Dr Mokhantšo Makoae
Research Director, HSRC
Dr Makoae has extensive experience leading qualitative research across the SADC region on topics including HIV vulnerability, climate change, gender, and disability. Her work, commissioned by governments, UN agencies, the EU, and philanthropic organisations, has informed policy development and evaluation. She has served on the HSRC’s Research Ethics Committee (2012–2020) and on review panels for the NRF and European funders. A committed mentor, she also co-supervises postgraduate students and supports young researchers through the NRF Graduate Internship Programme.
Dr Plaxcedes Chiwire
Deputy Director: Health Intelligence, Western Cape Department of Health
With over 12 years of experience in health economics, Dr Chiwire has worked with international organisations such as the Global Fund, UNAIDS, USAID, GIZ, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, supporting African countries in strengthening health financing systems. She is Chairperson of the Costing Committee at the South African Council of Medical Schemes and has lectured at the University of Cape Town. Dr Chiwire has also worked in the South African public sector, advising on strategic planning, budgeting, and resource allocation across departments, bringing valuable insight into integrated health systems.
Dr Charles Hongoro
Senior Research Director, HSRC
Dr Hongoro is an Extraordinary Professor of health economics, systems, and policy at the School of Health Systems and Public Health at the University of Pretoria. His research interests include sustainable human security, climate change, public health, especially health economics, systems, and policy research, science translation, and impact evaluations. He has published widely over the years.
Ms Bongiwe Moni
Director for External Capacity Development & Internships, HSRC
Ms Moni leads the HSRC’s initiatives addressing youth and graduate unemployment through evidence-based interventions such as internships and capacity development programmes, contributing to its societal impact agenda. She holds an MBA from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, an Honours in Public Administration from the University of the Western Cape, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Community Development at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her research focuses on youth labour market access, unemployment, poverty, inequality, and skills development, as well as moral regeneration, ethics, and governance.
Dr Marina Joubert
Associate professor, Stellenbosch University
Dr Joubert leads the Public Engagement Lab at the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST). After two decades in science communication practice, she joined academia in 2015 to develop a teaching and research programme on public communication of science. Her research explores scientists’ roles in public engagement, science in the media, ethics of science communication, and online science-society interactions. She collaborates on international projects, serves as deputy editor of JCOM, and is an honorary lifetime member of the global PCST Network.
Dr Lucky Ditaunyane
Acting Chief Operating Officer, HSRC
Dr Ditaunyane is a seasoned corporate communications specialist with more than three decades of experience in the private and public sectors. He has served in various organisations at middle and senior management levels. His journey began in basic education, where he honed his skills and rose through the ranks. Some of the key positions he held in the past include Deputy Director, Chief Education Specialist, Senior Academic Developer and Director of Communications at a prominent national institution. With a career dedicated to corporate communications and public relations, his expertise spans a diverse range of domains: diverse sector experience, strategic communication, science communication, crisis communication, media liaison, stakeholder relations, digital marketing, and corporate branding. Beyond his professional role, he serves on various advisory boards at institutions of higher learning.
