Meet the Team

Ntsikelelo Benjamin Breakfast (PhD) (Acting Director)

Ntsikelelo Benjamin Breakfast is the Acting Director of the Center for Security, Peace and Conflict Resolution at Nelson Mandela University. He is the former Head of the School for Security and Africa Studies at Stellenbosch University (SU). Moreover, he is also the Head of Department of History and Political Studies (and Associate Professor) at Nelson Mandela University. Prof Breakfast has published locally and internationally in accredited journals. More specifically, he has published about 45 peer-reviewed accredited articles; about 43 of them are accredited by the Department of Higher Education in South Africa; coupled with four book chapters. 

He has supervised successfully at Master’s and PhD (by co-supervision at doctoral level). This also includes examining doctoral theses for different universities in South Africa. His google scholar seats at 224 with an H-Index of 8. He is currently working on a book project about consolidation of democracy in South Africa. He has done some work for the SABC (Channel 404), Newzroom Afrika, Ukhozi FM, Nqubela radio station, Bay TV, Power FM, eNCA, 702, Radio 2000, SAFM, Khaya FM, True FM, Eden FM, City Press, Mail and Guardian, The Herald (Newspaper) and Weekend Post (Newspaper), as a political analyst. He is a regular guest on (radio) Umhlobo Wenene FM (SABC radio station) every Monday morning at 5:55am to 6:30am and does some political analysis for Power FM, Cape Talk, (commercial radio station).

Areas of specialisation and research interests

Social research methodology, Democracy and Democratisation, Political Development, and Development Studies, Conflict Management and Resolution, Development and Public Policy, South African Political Economy, Strategic and Security Studies, SA’s Local Government, Violent Service Delivery Protests, Youth Politics in South Africa, Political Theory and Sociology of Race. I have published in all these areas.

 

Dr Buntu Siwisa (Research Associate)

Dr Buntu Siwisa is a Senior Researcher at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS) at Wits University. More recently, he has published Rugby, Resistance and Politics: How Dan Qeqe Helped Shape the History of Port Elizabeth, (2022 November; Jacana Media, Johannesburg), Umbhoxo: Making Rugby an Afrikan Game (2023); (as a co-writer); Forging State-Building Through BRICS: Remodelling South Africa’s Foreign Policy Approach on Zimbabwe, South African Journal of International Affairs, (October 2020); and a debut novel, Paperless (Jacana Media, September 2023).

 

Areas of specialisation and research interests

His current research interests are on border economies and youth livelihoods, and inequalities. The overall focus is on the interface between illicit activities in border areas, fragile state institutions, and forms of instabilities, and inequalities that emerge out of interactions.

 

Dr Thomas Schmidinger (Research Associate)

Thomas Schmidinger is an Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kurdistan Hewlêr (UKH). He has been with the department since 2022. He also teaches at the University of Vienna and the University of Applied Sciences Oberösterreich (Austria) and is co-editor of the Vienna Kurdish Studies Yearbook.

Education:

  • Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Vienna, 2014
  • ​Ma in Political Science and Social Anthropology, University of Vienna, 2003

 

Research:

Research focus on Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Kosovo, Kurdistan, religion & state, religious extremism.

Professional Membership:

  • Middle East Studies Association (MESA)
  • Sudan Studies Association
  • Advisory Committee of the Center for Peace and Human Security (CPHS) of the American University of Kurdistan, Dohuk
  • Advisory Board of MERG Foundation for Training and Strategic Studies, Silêmanî (Iraq)
  • Austrian Political Science Association (Österreichische Gesellschaft für Politikwissenschaft, ÖGPW), Vienna (Austria
  • Secretary General of the Austrian Association of Kurdish Studies (Österreichische Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Kurdologie / Europäisches Zentrum für kurdische Studien), Vienna
  • Editorial Board of the Iraqi Journal for Political Science

Selected Books:

Rojava: Revolution, War and the Future of Syria´s Kurds. Pluto Press: London, 2018

The Battle for the Mountain of the Kurds Self-Determination and Ethnic Cleansing in the Afrin Region or Rojava PM Press: Oakland, 2019

Beyond ISIS: History and Future of Religious Minorities in Iraq Transnational Press London: London, 2019

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. Between a Rock and a Hard Place Transnational Press London: London, 2020

Sudan Unvollendete Revolution in einem brüchigen Land (Unfinished revolution in a fragile country) Bahoe books: Wien, 2020

The World Has Forgotten Us Sinjar and the Islamic State’s Genocide of the Yezidis Pluto Press: London, 2022

“Wenn der Herrgott das Wichtigste auf der Welt ist” (“When the Lord God is the most important thing in the world“) Katholischer Traditionalismus und Extremismus in Österreich (Catholic traditionalism and extremism in Austria) Mandelbaum Verlag: Wien, 2023

Die Linke in Palästina (The Left in Palestine) Eine Einführung (An introduction) Mandelbaum Verlag: Wien, 2024

End of Story? Remnants of Kurdistan’s Jews in the 21st Century Transnational Press London: London, 2025

 

Ryan Amley Moyo (Administrator)

PhD Candidate (Pol Studies) Research

Qual: BA Hon Pol. Science; MA Political Studies)

 

 

Knowledge Mwonzora (Post Doc)

Knowledge Mwonzora is an emerging scholar, human rights, social justice and peace advocate. He is currently a Post-doctoral Researcher at Nelson Mandela University in the Centre for Security, Peace and Conflict Resolution and Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Democracy.  He holds the following qualifications: MA in Development studies majoring in Human Rights, Gender, Conflict studies: Social Justice Perspectives from the International Institute of Social Studies, Netherlands, Diploma in Sustainable Development and Human Rights Law from University of Antwerpen, Belgium. 

He also holds a diploma in Federalism, Decentralization and Conflict Resolution from University of Fribourg, Switzerland.  He earned a PhD in Political studies from North-west University, South Africa in December 2021. His research focused on Transitional Justice and Reconciliation in Zimbabwe with a specific focus on the role of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission to promote post-conflict justice, peace and reconciliation. He is an alumni of the (International Centre on Nonviolent Conflict) ICNC’ s 2022 participant led online course on Civil Resistance Struggles: How Ordinary People Win Rights, Freedom, and Justice. He designed and facilitated an online Teaching fellowship for the ICNC titled Civil Resistance Struggles: History of Nonviolence movements from a Global to Local Perspective.

He is interested in researching on cross cutting issues revolving around transitional justice, reconciliation, civil resistance, nonviolence, critical security studies, conflict resolution, democracy, climate change, self-determination, human rights, and Peace. He has worked for several organisations that includes the General Agriculture and Plantation Workers union of Zimbabwe and humanitarian NGOs. He also worked as a Rapporteur for the Constitution Select Committee (COPAC) during the constitution making process in Zimbabwe.

 

Dr Siyabulela Mandela

Dr. Siyabulela Mandela is an independent consultant on Human Rights, International Development and Conflict Resolution, and was previously contracted to Journalists for Human Rights (Canada) and Thomson and Reuters Foundation (United Kingdom). He Currently serves as Visiting Scholar for Politics and International Relations at the University of Kurdistan Hewlêr in Iraq where lectures a Master’s program on Peace, Security and Post-conflict Reconstruction and development. He previously served as a Regional Project Manager for East and Southern Africa at Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) and as a former Country Director for JHR’s project focused on Strengthening Media, Human Rights and supporting the Peace process in South Sudan. 

He was also a Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civil engagement Scholar in Residency at Saint John’s University and College of Saint Benedict in Minnesota, United States. Dr. Mandela holds a Master of Philosophy in Conflict Transformation and Management and a Ph.D. in International Relations and Conflict Resolution from the Department of Politics and History at Nelson Mandela University, South Africa. He was a visiting Scholar Affiliate at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (S-CAR) at George Mason University (US) in 2018.
 
Born and bred in the rural areas of Qunu in the Eastern Province of South Africa, Dr. Mandela is passionate about conflict resolution and development in Africa, a continent characterized by chronic conflicts and underdevelopment. His doctoral thesis titled Preventive Diplomacy and Conflict Provention in Africa: Examining South Africa's role in Conflict resolution in Democratic Republic of Congo, argued for the hybrid approach to the resolution of African conflicts, paying specific attention to the frustration of basic human needs and an urgency for institutional and structural change in African governments in order to achieve stability, durable peace, and development and ultimately realize “an Africa that is developed and at peace with itself”. His career interests and expertise include diplomacy, Human Rights Advocacy, international relations, African politics, conflict resolution, foreign policy and history.
 
Dr. Mandela, has delivered academic papers, published book chapters and spoke on topics of human rights, development, peace, reconstruction and conflict resolution in Africa and globally, on different parts of the World including; Denmark, Poland, Italy, Portugal; United States of America; Canada; Republic of Ecuador, Brazil, France, Iraq, Sri Lanka, South Sudan, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and many more.