Thandeka Msebenzi

Thandeka Msebenzi is the Director of Ulwazi NS Research Consulting and a development research and behavioural science specialist with extensive experience leading complex research, fieldwork, and capacity-strengthening assignments across South Africa and the African continent.

Her work spans mixed-methods research, participatory approaches, public-opinion studies, social and behaviour change communication, stakeholder engagement, research localisation, and large-scale fieldwork management. She has led multidisciplinary teams and delivered assignments for organisations including Busara, Afrobarometer, Open Cities Lab, the World Resources Forum Association, and PinPoint Sustainability.

Thandeka holds a Master of Social Science in Housing. Her research interests include the connections between housing conditions, neighbourhoods, livelihoods, safety, and health, and how these factors shape early childhood development and school readiness in South Africa. She brings together rigorous research practice, local knowledge, and a commitment to ensuring that communities are meaningfully represented in the evidence used to shape programmes, services, and policy.