Zinhle Mthembu

Zinhle Mthembu is a Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology and Development Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zululand (UNIZULU). Before joining UNIZULU, she was a Community Development Lecturer in the School of Built Environment and Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Howard College). She also lectured at North-West University (NWU) Mafikeng Campus, in Development Studies. Zinhle is lecturing first-year to final-year students and she has successfully supervised postgraduate students (Postgraduate Diploma, Honours and Masters). Zinhle’s interest in academia started when she was tutoring Community Development, Sociology and Political Science (2013-2015) while mentoring 2nd-year students at UKZN. Her first exposure to research was in 2013 where she worked as a Field Researcher for South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA). She was involved in their quantitative study called South Durban Port Expansion which was based in Clairwood. She has worked as a Junior Researcher for the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in the Human and Social Development (HSD) unit based in Durban. She started working in the HSD unit in September 2015 as a Research Assistant for a project that was based on Understanding Homelessness in the City of Durban. In June 2016, she then relocated to the Cape Town office working in the HIV, AIDS, STIs and TB (HAST) unit. She was a Supervisor for the Western Cape data collectors team in the project called 5th South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence, Behaviour, and Communication Survey, 2016 (SABSSM V). Zinhle is currently pursuing her PhD in Public Health at UKZN. She holds a Master of Social Sciences specializing in Development Studies, Bachelor of Social Science Honours in Public Policy and a Bachelor of Community and Development Studies all obtained from UKZN. Zinhle’s interest in research is more in the field of Development and Public Health. She specializes in community engagement and empowerment, community development, GBV and LGBTI, reproductive health, tackling infectious diseases, university-level health interventions, HIV/AIDS interventions, as well as access to health services and women’s health.