Dr Mahlogonolo Thobane

Dr. Mahlogonolo Thobane
PhD in Criminology- UNISA

Dr Thobane permanently employed by College of Law, Department of Criminology and Security Science at the University of South Africa (UNISA) as a Senior Lecturer. She holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences: Psychology degree from the University of Pretoria (UP); BA (Honours) degrees in Criminology and Psychology from UP and UNISA respectively. She also holds a Master’s degree in Criminology as well as a Doctor of Literature and Philosophy (DLitt et Phil) in Criminology. 

She is the first black President of the Criminological Society of Africa (CRIMSA), the only society for Criminologists and Criminal Justice professionals in South Africa; and other African countries. In 2018, Dr. Thobane was awarded the UNISA Vision Keepers Prize (2018-2020) for the research project titled: An exploration of the impact of sociocultural norms on the surge of gender-based violence in South Africa. In July 2019, the GHJRU contracted her a Senior Researcher Consultant position for a 5-year Local Responses to Improve Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Project led by the Centre for Communication Impact (CCI) and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This came on the back of her Vision Keepers project. Dr. Thobane is one of the 10 young international Criminologists who won a research paper award, sponsored by the International Society of Criminology (ISC) as well as the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNDOC), at the 2019 International Congress of Criminology. 

 Her research aims to centralise the African voice, and ‘ways of knowing’, in criminology ideologies. Her research interests are bank related violent crimes (i.e., cash-in-transit heists), gender-based violence, female criminality, critical criminology, indigenous research methods and correctional studies. Given her interest in gender based violence issues, she founded a Non-Profit Organisation, Mu Duka (212-833 NPO) in 2018, which promotes holistic and intersectoral approaches (involving various government departments, the private sector and non-government organisations) to combat the scourge of gender based violence in South Africa.