Biography

"Zanele’s academic interests lie in the Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases particularly the prevention, control and management of HIV/AIDS and holds an MPhil degree from Stellenbosch University and professionally working with a well renounced international non-profit organisation in Policy Development and Advocacy.

She’s served as a Southern Africa Regional Advisor for Girls Globe, Youth Advisory to UNFPA South Africa and a former youth representative on the UNFPA Safe Guarding Young People’s (SYP) Regional Steering Committee, providing strategic guidance and direction, and advising on their policies, programmes and initiatives befitting to the UNFPA mandate; as well as sharing the youth perspectives in areas such as; HIV Prevention and it’s linkages to GBV and Gender Equality amongst others as a youth representative to the National ASRHR Framework Strategy Technical Committee, and Technical Task Team to UNAIDS ACT!2015 National Alliance. She’s additionally served on Youth Advisory Boards of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (Wits RHI) and the Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PRU). Zanele assisted as a member of the Conference Organising Committee of the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health and as a representative of the Adolescent and Youth Constituency at the Partnership for Maternal, New-born and Child Health (PMNCH) and has led the coordination of the Advocating for Change for Adolescents! toolkit on adolescent health and well-being at the country level, by providing technical assistance to youth-led organisations in Nigeria, Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi. She’s meaningfully participated in high-level technical consultations, including and not limited to the National Adolescent and Youth Health Policy (South Africa), Africa Regional Stakeholder Consultations on the UN SG Global Strategy on Women, Children and Adolescents and the WHO Technical Stakeholder Meeting on HIV and hormonal contraception, amongst others.

Zanele is a Women Deliver Class of 2018 Young Leader and Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni of Public Management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA."