People

Associate Professor

HOD - AFS, Director - African Gender Institute (AGI)

Fatima Seedat is Associate Professor, Head of Department of African Feminist Studies, Director of the African Gender Institute and Co-Director of the Centre for Contemporary Islam at UCT. With a PhD in Islamic Law from McGill University, Fatima works at the intersections of sexuality, law and religion, specialising in Muslim feminist readings of gendered legal subjectivity, African feminism and feminist decolonial research methodologies and design. Fatima is a scholar activist, co-founder of the Muslim Personal Law Network and TiP Family Eidgah, and board member for Musawah. 

fatima.seedat@uct.ac.za

Associate Professor

Benita Moolman is a lecturer and researcher in the African Feminist Studies Department. She teaches in the under and postgraduate curriculum on African feminist theories and activisms, African post and decolonial feminist theory, African feminist knowing and knowledge-making. Her research interests are ending sexual and gender-based violence, masculinities, violence against women social movements, and narrative methodologies.She has worked at Rape Crisis Cape Town, and has a M(Phil)Women and Gender Studies (UWC) and a D.(Phil) in African Feminist Geography (UCDavis).

benita.moolman@uct.ac.za

Dr. Mkhize

Dr. Zamambo Mkhize is a senior lecturer in African Feminist Studies in the School of African and African Feminist Studies, Anthropology and Linguistics at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Zamambo Mkhize got her undergraduate degree from Florida A&M University on a full tennis scholarship where she graduated with a degree in criminal justice. She then got her Honours in Criminology and Masters in Gender Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Zamambo Mkhize did part of her PhD in Pennsylvania as a Fulbright Scholar. Zamambo Mkhize then did her Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Centre for Critical Research on Race and Identity where she focused on African women in the academy as well as in high stakes disciplines such as; Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Zamambo Mkhize’s research focus has been on modern polygyny, law, family, Zulu culture and African Feminism. Zamambo published her first book in 2021, titled, Polygyny and Gender published by UKZN Press and Routledge Press UK. Zamambo Mkhize’s current research involves African women in high stakes degrees of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). She is researching transformation in higher education and STEM disciplines in South Africa.

zamambo.mkhize@uct.ac.za

Dr Neziswa Titi, Ph.D (DPsy) is a transdisciplinary scholar-activist in the human, social, and health sciences. Her research praxis is contextualised by a decolonial, Africa-centred, child-centric and feminist outlook. Her work focuses on African psychologies, child sexual violence and trauma, children’s rights, the intersections of violence against women and children, access to services and the development of mental health interventions. Her advocacy includes access to higher education and accentuating young people’s voices i.e. youth-led parliamentary advocacy on the RSA Children's Amendment Bill (B18-2020). She is an experienced academic, professional, and civil society organisation leader nationally and internationally with service on the South African National Child Rights Coalition Steering Committee (2020-2022), Psychological Association of South Africa Division of Research and Methodologies (2019-2021), International and Child Rights Partnership Conceptual Interconnections Working Group (2021-2022), University of Cape Town Student Discipline Tribunal of Appeal (2024-06/2028), and the boards of the Western Cape Ministry of Health and Wellness at Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital (2023 – current) and Childline Western Cape (2021-current). In 2021 Mail and Guardian recognised Dr Titi among the most influential 200 Young South Africans and she provides consultancy to international and national NGOs on decolonial feminist approaches and transformative organisational cultures.

neziswa.titi@uct.ac.za

Ms Daniels

Academic Programme Administrator

Wardah Daniels is the academic administrator for the African Feminist department. She works closely with students, tutors and teaching staff to ensure that the academic programme runs smoothly. She has been with the African Gender Institute since 1999.

wardah.daniels@uct.ac.za

Administrative Assistant & AGI project coordinator

Karen Flowers is an Administrative assistant serving a half day post to the African Feminist Studies department and a half day post to the Africa Gender Institute Research Section. She’s got 10 years’ experience working within the University of Cape Town. She works in the African Feminist Studies department as the Academic administrator assistant for the Undergraduate courses. Her work for the African Gender Institute is Alumni tracing and administrative assistance to the YWL project.

karen.flowers@uct.ac.za

Research Assistant

(he/him) Fidel Parks is the Research Assistant for the African Gender Institute. He completed all his tertiary education thus far at UCT, with a BSc in Biology and Gender Studies and a BSocSci (Honours) in Gender and Transformation. He explored in his Honours dissertation how culture is changed and how that impacts the rigidity of gender roles, with a keen focus on the importance of of conservation in Xitsonga culture. Having conducted his research in Tzaneen, Limpopo, his interest primarily explores indigenous conservation. He intends to study the topic further next year for his Master's.

fidel.parks@uct.ac.za