- Honorary Research Associate at Institute for Democracy Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa, University of Cape Town
Sikanyiso Masuku holds a PhD in Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies. He has extensive experience as a development and humanitarian practitioner, having worked with both regional and international non-governmental organisations. Dr. Masuku has been awarded several prestigious fellowships, including at the Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs, the Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa (IDCPPA), and the African Academy for Migration Research. He currently serves as a Research Associate at the IDCPPA (University of Cape Town) and as a non-resident Research Fellow at the Institute for Research and Policy Integration in Africa, based at Northern Illinois University. In addition, he is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland and an International Research Partner with its National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) for Migration and Mobility Studies. His recent work with the NCCR has focused on intergroup relations within the broader context of democratic backsliding.
Sikanyiso Masuku’s research interests lie at the intersection of social protection, citizenship, and social networks, with a particular focus on how these dynamics shape migrant integration. His recent work has explored the links between immigration law and child protection, as well as international refugee law. In addition to his core focus on human mobility and migration, Dr. Masuku’s teaching has sparked deeper engagement with related themes, including social development, welfare systems, inequality and poverty, social theory, and development economics.
Experience
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2025–presentHonorary Research Associate, University of Cape Town
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2024–presentInternational Research Partner , University of Neuchatel National Center of Competence in Research for Migration and Mobility Studies (Switzerland)
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2025–presentVisiting Fellow, University of Neuchatel
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2023–2024Postdoctoral research fellow, Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs (TM-School)
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2019–2023Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Cape Town
Education
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University of KwaZulu Natal, Doctor of Philosophy in Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies
Publications
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2026Development Southern Africa, From inquiry to inaction: The political economy of pension compensation in Zimbabwe
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2026Development Southern African , COVID-19 and the implementation of social protection in Southern Africa: introduction to the special issue
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2025Journal of Human Rights and Social Work, Navigating Poverty in Later Life: The Impact of Shrinking Pensions and Inadequate Social Security on the Well-being of the Elderly in Zimbabwe
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2025African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review , Urban Refugees and the Right to the City: Negotiating Social Rights and Integration
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2024Research Handbook on Asylum and Refugee Policy, Beyond the transient protections of the Children’s Act: contestations on citizenship and belonging for foreigners with refugee claims in South Africa
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2024International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, Universal Refugee Social Protection Guidelines: A Discussion into the Challenges to Their Successful Adoption.
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2024The Quest for Unity: An Appraisal of Regional Integration in Africa, Transport Infrastructure and Regional Integration in Africa
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2023International Journal of Political Economy, A Tale of a Rentier Social Contract and Diminishing Economic Rents: Multinationalism and Resource-Seeking Capital in Contemporary Africa
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2023Journal of Human Rights and Social Work, Informality in Zimbabwe’s Urban Areas and the Resilience of Indigenous Solutions to Risk During the Pandemic
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2023African Studies, Foreigners in the South African Media: A Critical Discourse Analysis
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2022Peace Studies for Sustainable Development in Africa, The AU's Constitutive Act: Contextual Threats and Its Implementation in Modern-Day Africa
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2021Cogent Social Sciences, Policy making and governance structures in Zimbabwe: examining their efficacy as a conduit to equitable participation (inclusion) and social justice for rural youths
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2021Work and Migration, Human capital development and skilled immigrants labour market experiences in South Africa: An overview
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2021Cogent Social Sciences, Mainstreaming youth policy in Zimbabwe–what role for rural youth?
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2020South African Journal of Science, A case study of government and civil societies’ collaboration and challenges in securing the rights of Congolese refugees living in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
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2020The Oriental Anthropologist, Challenges to Refugees’ Socioeconomic Inclusion: A Lens Through the Experiences of Congolese Refugees in South Africa
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2019African Renaissance, An indigenous knowledge-based approach to environmental conservation in Zimbabwe
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2018Journal of African Union Studies, Patterns of the refugee cycle in Africa: a hazardous cycle with no end in sight?
Contact Sikanyiso for
- General
- Media request
- Speaking request
- Consulting / Advising
- Research collaboration
- Research supervision
