Nqobile Zulu

Dr Nqobile Zulu (PhD in Development Studies, Wits University) has broad research interests that revolve around socio-economic justice, gender and human rights. His experience extends to working with youth in tertiary institutions (Wits and University of Johannesburg in the Sociology and Development Studies departments respectively), lecturing, training and facilitation. In community advocacy he has worked on the economic empowerment of rural youth living with disability; on Better Budgeting processes with the Chiawelo community in Soweto, the Basic Income Grant, Social Security projects and the Decent Standard of Living collaboration project with UNICEF. As the Research Manager at Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute (SPII), Dr Zulu managed the flagship programmes in addition to implementing the Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEAL) system, projects and programme review planning for the organisation. Nqobile was the lead researcher on a Social Justice project that investigated the dynamics of Reconciliation, Healing and Social Cohesion as mechanisms that support restorative justice for victims of genocide and state repression. His research work has produced reports on social cohesion, transformation, agrarian reform and the interface it brings to rural communities, gender issues and development perspectives among other projects. Apart from presenting seminar papers locally, Nqobile has presented sole authored conference papers in Botswana, Rwanda, Thailand and the US. He has successfully supervised post graduate students on a wide range of topics including water provision, housing and homelessness, education and the South African curriculum, food security, land reform including the theory and practice of participatory governance. He is an external examiner for Witwatersrand University, UNISA, UKZN, and the University of Zululand all in South Africa.