Pushing Boundaries: Building a Community of Practice at the Intersection of Human Rights and Economics

James is a Senior Researcher: Energy Policy, at the IEJ. His PhD research draws on his ethnography in two underground mines where he worked as a helper and in two mining communities on the Zambian Copperbelt. He dealt with the question – of what it means to have a job and be a worker under the neoliberal dispensation tracking subjectivities through the workers’ everyday lives, considering safety/life and death at work, debt and livelihoods, employment uncertainty, precarious work, family, and gender relations. His Master’s thesis explored how mineworkers living in communities located near the mines experienced mining pollution. James is the winner of the 2021 Terence Ranger Prize of the Journal of Southern Africa for the best article by a first-time author for his article ‘Modernity on Credit: The Experience of Underground Miners on the Zambian Copperbelt’. He holds a PhD in Politics and Social Sciences (Anthropology) from Liege University, Belgium, and a Master’s in Labour Policy and Globalisation from the University of the Witwatersrand. James is a former trade unionist and an advocate against pollution, inequality, injustice, autocracy and abuse of citizens’ rights.

Email: james.musonda@iej.org.za

Kamal Ramburuth is the researcher in the IEJ’s Global Economic Governance programme. Kamal has a BComm (Hons) in Applied Development Economics from Wits University. As a student Kamal was a co-founder of the Rethinking Economics for Africa chapter at Wits and a member of the Wits SRC. As an elected member of the inaugural Rethinking Economics (RE) members council, Kamal played a role in bolstering the RE movement internationally. He has previously worked as a consulting researcher at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS) and the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD). As part of his post-graduate training, Kamal studied in Italy and France as part of a two-year double degree in Economic Policies for the Global transition (EPOG), which is an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Economics.

Email: kamal.ramburuth@iej.org.za

Lutfiyah joined the IEJ in April 2022 as the Climate Policy Researcher in the Climate, Infrastructure and Energy Programme. She holds an interdisciplinary MSc (Environment, Ecology and Conservation) from Wits University. She has guided several years of management, coordination and research work in the development sector with a feminist political ecology lens; most recently as the Transport and Energy advisor for GIZ’s Climate Support Programme. Her current research focus includes the just transition, food systems and decent work.

Email: lutfiyah.suliman@iej.org.za

Yasirah Madhi is a Climate Intern at IEJ. She previously worked on building climate capacity in South Africa at the African Climate and Development Initiative. She holds a Masters in Climate Change and Sustainable Development from the University of Cape Town. Her current work involves providing research support on the Climate Ambition and Accountability Project (CAAP) which aims to increase civil society participation in climate governance.

Email: yasirah.madhi@iej.org.za

Jezri is an intern in our Climate, Energy and Infrastructure Program. He is not entirely new to IEJ having previously volunteered with us. Jezri is working towards a Masters degree in Development Economics at Wits University. His research focuses on inequality in household carbon emissions. He has been a student activist, volunteering in leadership roles in the Inala Climate Justice and Food Sovereignty Student Forum, as well as in the Wits chapter of Rethinking Economics for Africa.

Email: jezri.krinsky@iej.org.za

Juhi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Sociology from Wits University and an Honour’s degree in Development Studies from the University of Cape Town.  Juhi is currently in the second year of her Master’s in Industrial Sociology at UCT. Her current research focus is on social care regimes in the South African context, with a particular focus on state responses to Early Childhood Development and Long-Term Care for older persons during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her other research areas include feminist economics, worlds of work and the care economy.

Email: juhi.kasan@iej.org.za

Amaarah is a Project Associate in the Rethinking Economics Project. She is currently studying towards her Masters in Applied Development Economics at Wits University and has been active in the Wits chapter of Rethinking Economics for Africa (REFA) since 2019. Amaarah is a fellow of the Auwal Socio-Economic Research Institute’s Future Leaders Programme and has previously interned at the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI).

Email: amaarahg@outlook.com

Zimbali Mncube is a Researcher at the IEJ. He is passionate about social and economic justice. Zimbali has been in the civil society space since 2019, previously at the Foundation for Human Rights (FHR) as an Intern and the Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute in 2021 before joining the IEJ. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours in International Relations) and a Masters in Development Studies from Wits University. He is currently working on the Budget and Tax Justice project which is in line with his interest in a more developmental and human rights-based macroeconomic policy framework to advance socio-economic rights.

Email: zimbali.mncube@iej.org.za

Vuyisiwe Mahafu has joined the Institute for Economic Justice as an intern in the Budget Policy Project

Vuyisiwe has 5 years of experience in the financial sector. She has a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and a BCom Honours in Economics from Rhodes University. She holds a National Certificate in Financial Markets and Instruments from Novia One (Pty) Ltd. Her Masters degree in Economics from the University of the Witwatersrand will be conferred in July 2022.  She is an alumni of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Fort Hare Autumn School on Social Democracy and Political Economy which aims to enable South Africa’s next generation of leaders to become active and socially responsible citizens who aspire to promote a better life for everyone.

Email: vuyisiwe.mahafu@iej.org.za

Brian Kamanzi is the Researcher, Energy Policy Lead at the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ). Brian Kamanzi has worked in the Renewable Energy environment as well as Climate policy collectively for several years. Brian holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cape Town. Brian joined the IEJ in July 2021. Brian’s latest research/ is currently working on labour support research inputs supporting the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM) and assisting with the COSATU Just Transition Blueprint document.

Email: brian.kamanzi@iej.org.za

Cheryl-Lyn is a Researcher and Special Projects Lead at the IEJ. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, Honours in Applied Development Economics, and is completing Masters in Applied Development Economics at Wits University. Her current research focus is on COVID rescue and recovery measures, industrial policy master plans, and localisation of medical manufacturing in Africa. She cofounded Rethinking Economics for Africa at Wits and has interests in policy research, feminist and public economics and governance.  Cheryl-Lyn draws on experience in the retail, hospitality and pharmaceutical sectors, and in small and medium enterprise development.

Email: cheryl-lyn.selman@iej.org.za

Dr Kelle Howson is a Senior Research Specialist at the Institute for Economic Justice, in the workers’ rights and social security programme with a focus on universal basic income guarantee in South Africa. She is also a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Fairwork project at the Oxford Internet Institute. Kelle’s research background is in uneven economic geography, labour, and digital economy. Kelle’s doctoral research with the University of Wellington, New Zealand, investigated the impact of international ethical certifications on working conditions in the South African wine industry. With Fairwork, she has helped to shed light on, and positively influence, working conditions in the gig economy in South Africa, Kenya, Brazil, and the online cloudwork market. Prior to her current research, Kelle served in New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Leader’s Office as a Senior Researcher.

Email: kelle.howson@iej.org.za

Dalli Weyers is the Advocacy and Communications Lead at the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ). Dalli has a MA in Political Studies. His role within the IEJ is to develop and implement creative advocacy and communication strategies aimed at amplifying the economic justice work, research and policy proposals of the organisation. Drawing on 15 years of experience in social justice advocacy and campaigning, with organisations as diverse as the Social Justice Coalition (SJC) and the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), he will also ensure that the IEJ’s work is accessible to a broad range of partners, stakeholders, policy makers and government officials.

Email: dalli.weyers@iej.org.za

Lindiwe Nkutha is the Finance and Operations Manager at the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ). Lindiwe has worked predominantly in the development sector, amassing in the process more than fifteen years experience. She has worked for amongst others the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa, the Wits Health Consortium, the Aids Law Project as well as the One in Nine Campaign. Lindiwe holds a Bcom degree, as well as an Honours in Gender Studies from the University of Johannesburg. Lindiwe joined the IEJ in August 2021.

Email: Lindiwe.nkutha@iej.org.za

Ruth Ntlokotse is the Second Deputy President of Numsa and a Senior Labour Analyst for the multinational organisation Johnson Matthey. Ruth holds a BA Hons in labour policy and globalisation and is currently finalising her Masters degree. Ruth has been a trade union leader for the past 15 years championing women’s economic and social emancipation.

Dzodzi Tsikata is a feminist and academic. She is a Research Professor in development sociology and the Director of the Institute of African Studies (IAS) at the University of Ghana. Her research areas have included gender and development policies and practices; women’s movements and gender equality activism; the politics and livelihood effects of land tenure reforms, large scale land acquisitions and agricultural commercialisation; and informal labour relations and conditions of work. Dzodzi holds a PhD in Social Science and a Master of Arts in Development Studies.

Dzodzi Tsikata is the Deputy Chairperson of the Board at the IEJ.

Lebogang Mulaisi is the Labour Market Policy Coordinator at COSATU, where she coordinates COSATU’s labour market policy implementation. She is an EXCO and MANCO member at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) and represents organised labour in the labour market chamber of NEDLAC. She serves as a steering committee member for the Presidential Health Compact and chairs Pillar One of the Compact: Human Resources for Health. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) Degree in Economics and a Master of Commerce Degree in Development Economics.

Dr Pali Lehohla is the former Statistician-General of South Africa, which he held from 2000 up to 2017. He has served as co-chair of PARIS21 and the Chair of the United Nations Statistics Commission. He was the founding chair of the Statistics Commission of Africa (StatCom Africa) and is currently chairperson of the African Symposium for Statistical Development (ASSD). Dr Lehohla has served under various capacities to improve the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics systems in Africa. He consults widely on matters statistics, and since 2017 he became a Research Associate at Oxford University and a consultant to Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. He is the Founder of the Pan African Institute for Evidence (PIE). He is also a member of the Idlulamithi Steering Committee.

Siviwe Mhlana is a researcher at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS) at the University of the Witwatersrand. She completed her MA in Social Policy and Labour Studies at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at Rhodes University. Her MA research explored the changing nature of labour-intensive production in post-Apartheid South Africa and the gendered individualisation of risk associated with non-standard, informal and precarious employment. In addition, Siviwe holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Economics Honours from Rhodes University. She has worked as a consultant for the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC) and Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO). She is also associated with the Neil Aggett Labour Studies Unit (NALSU) at Rhodes University. Her research interests include international development, labour economics, social policy and gender.

Siviwe Mhlana is the Treasurer of the Board at the IEJ.

Pundy Pillay is a Professor of Economics and Public Finance at the Wits School of Governance. Previously, he was a Visiting Professor at the Universities of the Western Cape and Johannesburg. His research interests are economic and social development, economics and public policy, public finance, poverty and inequality, and the economics of education and labour markets. Pundy holds a PhD in Economics and a Master of Arts in Economics.

Pundy Pillay is the Chairperson of the Board at the IEJ.