Who We Are​

Fiona Anciano is a Professor in Political Studies at the University of the Western Cape, and a Visiting Researcher at University West, Sweden. She is a qualitative researcher with an interest in urban governance, democratisation, citizenship and civil society. Working with student teams, she conducts research in informal settlements on urban democracy. She has managed 13 grant projects in Cape Town over the last 10 years and has produced numerous local and international publications, including a co-authored book Democracy Disconnected: Participation and Governance in a City of the South, in 2019 and edited the 2021 book Political Values and Narratives of Resistance: Social Justice and the Fractured Promises of Post-colonial States both published in the United Kingdom by Routledge.

Mmeli Dube is a researcher who leads PUG’s Africa Universities Hub for Human Rights. His research interests include civil society, citizen engagement, informality, sanitation, and human rights. He combines academic insight with practical knowledge gained from over a decade of leadership in civil society, focusing on enhancing public accountability, citizen-state interaction, elections, youth participation, and related areas. Recently, Mmeli has participated in international research projects, leading to collaborative writings on political values, democratic citizenship, and non-sewered sanitation in informal urban contexts.

Christina leads PUG’s Urban Governance research programme. With over ten years of experience in government-facing urban research, she has led various projects related to the intersection between environmental and social systems within cities. She is a geographer by training (Wits and UCT), and her research extends across multiple disciplines, with a specific focus on collaborative knowledge creation and the role of transdisciplinary research for informing policy and practice. Beyond her academic research, Christina holds a postgraduate diploma in teaching (UNISA) and she previously worked as an SABC broadcasting meteorologist.

Boitumelo is a researcher at the University of the Western Cape. Papane holds a Master’s degree in Work-Integrated Political Studies from the University West (HV). She is a scholar of the Mellon Foundation with membership to its affiliated Social Science Research Council. Her research interests include the theories and practice of political participation and informality in community-based organizations. She conducts research that speaks to the current political climate and produce outputs that reflect her mission towards scholarly activism.

She is currently a PhD student in the Governing the Just Urban Transition Project (GoJUT), supervised by Fiona Anciano and SJ Cooper-Knock.

Michaelyn Cornelius is a Research Administrator at PUG and a Master’s candidate with a keen interest in gender and sexuality studies. She completed her Honours degree at the University of the Western Cape, where her research examined the qualitative dimensions of patriarchy. In her professional capacity, she is detail-oriented, outputs-driven, and committed to producing high-quality work with a strong sense of accountability and organisation. Michaelyn also actively supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 and 16: Quality Education and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions through her volunteerism.

Babongile Bidla is Political Studies Masters candidate at the University of the Western Cape. She is an innovative and creative problem solver with a passion for learning and helping others. Bidla has a strong interest in research, democratic accountability, ICT and respect for human rights. She is passionate about using her skills to make a difference in the world and in her academic studies is currently researching ways different types of technologies can improve public service delivery in South Africa.

Nheo is the Africa Hub’s Research Assistant. She holds an Honours degree in Political & International Studies from Rhodes University and a Master’s Degree in Political Science from UWC. Her dissertation looked at intra-race identity formation in post-democratic South Africa: An investigation of the “coconut”. Nheo has a special interest in research and evaluation, socio-economic development programmes and human rights advocacy. She is passionate about expanding her expertise in human rights, particularly in the African context

Motshwaedi Sepeng is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the Governing the Just Urban Transition project. He has an academic background from the University of the Witwatersrand. His work explores the intersections of people, infrastructure and the environment, focusing on water and sanitation. Passionate about sustainable development, Motshwaedi investigates how urban transitions can be governed equitably to promote resilience and inclusivity in poor communities, and ensure just and sustainable access to essential resources.

Sindisa Monakali is a research assistant for the Politics and Urban Governance Research Group, and he focuses on sanitation in Cape Town informal settlement. He is also an activist scholar who believes in education for liberation, and the national chairperson of Equal Education. Currently, he is pursuing his master’s degree at the University of the Western Cape. Lastly, Sindisa is also a fellow for the Mellon Foundation MDP program and Canon Collins Sol Plaatjie scholarship alumni. His research interests continue to be rooted in land, violence, memory, dispossession, social movements, occupation, and decolonisation. 

Charline is an intern for the Politics and Urban Governance Research Group. Additionally, she prides herself with the work that she does as a business consultant for local entrepreneurs in areas like Khayelitsha and Parrow. Recently graduating from programs hosted by the Silulo Foundation, The EESA program and The Student Leadership Academy Charline’s interests
remains grounded in community advancement and social activism. That said, she is also the deputy coordinator for the South African BRICS Youth Association (SABYA) UWC chapter. She is currently completing the final year of her master’s degree at The University of the Western Cape. Where her research interests includes Gender-based violence, Afrocentrism, International
Relations (IR) and Democracy.

• Status: Current student and intern at PUG
• PUG Research Project: Caring for the other half: Strengthening sanitation governance to improve menstrual health in urban informal settlements
• Supervisors: Prof Fiona Anciano

Lindelwa Mayinga is a Master’s degree candidate in Political studies at the University of the Western Cape, and an intern at the Politics and Urban Governance Research Group. She holds an Honours degree in Political Science from the University of the Free State. Her Master’s Degree dissertation explores menstrual equity as a pathway to gender equality in South Africa, using an intersectional approach. Lindelwa has a strong interest in democracy, menstrual equity and gender equality, and is passionate about contributing to change and being a voice for those who are often left behind- especially due to gender.