The Board of the HSRC refers to the group of up to ten people, including a Chairperson, appointed for a period of four years by the Minister of Science and Innovation. Appointees have distinguished themselves in the field of the human sciences or possess special qualifications in relation to some aspect of the functions of the Board. The Board appoints the Chief Executive Officer of the HSRC and s/he serves as a further, ex officio member. The Board is the accounting authority of the organisation for purposes of the Public Finance Management Act.
Prof Xoliswa Mtose (Chairperson)
Prof Xoliswa Mtose is a well- known international scholar who is a trained educator, higher education specialist, as well as a psychologist. She is currently the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Zululand, a position she has held since 2015. Her academic career began at Rhodes University as a lecturer and Coordinator of Distance and Continuing Education. She then served at the University of Fort Hare as senior lecturer, Deputy Director and Director of a School of Postgraduate Studies, School of Initial Teacher Education and Dean of the Faculty of Education. She was previously the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning at the University of Zululand. As Vice- Chancellor she has taken gargantuan strides in advancing teaching and learning, research and innovation, African scholarship, community engagement and the entire fabric of the university towards academic distinction. Mtose’s influence has been far reaching, from local impact to having an effect on the national as well as on the international stage. Her research interest is on race, everyday racism in contemporary South Africa as well as construction of black identities in post- apartheid South Africa.
Mtose is a full professor in Psychology. She also holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Master of Philosophy in Higher Education from the University of Stellenbosch, a Bachelor of Arts Honours (African Languages) from Rhodes University, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Fort Hare, and a Higher Diploma in Education (Postgraduate) Primary from the University of Cape Town. She was honoured to be endowed with a Harvard/ South African Scholarship that enabled her to study at Harvard on further studies as part of her doctoral degree work.
Prof Sarah Mosoetsa (CEO)
Prof. Mosoetsa is the former CEO of the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS), a position that she vacated on 31 January 2023 to take up the position of CEO at the HSRC. She was instrumental in establishing and setting up the NIHSS in 2013 and held the position of CEO at the Institute from 2014 to 2023. She is the chairperson of the South African BRICS Think Tank (SABTT) and a member of the BRICS Think Tank Council (BTCC).
Prof. Mosoetsa holds a Doctorate in Sociology from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). She was appointed an associate Professor of Sociology at the same University, and is the author of several publications, including, amongst others, Eating from One Pot: The dynamics of survival in poor South African households (Wits Press) and co-editor of Labour in the Global South: Challenges and alternatives for workers (ILO), and co-editor of Precarious Labor in Global Perspective (Cambridge University Press). She has worked for various organisations, including the Society, Work and Politics Institute (SWOP), the HSRC, and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA). Prof. Mosoetsa sits on various Boards and Councils, inter alia, the Human Resource Development Council of South Africa (HRDC), the Board of Governors for Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA), the University of Venda Council, and the Advisory Board for the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies at Wits University.
Dr Len Konar
Dr Konar is a Chartered Accountant and was previously executive director of the Independent Development Trust where he was, amongst other activities, responsible for the Internal Audit and Investment portfolios. Prior to that, he was Professor and Head: Department of Accountancy, University of Durban-Westville (now UKZN). He lectures to graduate students at various South African universities. He was a member of the King Committee on Corporate Governance (1998 – 2018), the Corporate Governance Forum, the Institute of Directors and the National Association of Corporate Directors (USA). Dr Konar is a past independent non-executive director of many local and international companies. He has also chaired or served on the audit committees of some of these boards. Currently, he serves as an independent non-executive director on several specialist boards and committees. He is a past chairman of the Ministerial Panel for the Review of Accountants and Auditors in South Africa, which resulted in the publication of the Auditing Profession Act, 2005 (Act No. 26 of 2005); co-chair of the Independent Oversight Risk Panel of the World Bank (2009–2010); past chairman and member of the External Audit Committee of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington (2004–2007); a member of the 2010 Safeguards Panel of the IMF; and a member of the ad hoc Ethics Panel of the United Nations Ethics Committee. He has participated in seminars and workshops internationally and has also published journal articles and contributions to books. He is a mentor/supervisor/examiner to PhD and MBA candidates at GIBS, WITS Business School and UNISA, and other local universities, and a presenter on the Executive Leadership programmes at GIBS, WBS and Duke University Corporate Education.
Prof Ibbo Mandaza
Prof Ibbo Mandaza is a Zimbabwean academic, author and publisher. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Political Economy from the University of York in England (1979) and has taught at the Universities of Botswana, Zambia, Dar es Salaam and Zimbabwe. He has researched and written extensively on issues of governance, international relations and public policy. Mandaza was one of the first senior African civil servants in post-independent Zimbabwe (1980–90), having been a member of the Zimbabwe National Liberation Movement, in the Department of Research, Education and Manpower, ZANU Headquarters, Maputo, Mozambique. He served as director of the National Manpower Survey and as permanent secretary in the Ministry of Manpower Planning and Development; as the deputy chairman of the Public Service Commission; member of the Defence Forces Commission, and as chairman of the Parastatals Commission, before his early retirement from the Civil Service in July 1990 at the age of 42.
Mandaza is currently the executive chairman of a regional think tank, the Southern African Political Economy Series Trust and convenor of the Policy Dialogue Forum.
Prof Eleanor Hendricks
Prof Eleanor Alvira Hendricks is a dedicated and seasoned social work professional with extensive academic and practical experience. She currently serves as an Associate Professor at North-West University, focusing on social work, education and research. Prof Hendricks earned her PhD in Social Work from the University of Fort Hare and has since contributed significantly to the field through her research on youth development, gender-based violence, and the psychosocial wellbeing of vulnerable populations.
Her scholarly work includes numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes, addressing critical social challenges such as school violence and adolescent pregnancy. She is a sought-after supervisor, mentoring postgraduate students across multiple institutions. In addition to her academic pursuits, Prof Hendricks engages in community development initiatives, including youth counselling and crime prevention programmes. With a strong commitment to education, policy development, and social justice, Prof Hendricks continues to influence the academic and social work landscapes in South Africa and beyond.
Dr Alex Mashilo
Dr Mashilo studied Labour Law (Dip.) (Old NQF 7), having first obtained a National N. Diploma in Engineering while working in the automotive manufacturing industry. He worked in an engineering maintenance team in the automotive manufacturing industry and was later appointed by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) to various positions, including national automotive and new tyre manufacturing sector co-ordinator, chief negotiator in the Automobile National Bargaining Forum and the New Tyre Manufacturing Industry Bargaining Council, and Head of Department for Organising, Collective Bargaining and Campaigns.
He furthered his studies while working for NUMSA and holds an MA in Labour Policy and Globalisation (2010) and a PhD (2019) from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Dr Mashilo’s MA included research work in South Africa and Germany in the automotive global value chains and PhD study focused on Economic and Social Upgrading in Global Production Networks, using the automotive manufacturing industry as the empirical case. His research interests are based on his MA and PhD studies – globalisation and economic policy, global institutions and economic restructuring, labour and development, and economic and social upgrading, including the adoption of the state-of-the-art technological advances in production and product upgrading in global production networks. Dr Mashilo is a visiting researcher at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, and a former special advisor to the Premier of Limpopo Province. He is currently Head of Office: Deputy Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development. He served the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Sector Education and Training Authority as a non-executive board member, and on the council of the North-West University.
Prof Zethu Nkosi
Prof. Nkosi holds a Doctoral degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and is currently Executive Dean: College of Human Science, University of South Africa. She has published numerous articles in accredited journals and supervised 20 PhD and 30 MA students to completion. Prof. Nkosi is a fellow of the Global Nursing Leadership Institute (GNLI), a leadership programme initiative of the International Council of Nurses (ICN). In 2018 the Forum for Nurse Leaders awarded her a Leadership award in Nursing Education. In 2019, she was awarded Women in Research Leadership Award by the Research portfolio and Feroza Adam Award by Unisa Women Forum. She is also an active member of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre (WHO CC) in the Afro region. She is the Deputy President of the South African Deans of Humanities Association ( SAHUDA) and a board member of Inhlanyelo Hub.
Ms Busisiwe Ramabodu
Ms Busisiwe Ramabodu is a Psychologist, Organisational Development (OD), Change Specialist and HR Executive with an aspiration to contribute positively to organisational effectiveness, governance, psychologically safe workplaces, and resolving conflicts. She holds a Master of Social Science (Psychology) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).
She has over 14 years of senior management experience in various HR roles, including at various public universities around the country. Her area of expertise spans the entire Human Capital value chain, including employee relations and managing union relations, managing HR risk and governance, and contributions to the development, implementation and reporting on the organisational strategy. She has worked extensively with stakeholders at all levels, from internal teams, Executive leadership to board/ Council members, and has interfaced with external organizations such as the Department of Higher Education & Training. She has implemented several OD and design interventions at individual, team and organisational levels. As a psychologist she also has experience in leadership and executive assessment and developing strategies for targeted development, as well as leadership coaching.
Adv Pansy Tlakula
Adv Pansy Tlakula holds a BProc degree from the University of the North (now University of Limpopo), an LLB degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and an LLM degree from Harvard University. In 2006, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in legal studies by the Vaal University of Technology (VUT).
Tlakula has held high-profile positions in the academia, public and private sector. These include senior lecturer of law at the then University of Bophuthatswana (now North-West University), national director of the Black Lawyers Association, one of the founding commissioners of the South African Human Rights Commission, chairperson of the Board of the National Credit Regulator, chairperson of the council of the then University of the North West (now North-West University) and the chancellor of VUT. She was also an independent non-executive director of the Bidvest Group Limited and the chairperson of the Electoral Commission of South Africa. Tlakula is the former chairperson of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (AU Organ) and its special rapporteur on freedom of expression and access to information. She is currently a member of the United Nations Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Prof Fiona Tregenna
Prof Fiona Tregenna holds the DSI/NRF South African Research Chair (SARChI) in Industrial Development, leading this centre of research, training and policy engagement, and is also a professor of economics at the University of Johannesburg.
Tregenna sits part-time on the South African Competition Tribunal, where she adjudicates competition cases. She is a member of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council. She serves on several boards, panels and councils, and has extensive corporate governance experience. She has consulted for and advised international organisations such as UNIDO, UNCTAD and the ILO, including contributing to various flagship United Nations publications.
Her primary research interest is in issues of structural change, deindustrialisation and industrial development. Tregenna has also published on poverty, inequality and unemployment. She has recently co-edited two major volumes with Oxford University Press (The Oxford Handbook of the South African Economy; and Structural Transformation in South Africa: The Challenges of Inclusive Industrial Development in a Middle-Income Country). She has delivered invited keynote addresses at many international conferences. Her research has been recognised with a number of grants and awards, and she has served as Principal Investigator for large research projects. She is an elected member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and serves on several ASSAf bodies. She currently serves on the editorial boards of several international journals and a book series and reviews extensively for many journals and book publishers.
Tregenna holds a PhD in economics from the University of Cambridge, a master’s degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), and earlier degrees from the Universities of the Witwatersrand and Natal.
Mr Lumko Mtimde
Mr Lumko Mtimde is a former Special Advisor to the Minister in the Presidency and to the Minister of Employment and Labour. He was a long serving CEO of the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), Councilor of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA).
Over and above advising services, he has served the government at senior levels as a Chief of Staff for the former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and Chief Director responsible for broadcasting policy at the Ministry of Communications. He is a founding member and first CEO of the National Community Radio Forum (NCRF), President of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) Africa and Vice-President of AMARC International. He holds a BSc Biochemistry and Physiology from the University of the Western Cape, and a Postgraduate Diploma in ICT Policy and Regulation from UNISA.
Board Secretariat
Mandate
It is the mandate of the HSRC Board Secretariat to provide top-level secretariat and administrative support to the Board of the HSRC and the Board sub-committees, and to disseminate decisions of the Board to relevant stakeholders and follow up on agreed actions.
Unit Head: Marizane Rousseau
Marizane Rousseau
Marizane Rousseau is the current HSRC Board Secretary.
Telephone: +27 (0)12 302 2009
E-mail: mrousseau@hsrc.ac.za