Meet our Post Doctoral Research Fellows

Dr Loyiso Maciko has many years of experience of working in educational research institutions, notably the University of Fort Hare, the Human Sciences Research Council, and most recently, the University of KwaZulu-Natal where he held the position of Data Analytics Researcher/Coordinator in the Teaching and Learning Office. Maciko also serves as a reviewer for the African Journal of Economic and Management Studies. He will now be taking the helm as the driving force behind the Govtech incubator at Wits School of Governance, led by the Tayarisha Initiative.

Dr Kennedy Manduna is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the International Research Group on Authoritarianism and Counter-Strategies (IRGAC) of the Rosa Luxemburg-Stiftung, hosted by the Wits School of Governance. For the past seven years, Manduna have been a researcher, teaching assistant and lecturer within the WSG and Wits Business School. He completed his PhD in Political Economy and Public Policy in 2022 at the WSG and his current research focuses on the intersection of the political economy of contested extractivism, contested agrarianism, neoliberal authoritarianism, indigeneity, economic indigenisation and uneven development. My account of the intersection, based on my PhD, is currently being turned into a monograph under a contract with Routledge Press titled ‘Extractive Industry Indigenisation in Zimbabwe: Corruption, Collusion and Uneven Development.’ Other research interests include public policy, social contract, political settlements, conflict, participation, solidarity and social cohesion.

Dr Sindi Msimango has research and management consulting experience from the corporate sector. She has multidisciplinary research interests, mainly in the 4IR economy, gender equality and policy in higher education, access and success in postgraduate studies and public health issues. Msimango completed her PhD in higher education from the University of Johannesburg in 2020.

Dr Maxwell Maseko holds a PhD in Public Administration from the University of the Western Cape and have 26 years of experience working as a journalist in various news media organisations in South Africa. He is currently a postdoc fellow at the Tayarisha Centre and his research interests lie in the fields of media and governance, particularly in areas of democracy, digitalisation in the public sector, protests, and citizen participation. I am interested in pursuing new methods of governance and innovation in the public sector during my postdoc and assisting the centre to grow its research output. 

Dr Ian Edelstein obtained his PhD through an Interdisciplinary and Cross-Cultural Program at the Research School of Humanities and the Arts from the Australian National University. His thesis was titled, A Convenient Massacre: Did Sharpeville Save Apartheid?. He was invited by the Research School of Humanities and the Arts, to transfer his Masters (MPhil) degree into a Doctorate (PhD). He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Cape Town. He served as a Visiting Fellow at the College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University, presented several workshops and also was a workshop facilitator. Ian has served as a Western Cape Executive Committee Member, Performing Arts Network of South Africa board member and was a member of the Performing Arts Network of South Africa policy sub-committee.         

Dr Evans Sakyi Boadu is a postdoctoral fellow at the Wits School of Governance. He is interested in public policies, governance issues, monitoring and evaluation, culturally responsive evaluation, community-based development and the broader implications of these topics on socio-economic issues in Ghana, South Africa and Africa at large. He has published several book chapters and journal articles on these issues in international and domestic Department of Higher Education and Training accredited journals.

Dr Onkokame Mothobi is a postdoctoral Fellow at the Tayarisha Centre and is an economist with more than 10 years of progressive experience in analytical and advisory services in the areas of econometrics and industrial organisation (Economics), business and management consulting. He is competent in microeconomic and macroeconomic modelling, simulations based on input-output models and counterfactual scenarios, and economics of the public and private sector. He holds a PhD (with focus on Industrial Economics, Game theory and econometrics) obtained from the University of Cape Town, South Africa and an MA Economics (Econometrics and International Trade) from university of Botswana. Prior to joining Tayarisha Centre, he held a lecturer position at the University of Botswana in the Department of Economics. His work experience spans across public, developmental, and academic sectors. He has worked with various development organization and regulatory authorities across the African and Asian markets. He worked as a senior researcher at Research ICT Africa, a short-term consultant at IFC, World Bank. He has further worked with various institutions including the Botswana Ministry of finance, UNDP, and Botswana Institute of Development Policy Analysis on various developmental projects including the development of industrial policy and value chains in Botswana, development of COVID-19 response packages -stimulus economic package and the development of Botswana Vision 2036 Index. In terms of his contribution to research, Mothobi has published peer reviewed paper in journals in financial inclusion, digital finance and competition and regulatory policies, Network effects and Interoperability. Some of his work will be published in peer reviewed working paper series at the FIT IN Initiative, Toulouse school of Economics, Paris France and African Economic Research Consortium, Nairobi, Kenya. 

Dr Thandiwe Letsie is an accomplished healthcare professional with extensive experience in diverse healthcare contexts. She has forged partnerships with stakeholders in the public and private sectors, working to improve community welfare. In higher education, Letsie advances scholarships in teaching, learning, research, and community engagement. She collaborates across schools, gaining insights to prepare healthcare graduates to address social healthcare injustices. Letsie teaching spans management, clinical practice, and research, shaping graduates with a deep understanding of South African healthcare in both sectors. She is recognised as an external research examiner and moderator, publishing in esteemed journals and presenting at conferences. Letsie actively participates in academic leadership and governance, serving on committees and boards. She finds fulfilment in reading and intellectual discourse, driving transformative change. Letsie accomplishments and dedication make her a leader and advocate for positive change in healthcare.