SAPI/SAPA 2026 Conference

KNOWING WHAT WE DON'T WANT TO KNOW: the ego is not master in its own house

The SAPI/SAPA 2026 Conference, titled Knowing What We Don’t Want to Know: the ego is not master in its own house, takes place at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg. We start at 12:30 on Thursday 28th May and conclude with a closing dinner on Saturday 30th May. The Conference programme features a series of creatively curated plenary and parallel sessions, fostering conversations between psychoanalysis and a range of other disciplines, including anthracology, literature, mathematics, physics, grassroots activism, neuroscience and philosophy.

This year's theme invites a psychoanalytic inquiry into the known, the hidden, the disavowed and the unknowable — not only in the individual psyche but also within social, historical, and political life. Psychoanalytic thought, from Freud to the present, has persistently returned to the question of what is defended against, what cannot be symbolised and what the self (or society) resists and refuses to know. Whether through repression, denial, disavowal, or foreclosure, the human psyche is structured around gaps and absences — things not only forgotten but actively unthought.

Echoing the currents of erasure, distortion, and wilful blindness that flowed through our 2025 conference, we aim to explore how unknowing (and knowing) operates — not just as lack, but as force: political, psychic, affective. What do we not want to know about trauma, sexuality, gender, race, privilege, history, the body, the self? What truths are scotomised, warped, rendered abject? What kinds of knowing are forbidden, punished, or declared unspeakable? How do we survive the dread and angst that reside in both uncertainty and conviction?

Please read the following information carefully as you will need to choose from a number of options regarding registration categories, walk-about sessions, pre-ordered lunches and closing dinner & DJ.

Conference registration fee

R2300 - SAPI/SAPA Members

R2800 - Non SAPI/SAPA Members

R1800 - Concession (student, intern, other) - to be applied for in writing to Vanessa Dantas e Sá at [email protected] - a discount code will be provided

SAPI and SAPA remain committed to not excluding participation on the basis of financial restraints.

Walk-about sessions

As part of our Conference programme participants will be invited to partake in one of four activities which will take us out of our Conference venue and into Johannesburg surrounds. These activities will take place in parallel, over an extended lunch on Friday 29th May. Each activity has a fee which will cover transport, entry costs and payment of guides. Note that these activities have limited capacity and can be purchase here, together with your Conference ticket. You may also choose to stay at the Conference venue and participate in a viewing and discussion of Secrets of a Soul: a psychoanalytic film.

Walk-about 1 - The Wilds is one of Johannesburg’s most extraordinary stories of urban renewal. Once neglected and considered unsafe, this 16-hectare ridge above the city has been reclaimed through visionary community activism and bold public art. Today, winding stone paths lead visitors through indigenous gardens, dramatic city viewpoints, and a growing collection of striking sculptures and installations woven into the landscape. For our conference, an expert guide will offer a bespoke tour, sharing the history of its revival and the creative energy that transformed a forgotten space into a vibrant sanctuary of beauty, resilience, and imagination. Capacity 20 people. Fee R300

Walk-about 2 - Ponte City Tower stands tall as Johannesburg’s most iconic skyscraper and a symbol of urban transformation. Once notorious for decay and peril, this 54-storey cylindrical giant has risen from its turbulent past to become a living testament to resilience and renewal. On our Ponte Experience tour, expert local guides will lead you from the building’s engineered heart up to breathtaking panoramic views on the 51st floor, sharing stories of its evolution from luxury residence to misunderstood landmark and back to a vibrant community space. This bespoke journey blends history, architecture, and the spirit of contemporary Johannesburg. Capacity 20 people. Fee R400

Walk-about 3 - Our visit to artist Joni Brenner’s home and studio invites an encounter with examples of her portraiture practice with long-term models in the studio, and with the hand-loomed beaded necklaces, produced in collaboration with the Marigold women’s beadwork co-operative in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Both endeavours share processes of close observation and reflection, of repetition (different from replication), listening, responding, and following leads that could not have been known at the outset. The portrait practice and the bead studio’s monthly production of necklaces are, in different and shared ways, tactile and tangible material representations of time, place, presence and connection. Capacity 15 people. Fee R50

Walk-about 4 - Sanctuary Mandela is a hotel set in Nelson Mandela's former Houghton residence. Once home to Madiba after Robben Island and later the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s headquarters, the hotel features exhibits honouring Mandela and invites reflection and engagement with his life and values. The Heritage House Tour will guide us through the home’s history, revealing the stories and significance behind each corner of this reimagined landmark. Capacity 20 people. Fee R200

Conference lunches (Friday and Saturday)

We have organised an area to sit and eat together. You are welcome to bring your own lunches or, alternatively, you can order pre-catered lunches from The Village Cafe for Friday 29th and Saturday 30th May at R135 per lunch. These pre-catered lunches need to be selected and added to your Conference ticket purchase. Closer to the time, you will receive a menu including delicious halaal, vegetarian and vegan options from which to choose (examples: Honey Mustard Chicken Roll, Panini Caprese Ciabatta, Roast Beetroot and Pumpkin Bowl, Mediterranean Steak Bowl).

Conference closing dinner & DJ (Saturday)

Having listened to feedback over the past years, we have decided to close our 2026 Conference with a dinner and music! We will celebrate new graduates, eat together and move to the tunes of DJ Charles Leonard. Dinner will be at the Conference venue. A bountiful harvest table will be provided by The Village Cafe and the menu includes Mezze Platters, Asian Chicken Salad, Chimichurri Rump Platter, Caprese Salad, Whipped Fata and Artichokes, Roasted Chickpea Ceasar Salad, Crushed Crispy Baby Potato Salad, Cheese Board and a choice of desserts. Tickets for the closing dinner and DJ are R450 each and need to be selected and added to your Conference ticket purchase. A cash bar will be available.

Conference Contributors

Bongekile Zwane is an anthracologist and a lecturer at the Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg. Her research focus is in archaeobotany and palaeoecology of southern Africa. She specialises in using archaeological wood charcoal to reconstruct past climates and infer how ancient societies utilized woody plants for food, fuel, medicine and other resources. Her research currently investigates how the Last Glacial Maximum affected vegetation distribution and people’s well-being on the east edge of the Palaeo Agulhas Plain through the anthracological analysis of wood charcoal from the Knysna locality.

Bruce Laing is a clinical psychologist and senior candidate psychoanalyst with the South African Psychoanalytical Association and works in private practice in Cape Town. He teaches psychoanalytic theory for GRASP and the SAPI College.

Carol Richards is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst in private practice, committed to making psychoanalytic theory and practice accessible to communities in South Africa. Her work explores the impact of social context and intergenerational dynamics on psychological life. She serves on the board of the Johannesburg Psychoanalytic Clinic, providing high-quality, low-fee therapy services to diverse and historically marginalised communities.

Coletta Canale is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice in Cape Town. Previously, as a social worker, her work experience was varied such as in a hospital trauma unit in London, a children’s home in the Eastern Cape and running a shelter for homeless boys in Cape Town. She holds a Diploma in Communication with Children and Adolescents from the Tavistock and Portman Trust and qualified as a couple therapist through the Association of Couple Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists.

Corné Wentzel is a senior psychoanalytic candidate psychoanalyst with the South African Psychoanalytical Association. Prior to her entry into this profession she worked in the IT industry as a business analyst and executive. Her psychoanalytic practice is in Johannesburg, where she works with adults as individuals and couples. She volunteers with the Ububele PIP initiative at Edenvale Hospital. Corné has a special interest in how the practice of psychoanalysis engages with its context. .

Diane Sandler, instead of studying film, became a psychotherapist and psychoanalyst. Arguably the same but different. She has worked with children, adults and parents in Cape Town for some time. Recently, The Psychoanalysis and Film Group has gathered in her practice waiting room, to watch films, chat about films and eat popcorn.

Eckehard Pioch is a psychologist and training and supervising analyst of the German Psychoanalytical Society (DPG) and of the IPA. He is the current DPG president. Eckehard teaches at the Psychoanalytical Institute of Berlin and has written various clinical papers. He is editor and co-author of several books. He is chair of the EPF-committee on prejudice and discrimination.

Elana Jacobs is a psychoanalyst and psychotherapist specialising in working with children, adolescents, and parents in private practice. Since 2014, she has led encounter-group projects between Israeli and German universities. Her research examines encounter groups as a tool for reflective memory work, drawing on the contact hypothesis and psychoanalytic intersubjectivity theory. She teaches at the International Psychoanalytic University Berlin and at the Anna Freud Institute Frankfurt.

Esther Chunga is a psychologist, psychoanalyst, and the Executive Director of The Ububele Educational and Psychotherapy Trust. She is a member of the South African Psychoanalytical Association and the IPA. Esther is especially concerned with the application of psychodynamic and psychoanalytic approaches in contexts marked by social inequality, structural violence, and intergenerational trauma. Through her leadership at Ububele, she contributes to the development of interventions that are responsive to the complex psychic needs of children, families, and communities living in highly deprived and under-resourced environments.

Francois Rabie is a senior clinical psychologist at Stikland Psychiatric Hospital, Cape Town and a senior lecturer in the Psychiatry Department, Stellenbosch University. Francois is in the final phase of training as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist with the SAPI College and he holds psychotherapist-in-training status with the American

Psychoanalytic Association. He is also completing his PhD at the University of Cape Town.

Gohar Homayounpour is a psychoanalyst and award winning author. She is a member of the American Psychoanalytic Association, the Italian Psychoanalytical Society and the IPA. She is a training and supervising analyst of the Freudian Group of Tehran, of which she is also the founder and past president. She is a member of the scientific board of the Freud Museum in Vienna and of the IPA group Geographies of Psychoanalysis. Her first book, Doing Psychoanalysis in Tehran (MIT Press, 2012) has been translated into many languages. Her latest book is Persian Blues: Psychoanalysis and Mourning (Routledge, 2022).

Hasmita Hardhud-Dass is a social worker and clinical psychologist with a special interest in mother-infant attachment. During her internship she initiated mother-infant psychoeducation and support programs within government hospital maternity units. Hasmita currently works in private practice and is training as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist with the SAPI College.

Jacqui Zaina is a member of SAPI and a counselling psychologist in private practice in Cape Town. She obtained her D. Litt et Phil from the University of Johannesburg. Jacqui specialised in Post-structural theory, Diversity and Ecology during her doctorate and worked at Agape, an outdoor community clinic in Mamelodi, Pretoria.

Jonathan Percale is a clinical psychologist and member of SAPI. He was previously the Head of the Department of Psychology at The Tara H. Moross Centre. At Tara, he was passionate about the development and delivery of psychological services to the in and out patient community and supported the promotion and delivery of services to the broader community. Jonathan currently works in private practice and maintains his interest in individual therapy and supervision, working with couples, families and groups.

Jonathan Shock is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at the University of Cape Town and Adjunct Professor at the INRS, Montreal. He is also the interim director of the UCT AI Initiative and runs the African hub on AI Safety, Peace and Security. After completing his PhD n string theory at the University of Southampton, his research now spans theoretical physics, artificial intelligence and neuroscience. For the last five years, he has collaborated with Professor Mark Solms to try to understand artificial consciousness.

Kelly Bild is a clinical psychologist and candidate psychoanalyst with the South African Psychoanalytic Association. She works in private practice in Johannesburg. Previously she worked with the Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust and People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA). Kelly teaches psychoanalytic theory for GRASP.

Larissa Albertino is a psychoanalyst in training, scholar of the racial social program and current general representative of the students and provisional members of the Brazilian Psychoanalytical Society of Rio de Janeiro. Larissa is president of the Brazilian Candidates Association 2026/2027 and vice-president of the Latin American Candidate Organisation 2025/2026.

Mark Solms is Director of Neuropsychology in the Neuroscience Institute at UCT. He is Director of Training for SAPA and Science Director for the American Psychoanalytic Association. He is also a member of the British Psychoanalytical Society, an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists, and an Honorary Lecturer in Neurosurgery at the Royal London Hospital. He received the Sigourney Prize in 2011. He has published 350 peer-reviewed articles and nine books, the latest being The Only Cure. He is editor of the Revised Standard Edition and is currently editing the four-volume Complete Neuroscientific Works of Sigmund Freud.

Mary-Anne Smith is a clinical psychologist and training and supervising psychoanalyst of the South African Psychoanalytical Association. She is a member of the IPA and the current president of SAPI and SAPA.

Maxine Dennis is a psychoanalyst and consultant clinical psychologist. She is a member of the British Institute of Psychoanalysis and the IPA. She is private practice in South London. Maxine is a founding member of 10 Windsor walk (psychoanalysis, psychotherapy and training in South London) and a founding member of Black Psychoanalysts Speak. She is a speaker and lecturer for various psychology, counselling, psychotherapy organisations in the UK and abroad and is a training analyst for child psychotherapy and various adult psychotherapy trainings. She has directed and staffed on numerous Group Relations Conferences in the UK and internationally.

Nicky Roberts is an Associate Professor in mathematics education, at University of Stellenbosch and director of Kelello Collectives. She has served on the Southern African Association for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, and is currently a trustee of the International Group for Psychology of Mathematics Education. She has authored two edited books and numerous journal articles.

Nkosikhona “Face” Swaartbooi is an urban justice strategist and movement builder with over 15 years of experience working at the intersection of youth politics, housing justice, mental health and participatory democracy in South Africa. He is the founding organiser of Reclaim the City, the founder of Movement for Collective Action and Racial Equity (Movement for CARE) and the founder of the Healing Justice Network. Nkosikhona has previously held leadership roles at Social Justice Coalition, Ndifuna Ukwazi and Bertha House, and has served on multiple boards in the civil society space. He is a Ford Global Fellowship, a Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans alumnus and an alumnus of the University of Cape Town Building Bridges Programme.

Ntshediseng Tlooko is a clinical psychologist and a senior candidate psychoanalyst with the South African Psychoanalytical Association and works in private practice in Johannesburg. She co-authored an article with Coralie Trotter and Bruce Laing, titled the Mark of the Decanting and the Brick Mother Report, published in The Psychoanalytic Review, 2023. Ntshediseng was a SAPI/SAPA Conference committee member for six years and worked at the Johannesburg Metro Clinics for seven years.

Rachel Maroni is an educational psychologist, and a qualified early childhood development and primary school teacher. She has a Masters in Infant Mental Health from Stellenbosch University. Rachel currently works in private practice as a psychologist, supporting adults and children. She is involved in a project that equips healthcare professionals in maternal and infant mental health in Zimbabwe.

Ronald Davies is a psychoanalyst based in Cape Town. His primary intellectual interests have always been the philosophy of psychology and mind and, more recently, how that intersects with psychoanalysis. He regards himself as a materialist who is agnostic surrounding the possibility of an embodied subjectivity.

Tanya Wilson is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist based in Cape Town. She works primarily with individual adults but did also work with young children for many years. She is a long-time member of SAPI and currently on the SAPI College Committee. She was on the Committee of the Institute for Psychodynamic Child Psychotherapy (IPCP) for fifteen years. She has taught the theories of Wilfred Bion for the IPCP as well as for the SAPI College.

Thando Njovane is a senior lecturer in Literary Studies in English at Rhodes University, where she is an Andrew Mellon early career scholar and an Iso Lomso Fellow at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study. Her work is deeply rooted in the fields of memory, contested pasts, trauma theory, childhood studies, psychoanalysis, political philosophy, critical race theory, feminisms, and higher education. Her current research focus centers on her forthcoming monograph titled Trauma Theory and Childhoods in African Fiction, demonstrating her commitment to exploring pressing issues related to African literature and culture, trauma, and childhood experiences.

Zama Radebe is a clinical psychologist and a psychoanalyst. She is a member of the South African Psychoanalytical Association and the IPA. Zama previously worked in the public sector and currently works in private practice in Johannesburg.

Please note: A draft Conference programme, including session abstracts, will be shared in early April. At this time you will be asked to select which of the parallel sessions you wish to attend.

SAPI/SAPA Conference Committee

Kelly Bild

Bruce Laing

Wonique Dreyer

Jonathan Percale

Ronald Davies

Vanessa Dantas e Sá

Glynis Ponton