Mabel Sithole

Mabel Sithole is the Building Bridges Programme Manager at the Nelson Mandela School. She is pursuing a PhD in Political Studies at the University of Cape Town. She has over 13 years’ experience working in human rights, public policy and development in Africa. Mabel obtained her first degree in Politics and Administration from the University of Zimbabwe in 2007 where she also served as president of the Model United Nations Club. She obtained an Honours Degree in Public Policy (with distinction for her thesis which analysed public opinion about the role of the police in protecting refugee rights in South Africa) and a Masters in Development Studies, from the University of Cape Town. She worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross as the Communications Officer for the Regional Delegation of Southern Africa, and Skillshare International as the Regional Programme Officer for Southern Africa. She has contributed to studies assessing the implementation of affirmative action and employment equity policies in South Africa’s tertiary education sector. Her current research interests focus on leadership and governance in Southern Africa. She is also an established musician (Mae Sithole), recipient of the ConcertsSA Mobility Fund, and was named one of Cape Town’s Top 5 Innovative Female Musician Innovators by Of Africa Magazine