Chandré Gould is a passionate researcher and advocate for the prevention of violence. She is motivated by her commitment to building an equitable, just, kind, and peaceful world.  She has a PhD in History from Rhodes University and has written and published books and articles on subjects ranging from biological weapons control to human trafficking and violence prevention. These include: Dis-eases of Secrecy: Tracing Memory, history and Justice and Beaten Bad: the life stories of violent offenders.

Since 2015, she has convened the Violence Prevention Forum, and with the support of colleagues and community members, has replicated the dialogical model at the local level. She is the Co-Chair of the INSPIRE Implementation Working Group and co-chair of the advisory board of IGNITE Philanthropy.

Thato Machabaphala is the co-ordinator of the National Violence Prevention Forum, and a research consultant in the violence prevention team.  Her background in law and socio-economic human rights, drives her passion for social justice in the violence prevention network.

In addition to coordinating the National VPF, Thato is trained in violence prevention facilitation. She also manages the VPF newsletter and Linked-in channel which aligns with her vibrant personality. Her passion for socio-economic justice and her intrinsic belief in social change, drives Thato to strengthen relationships across the violence prevention network.

Jody van der Heyde is the INSPIRE Working Group coordinator. She has an honours degree in sociology from the University of Cape Town and a Masters in criminology (with distinction) from the University of Manchester, where she wrote her dissertation on intimate femicide in South Africa. In addition to her role as coordinator, she is also a researcher, facilitator and violence prevention practitioner.

Prior to joining the Institute for Security Studies, she was a research assistant at a development consultancy. Jody is passionate about understanding human behaviour and the social conditions that drive behaviour.  She’s interested in the impact of trauma on generational cycles of violence and how to find healing for individuals and society. She enjoys reading books on trauma, psychology and the mind-body connection.  

Andisiwe Makwecana holds a BA with a triple major in Women & Gender Studies, Ethics and Psychology and an Honours degree in Women’s and gender studies from the University of the Western Cape. This sparked her interest in gender equality and representation within the Life Orientation curriculum. Since joining the Violence Prevention team, she has gained research and facilitation skills.

As a member of the VP team, Anidisiwe has developed experience in facilitating and convening community dialogue as well as writing meeting reports. Her passion is to work for a just and equitable society with a proactive justice system. 

Senzekile (Senzi) Bengu joined the ISS in October 2021 as a Research Officer in the Justice and Violence Prevention programme. She is the co-convenor of the Western Cape Violence Prevention Forum. She is a leader, facilitator, community builder, violence prevention practitioner and aspiring economist. Her favourite book of the last decade is Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman.

Before joining the ISS, Senzi worked as a leadership facilitator, training learners and teachers in KZN and the Eastern Cape to be ethical leaders and change agents. She has also worked as a research assistant at the University of the Witwatersrand, where she focused on the impact of conflict, inequality, and poor service delivery on the social contract and social cohesion. She is a co-founder and project lead of Kwasuka Sukela (once upon a time) Foundation, a youth development NGO based in KZN. The foundation works with soccer teams to empower young boys to find their voices and share their stories.

In addition, she serves as the Kader Asmal Alumni Network chairperson, an association of awardees of the Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme (KAFP) to complete Master’s level studies at Irish universities. Senzekile holds a Master’s degree in peacebuilding and development from the University of Limerick (cum laude), Ireland, supported by the KAFP. She also has a Bachelor of Business Science with honours in development economics from Rhodes University (passed cum laude).

Thandi van Heyningen is a senior researcher who joined the team in March 2020. She is deeply passionate about creating safer, healthier families and communities, and she focuses on developing and testing innovative interventions to break intergenerational cycles of violence.

Thandi holds a PhD in Public Health from the University of Cape Town (UCT), a Master's in Clinical Psychology from the University of KwaZulu Natal, and a Master's in International Relations from Stellenbosch University. Before joining the ISS, she worked as a public mental health researcher at UCT, concentrating on integrating mental health services into primary-level public health systems.

Thandi's current projects at the ISS involve developing new programs to combat gender-based violence and protect children, drawing on her experience as a clinician and public health researcher. She employs a multidisciplinary approach to drive progress in achieving positive results, dedicated to enhancing the welfare of women and children in South Africa.

Ayanda Mazibuko is a research officer for Lift Up and Free to Grow, the workplace family violence prevention programme. She has previously co-ordinated the national Violence Prevention Forum. Before joining the ISS, she was a socio-economic development researcher for a private sector consultancy.

At her core, Ayanda believes that the art to achieving sustainable social impact lies in embracing integrated, holistic, and multi-faceted approaches that center people, the environment, and the economy. She enjoys and has experience in addressing complex and wicked issues (such as violence) through research, communicating for impact, building meaningful relationships with stakeholders, and co-ordinating facilitated dialogue. Ayanda believes in the power of intersectional feminism to aid socio-economic development and is inspired by how art and cultural productions can be used as intellectual and political tools to propel liberation projects.

Ayanda has a Master's degree in Development Studies (cum laude) from the University of the Witwatersrand. She also holds an Honours in Social Sciences, specialising in Philosophy, Politics & Economics from the University of Cape Town. 

Matodzi Amisi is an evaluation consultant with extensive experience in the public sector and development. She has been a consultant with the Violence Prevention Team since 2019 focusing on M&E and evidence synthesis. She has a keen interest in monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and the use of evidence in the violence prevention sector, with a particular focus on strategies to prevent violence. She has been strengthening monitoring and evaluation of the team’s work and projects with partners.

Between 2006 and 2018 she worked in the South African government, specifically in the Department of Human Settlements and the Department of Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation in the Presidency. She was part of the team that established the National Evaluation System in South Africa and delivered a DPME/University of Cape Town course for the top three levels of the Public Service on Evidence Based Policy Making and Implementation.