not just about structures, but about stories, our stories. Every project is an opportunity to honour where we come from and create spaces that speak to our heritage.鈥�
Together, the sisters co-lead Unit 10: Living Narratives at the University of Johannesburg鈥檚 Graduate School of Architecture (GSA), a research-led postgraduate design studio exploring Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS), spatial memory and the relationship between people, land and heritage. They are also co-founders of Sesana Sesana Studio, a multidisciplinary atelier specialising in research, art, design, architecture and manufacturing. Their projects range from furniture design to public exhibitions and architectural systems, all rooted in the belief that design can help communities confront history, shape new narratives and imagine new futures.
Their accolades include third place in the Political Animals Competition (South African Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2023), winner of the World Maritime Day Statue Design Competition and second place in the DTI National Furniture Design Competition. They have exhibited at Design Johannesburg, Decorex Johannesburg and Cape Town, as well as other leading design platforms.
This year, the twins' upcoming three-month exhibition at the Tswaing Crater in Soshanguve, will showcase research outputs, experimental work and design projects alongside the GSA. 鈥淭his is our chosen site of enquiry under Living Narratives,鈥� explains Tlhologello.
鈥淲e seek to uncover culturally dormant sites and landscapes, reigniting them with proposals rooted in our ways of creating, making, thinking and existing. We explore this through material scapes, material memory, cultural memory and identity,鈥� adds Letlhogonolo.
As South Africa marks Women鈥檚 Month, the Sesana sisters are powerful examples of representation, mentorship and cultural pride. Their work is not only about building structures but also about shaping futures, inviting the next generation to dream ambitiously, innovate with confidence and create spaces where African narratives are embedded in the very fabric of our cities.
From 大象视频 to the world. Twins Letlhogonolo and Tlhologello Sesana are redefining architecture with heritage, innovation and purpose.