Research Interests
Complex Adaptive Systems in Governance
Decolonial Development
Youth centred politics and Youth Participation in Public Policy and Politics
Emerging Technology and Governance
Dr Rekgotsofetse Chikane
Senior Lecturer
Qualifications
PhD (Wits), MA (Oxford University), B B.Soc.Sc (Hons) (UCT)
Organisational Unit
WITS School of Governance
Biography
Dr Rekgotsofetse Chikane is a senior lecturer at the Wits School of Governance and is also a political commentator, activist and the author of Breaking a Rainbow, Building a Nation: The Politics behind the #MustFall Movements. He is a graduate of the University of Oxford (Blavatnik School of Government) having completed his Master in Public Policy degree in 2017 and he completed his PhD at the Wits School of Governance with his research focused on Decoloniality, Development and Complexity Economics. He is a research associate at the Wits Institute for Socio-Economic Research and the Education and Learning Manager for the Tayarisha Working Group on Digitial Governance. His broad areas of research focus on Decolonial Thought, Development, Youth Politics, Complexity and South African Public Policy. He is Mandela-Rhodes Scholar, a Mandela-Washington Fellow, a Chevening Scholar, a former Masters Fellow at the Public Affairs Research Institute, one of Mail and Guardians Top 200 Young People (2016 – Civil Society) and an Obama Africa Programme leader for 2019.
Work
Political Apathy in South AfricaProtests in South Africa: Rejection, Reassertion, Reclamation
2023-03 | book-chapter
The Underpinnings of Protest in South Africa: Origins and EffectsMISTRA
2023 | edited-book
On the Authority of Black Pain.Chasing Freedom: Histories, Analyses and Voices of Student Activism in South
2022 | book-chapter
FMF and its unfortunate return to a silent revolutionYouth and National Development
2021 | book-chapter
Young People and the #Hashtags that broke the Rainbow NationYoung People Re-Generating Politics in Times of Crises
2017 | book-chapter
Breaking a Rainbow, Building a Nation: The Politics behind #MustFall MovementsPicador Africa
2016 | book
Roots of the RevolutionFeesMustFall: Student Revolt, Decolonisation and Governance in South Africa
2016 | book-chapter
Personal Information
Rekgotsofetse Chikane
Countries and Regions
-
Toggle ORCID item details South Africa
-
Toggle ORCID item details rekgotsofetse.chikane@wits.ac.za
- Primary
- Yes
- Verified
- Yes
-
Toggle ORCID item details chikaner@gmail.com
- Primary
- No
- Verified
- Yes
Websites and Profiles
-
Toggle ORCID item details Google Scholar Profile
- URL
- https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=yA1auhIAAAAJ&hl=en
External Identifiers
-
Toggle ORCID item details 57192401594 Scopus Author ID
- Type
- Scopus Author ID
- URL
- https://www.scopus.com/inward/authorDetails.url?authorID=57192401594&partnerID=MN8TOARS
Activities
Employment 3
Toggle ORCID item details 2026-01-01 to present | Director (School of Governance - Tayarisha Centre of Digital Governance) Employment
- Date range
- 2026-01-01 to present
- Role title
- Director
- Department
- School of Governance - Tayarisha Centre of Digital Governance
- Organization
- University of the Witwatersrand
- Organization location
- Johannesburg, Gauteng, ZA
- ROR
- https://ror.org/03rp50x72
Toggle ORCID item details 2025-07 to present | Senior Lecturer (School of Governance) Employment
- Date range
- 2025-07 to present
- Role title
- Senior Lecturer
- Department
- School of Governance
- Organization
- University of the Witwatersrand
- Organization location
- Johannesburg, Gauteng, ZA
- ROR
- https://ror.org/03rp50x72
- URL
- https://www.wsg.ac.za/people/dr-rekgotsofetse-chikane
Toggle ORCID item details 2019-08-05 to 2025-07 | Lecturer (Wits School of Governance) Employment
- Date range
- 2019-08-05 to 2025-07
- Role title
- Lecturer
- Department
- Wits School of Governance
- Organization
- University of Witwatersrand
- Organization location
- Johannesburg, Gauteng, ZA
Education and Qualifications 4
Toggle ORCID item details Blavatnik School of Government; Wadham College Education
- Department
- Blavatnik School of Government; Wadham College
- Organization
- University of Oxford
- Organization location
- Oxford, Oxfordshire, GB
- RINGGOLD
- 6396
Toggle ORCID item details 2016-01-04 to present | Masters in Management (School of Governance) Education
- Date range
- 2016-01-04 to present
- Role title
- Masters in Management
- Department
- School of Governance
- Organization
- University of the Witwatersrand
- Organization location
- Johannesburg-Braamfontein, Gauteng, ZA
- RINGGOLD
- 37707
Toggle ORCID item details 2015-02-05 to 2015-12-14 | Bachelor's in Social Science (Hons) (Department of Political Science) Education
- Date range
- 2015-02-05 to 2015-12-14
- Role title
- Bachelor's in Social Science (Hons)
- Department
- Department of Political Science
- Organization
- University of Cape Town
- Organization location
- Rondebosch, Western Cape, ZA
- RINGGOLD
- 37716
Toggle ORCID item details 2011-02 to 2014-12-12 | Bachelor's in Social Science (Department of Political Science and Department of Economics) Education
- Date range
- 2011-02 to 2014-12-12
- Role title
- Bachelor's in Social Science
- Department
- Department of Political Science and Department of Economics
- Organization
- University of Cape Town
- Organization location
- Rondebosch, Western Cape, ZA
- RINGGOLD
- 37716
Works 12
Toggle ORCID item details Expanding the concept of large-scale co-ordinated unrest in South Africa's protest repertoires Politikon Journal Article
- Publication date
- 2025-04-03
- Journal title
- Politikon
- Type
- Journal Article
- URL
- https://doi.org/10.1080/02589346.2025.2588037
- DOI
- 10.1080/02589346.2025.2588037
- Contributors Contributor 0 Credit Name
- Rekgotsofetse Chikane
- Contributors Contributor 0 Contributor Attributes Contributor Role
- author
Toggle ORCID item details Expanding the concept of large-scale co-ordinated unrest in South Africa's protest repertoires Politikon Journal Article
- Publication date
- 2025
- Journal title
- Politikon
- Type
- Journal Article
- URL
- https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-105022499417&partnerID=MN8TOARS
- DOI
- 10.1080/02589346.2025.2588037
- EID
- 2-s2.0-105022499417
- ISSN
- 02589346 14701014
- Citation Citation Type
- bibtex
- Citation Citation Value
- @article{Chikane2025,title = {Expanding the concept of large-scale co-ordinated unrest in South Africa{'}s protest repertoires},journal = {Politikon},year = {2025},volume = {52},number = {2},pages = {233-259},author = {Chikane, R.}}
- Contributors Contributor 0 Credit Name
- Chikane, R.
Toggle ORCID item details Elite Money and Votes: The Political Economy of South Africa’s 2024 Elections Journal of African Elections Journal Article
- Publication date
- 2024-12-02
- Journal title
- Journal of African Elections
- Type
- Journal Article
- URL
- https://www.eisa.org/storage/2024/12/2024-journal-of-african-elections-v23n2-eisa.pdf?x34048
- Citation Citation Type
- formatted-apa
- Citation Citation Value
- Chikane, R. 2024. Elite Money and Votes: The Political Economy of South Africa’s 2024 Elections. Journal of African Elections
- Contributors Contributor 0 Contributor Orcid Uri
- https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2052-9393
- Contributors Contributor 0 Credit Name
- Rekgotsofetse Chikane
- Contributors Contributor 0 Contributor Attributes Contributor Role
- http://credit.niso.org/contributor-roles/writing-original-draft/
- Language Code
- en
- Country
- ZA
Toggle ORCID item details Rhodes Must Fall and the incongruence of academic freedom and decoloniality Globalisation Societies and Education Journal Article
- Publication date
- 2024
- Journal title
- Globalisation Societies and Education
- Type
- Journal Article
- URL
- https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85190368861&partnerID=MN8TOARS
- DOI
- 10.1080/14767724.2024.2341103
- EID
- 2-s2.0-85190368861
- ISSN
- 14767724 14767732
- Citation Citation Type
- bibtex
- Citation Citation Value
- @article{Chikane2024,title = {Rhodes Must Fall and the incongruence of academic freedom and decoloniality},journal = {Globalisation Societies and Education},year = {2024},author = {Chikane, R.}}
- Contributors Contributor 0 Credit Name
- Chikane, R.
Toggle ORCID item details Rhodes Must Fall and the incongruence of academic freedom and decoloniality Globalisation, Societies and Education Journal Article
- Publication date
- 2024-04-15
- Journal title
- Globalisation, Societies and Education
- Type
- Journal Article
- URL
- https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2024.2341103
- DOI
- 10.1080/14767724.2024.2341103
- Contributors Contributor 0 Credit Name
- Rekgotsofetse Chikane
- Contributors Contributor 0 Contributor Attributes Contributor Role
- author
Toggle ORCID item details Political Apathy in South Africa Protests in South Africa: Rejection, Reassertion, Reclamation Book Chapter
- Publication date
- 2023-03
- Journal title
- Protests in South Africa: Rejection, Reassertion, Reclamation
- Type
- Book Chapter
- Contributors Contributor 0 Contributor Orcid Uri
- https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2052-9393
- Contributors Contributor 0 Credit Name
- Rekgotsofetse Chikane
Toggle ORCID item details The Underpinnings of Protest in South Africa: Origins and Effects MISTRA Edited Book
- Publication date
- 2023
- Journal title
- MISTRA
- Type
- Edited Book
- Contributors Contributor 0 Contributor Orcid Uri
- https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2052-9393
- Contributors Contributor 0 Credit Name
- Rekgotsofetse Chikane
Toggle ORCID item details On the Authority of Black Pain. Chasing Freedom: Histories, Analyses and Voices of Student Activism in South Book Chapter
- Publication date
- 2022
- Journal title
- Chasing Freedom: Histories, Analyses and Voices of Student Activism in South
- Type
- Book Chapter
- Contributors Contributor 0 Contributor Orcid Uri
- https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2052-9393
- Contributors Contributor 0 Credit Name
- Rekgotsofetse Chikane
Toggle ORCID item details FMF and its unfortunate return to a silent revolution Youth and National Development Book Chapter
- Publication date
- 2021
- Journal title
- Youth and National Development
- Type
- Book Chapter
- Contributors Contributor 0 Contributor Orcid Uri
- https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2052-9393
- Contributors Contributor 0 Credit Name
- Rekgotsofetse Chikane
Toggle ORCID item details Young People and the #Hashtags that broke the Rainbow Nation Young People Re-Generating Politics in Times of Crises Book Chapter
- Publication date
- 2017
- Journal title
- Young People Re-Generating Politics in Times of Crises
- Type
- Book Chapter
- URL
- https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-58250-4
- Contributors Contributor 0 Contributor Orcid Uri
- https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2052-9393
- Contributors Contributor 0 Credit Name
- Rekgotsofetse Chikane
Toggle ORCID item details Breaking a Rainbow, Building a Nation: The Politics behind #MustFall Movements Picador Africa Book
- Publication date
- 2016
- Journal title
- Picador Africa
- Type
- Book
- Contributors Contributor 0 Contributor Orcid Uri
- https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2052-9393
- Contributors Contributor 0 Credit Name
- Rekgotsofetse Chikane
- Contributors Contributor 0 Contributor Attributes Contributor Role
- http://credit.niso.org/contributor-roles/writing-original-draft/
Toggle ORCID item details Roots of the Revolution FeesMustFall: Student Revolt, Decolonisation and Governance in South Africa Book Chapter
- Publication date
- 2016
- Journal title
- FeesMustFall: Student Revolt, Decolonisation and Governance in South Africa
- Type
- Book Chapter
- URL
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.18772/22016109858
- Contributors Contributor 0 Contributor Orcid Uri
- https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2052-9393
- Contributors Contributor 0 Credit Name
- Rekgotsofetse Chikane
Peer review 1
Toggle ORCID item details issn:0190-9320 2023 Review
- Completion date
- 2023
- Review type
- review
- Review group
- issn:0190-9320
- Reviewer Role
- reviewer
- External Ids External Id 0 External Id Type
- source-work-id
- External Ids External Id 0 External Id Value
- 9b4fce5a-4707-4492-ae13-a6f17c7ab35f
- External Ids External Id 0 External Id Normalized
- 9b4fce5a-4707-4492-ae13-a6f17c7ab35f
- External Ids External Id 0 External Id Relationship
- self
- Convening Organization Name
- Springer Nature
- Convening Organization Address City
- New York
- Convening Organization Address Country
- US
- Convening Organization Disambiguated Organization Disambiguated Organization Identifier
- grid.467660.5
- Convening Organization Disambiguated Organization Disambiguation Source
- GRID