Degrees: Bachelor of Social Work (Honours), University of KwaZulu‑Natal; Master’s in Social Work (Criminal Justice), University of KwaZulu‑Natal; Doctor of Human Sciences (Criminal Justice Social Work).
Position Title: Lecturer, Criminal Justice and Social Development,
Location: Office 5.04 Leslie Social Sciences Building, Upper Campus, UCT
E-mail: nduli.nduli@uct.ac.za
Tel: 0216509111
Consultation Times: By Appointment. E-mail or call to request an appointment.
Key Roles in the Department
Contributes to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in criminal justice and social development, including teaching Probation (SWK 5054F) and supervising the SWK 5010H Criminal Justice Internship. Supervises postgraduate research at both Master’s and doctoral (PhD) levels and actively participates in curriculum development and broader departmental academic activities.

Brief Biography:

Dr Sethenjwa Bonny Nduli (He, They, Them) is a Lecturer in Criminal Justice and Social Development at the University of Cape Town. He holds a Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) and a Master’s degree in Social Work (Criminal Justice) from the University of KwaZulu‑Natal, and a Doctor of Human Sciences (PhD) in Criminal Justice Social Work. He is a registered social worker with the South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP).

His research is anchored in critical and decolonial criminal justice social work, with a sustained focus on probation, punishment, offender rehabilitation, and post‑incarceration reintegration within conditions of structural inequality in South Africa. Positioned within UCT’s Vision 2030 commitment to knowledge leadership for social good, his scholarship interrogates how criminal justice systems reproduce exclusion, marginalisation, and differential vulnerability across lines of class, gender, sexuality, age, and geography. His work draws on Afrocentric, intersectional, and social-justice–oriented frameworks to advance contextually grounded, transformative approaches to criminal justice and social development.

Dr Nduli teaches at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including Probation (SWK 5054F) and criminal justice field education, and supervises the SWK 5010H Criminal Justice Internship. He supervises postgraduate research at both Master’s and doctoral (PhD) levels. His pedagogy is research‑led and critically reflexive, emphasising ethical practice, epistemic justice, and the preparation of graduates capable of engaging complex social problems through rigorous analysis and socially responsive intervention.

His research outputs appear in accredited journals and edited volumes, addressing post‑incarceration experiences, elderly parolees, queerphobic victimisation, disaster response in marginalised communities, and gender‑based violence. Through transdisciplinary research, postgraduate supervision, and curriculum development, Dr Nduli contributes to UCT’s vision of inclusive excellence, advancing scholarship that is internationally engaged, locally grounded, and committed to transformation, equity, and human dignity.

Research Interest Areas:
• Palliative and End-of-Life Care
• Corrections and Reintegration of Elderly Offenders
• Critical and decolonial criminal justice social work
• Probation practice, punishment, and offender rehabilitation
• Post‑incarceration reintegration and community re‑entry
• Structural inequality, crime, and social exclusion in South Africa
• Gender‑based violence and victimisation in marginalised communities
• Queerphobic violence, sexuality, and human rights
• Afrocentric and intersectional approaches to social justice
• Disaster response and social work in low‑income and vulnerable communities

Teaching Areas:
• Criminal Justice Social Work
• Probation Practice and Community Corrections
• Offender Rehabilitation and Reintegration
• Criminal Justice Field Education and Professional Practice

Recent Publications:
Articles
Sethenjwa B Nduli, Maud Mthembu (2021), Exploring the perceptions of correctional service providers and elderly parolees towards post-incarceration social work programmes in Ethekwini Metropolitan, Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk.
Nduli, Sethenjwa Bonny, and Maud Mthembu. "Navigating Life after Imprisonment: The Experiences of Elderly Parolees Transitioning Back to Communities in eThekwini
Metropolitan Municipality." Southern African Journal of Social Work and Social Development 36, no. 2 (2024): 21-pages.
Mzinyane, Bongane, Santham Ajodhia, Sandile Ntethelelo Gumbi, Gift Khumalo, Sethenjwa Bonny Nduli, Zwelisha Mfishi, Bokang Lipholo, and Nosipho Funeka. "An autoethnography of disaster response work with low-income communities in KZN: Implications for Afrocentric social work." Journal of Social Development in Africa 39, no. 2 (2024): 42-67.
Nduli, Sethenjwa Bonny, Nomakhosi Sibisi, Nosipho Mthembu, Naniwe Ntshangase, and Balisa Nogwaza. "Exploring Rural Geographies Linked to Queerphobic Victimisation in South Africa." Southern African Journal of Social Work and Social Development (2025): 21-pages.
Book Chapter
Nduli, Sethenjwa Bonny & Sibisi, Normakhosi. 2025. Responding to the call for resilience and Ubuntu in addressing queerphobic bullying and heteronormativity in university residence spaces.

Conference/Congress/Seminar Presentations:

International:
2023: Nduli, S. “Zifunani iziStabane La”. Remaining Resilient in the face of resistance, the voices of queer students residing in university residences in eThekwini Metropolitan. A paper presented at the ASASWEI, Social Work-International Conference,
2023: Nduli, S. Exploring the end-of-life care and reintegration of elderly offenders released on medical parole in eThekwini Municipality, South Africa. A paper presented at the ASWEI, Social Work International Conference, 27- 29 SEPTEMBER 2023, Durban, South Africa.
2021: Nduli, S. Exploring the experiences of elderly parolees transitioning back into the community. A paper presented at the ASASWEI, Social Work-International Online, 1-3 September 2021, South Africa.

National:
2025: Nduli,S. Isigodlo Sama-Khosi-Kazi: A Decolonial Approach to Gender-Based Violence and Victimization – A Case Study of African Women Activists in KwaZulu-Natal. A paper presented at the socio-criminological perspective of crime in Africa/South Africa conference. Given on 10-11 April 2025 at Howard College Theatre, University of KwaZulu-Natal.
2023: Nduli, S. #Silungisa_Ubuntu: Engaging vulnerable communities digitally to address the scourge of gender-based violence in eThekwini. A paper presented at the Annual College of Humanities, Humanities and Social Sciences Postgraduate Conference, 26 – 27 October 2023, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. (Awarded for best presentation in the Media category).