Fellows

Kamvalethu Miza is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa. Originally from Mdantsane township in the Eastern Cape, he completed his Bachelor of Social Science, Honours, and Master of Social Science degrees at UCT. His doctoral research examines the everyday experiences of food delivery riders and explores how platform technologies, urban space, race, masculinity and precarious labour shape worker’s lives. Miza is a social researcher with experience in qualitative and quantitative research, ethnographic fieldwork, and policy-oriented analysis. He previously worked as a Field Researcher and Research Assistant at the Human …

Sheron Mathlatse Masekoameng is a Researcher Support professional within the Institute for Health and Social Sciences at the University of South Africa (UNISA). She holds a Master of Arts in Psychology and is currently pursuing doctoral research in the Department of Psychology at UNISA, focusing on motherhood, reintegration, and child custody among formerly incarcerated women in South Africa. Her professional experience spans monitoring and evaluation, academic research, teaching, and scholarly publication. She has contributed to research projects addressing social justice, community development, and psychosocial wellbeing, and has developed expertise in qualitative research methodologies. Sheron’s research interests include correctional research, parenting

Tammy-Lee Lakay is a researcher and doctoral candidate in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of the Western Cape. Her doctoral project is an examination of the Labour and Community Resources Project and how Critical Pedagogy emerged within SACHED, the most prolific anti-apartheid education NGO of its time. This research builds on the traditions of revisiting liberation archives and reframing South Africa’s liberation history. She is also a Researcher on the SACHED Archiving Project, which is a collaborative endeavour of UWC and Wits, where she contributes to the preservation and digitisation of liberation-era educational materials. Her work blends

Dr. Nwani-Grace Ugwu is a Lecturer in the Department of English Language and Literature, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria. She holds a PhD in English Language with specialization in Pragmatics and Discourse Studies. She has taught English to learners at different educational levels for over two decades and has published widely in both local and international journals. Her research, some of which was supported by Nigeria’s Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), is published in the American Journal of Educational Research, and International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science. Her works have shed light on the complexities of gender

Ronald Mpilo Bafana is a PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Pretoria. His interdisciplinary academic journey spans Development Studies, Environmental Science, and Education. He holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where his research explored the socio-economic impacts of protected areas on local communities. Ronald has lectured Political Ecology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and contributed as a Research Assistant on a UNICEF-funded project at the Centre for Rural Health. His professional experience includes environmental program coordination, youth empowerment, and civil society engagement. Ronald’s research interests lie at the intersection of sustainable development,

Edward Govere is a PhD candidate in Migration and Displacement and a doctoral fellow at the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS), University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. His doctoral research examines how migration and disability intersect to shape access to services, social inclusion, and policy implementation in South Africa. Through this work, he seeks to advance scholarship on migration and disability while contributing to evidence-based policy and practice.Edward holds a Master of Arts in Migration and Displacement and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from the University of the Witwatersrand. He has extensive experience in qualitative research,

Pretty Abraham is a PhD candidate in Religion and Social Transformation at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Her research lies at the intersection of religion, gender, peacebuilding, trauma, and decoloniality. Her doctoral research examines the role of indigenous religious beliefs and practices in healing conflict-related trauma among women in post-conflict societies, exploring culturally grounded approaches to psychosocial recovery. Her research interests include indigenous religions, trauma and memory studies, gender and religion, peacebuilding, reconciliation, and African spirituality. She is particularly interested in exploring locally grounded approaches to healing and the ways in which religious and cultural resources contribute to post-conflict

Ithabeleng Mokoena is an emerging Environmental and Social History scholar and is currently pursuing doctoral studies in the Department of History at Rhodes University, South Africa. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Development Studies and Environmental History and a Master of Arts in African History, both from the National University of Lesotho. Her research experience includes archival research, work in Environmental Impact Assessment-related projects and conducting oral history interviews within community-based research context. Her academic work is grounded in interdisciplinary and decolonial approaches, with a particular emphasis on “history from below” and the recovery of local and marginalized

Jane Waruguru Kimathi is a Kenyan Catholic nun and PhD student in the Institute of Social Transformation at Tangaza University, Nairobi, Kenya. She serves as the part-time Director of Programs at the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN). She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies and a Master of Arts in Peace Studies and International Relations from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa and is currently completing an online Master of Arts in Religion, Science, and Philosophy at Global Ministries University, USA. She has over fifteen years of experience in peacebuilding, conflict transformation, human rights advocacy, interreligious

Kabiru Shaaibu is a PhD researcher at the Centre for Peace and Security Studies (CPSS) at Lagos State University, Nigeria. He holds a B.Sc in International Relations with first class honours from Bayero University Kano (2018) and M.A in Strategic Studies from University of Maiduguri (2023). Kabiru also obtained a PGD in Criminology and Security Studies from the National Open University of Nigeria in 2024. In addition to his academic pursuits, Kabiru has extensive professional experience in security, intelligence and conflict management, which informs his research interests in human security, insurgency, peace and conflict studies, global security and geopolitics. Kabiru