Nompumelelo Runji is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science whose research explores the efficacy of social media as participatory mechanisms to deepen and broaden participation of local communities in democratic processes and institutions in South Africa. She holds an MPhil in Multidisciplinary Human Rights from the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria where she specialised on the doctrine of separation of powers with a particular focus on the intersection between judicial independence and the politics of appointing judges in Kenya. She also holds a BSocsci in Industrial Sociology and Labour Studies and BA (Honours) in Political Science. Ms Runji is currently programme manager for the promoting democracy and civic engagement portfolio at the Frederich-Ebert-Stiftung South Africa where she oversees projects focussing on promoting civic agency and capacitating community based activists, youth and students with the tools to engage in and influence policy-making. She writes a weekly column called Critical Take in the Sowetan, the second largest daily newspaper in South Africa, where she applies political theory in the analysis of current affairs (since 2014). She is a contributor to radio and television programmes and speaks on and facilitates panels at various forums.

Ms Runji was opinions editor at the Sowetan and coordinator of Sowetan Dialogues, which promoted dialogue as a means of conflict resolution bridging the gap between communities, councillors, provincial and national public office bearers (2013-2016). She worked as researcher and project leader at the Forum for Public Dialogue where she led a comparative research study on electoral systems and the need for electoral reform in South Africa (2012-2013) and was junior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (2009-2011) in the International Crime in Africa Programme as well as assistant lecturer at the Department of Political Science at UP (2008). 

Research focus:

Representation and participation in democracy, elections and electoral systems, media and democracy and good governance in the African context.

Selected publications:

• 2015: “Widening access and enabling franchise” in Institutionalising Democracy: The story of the Electoral Commission of South Africa 1993-2014, (ed) Mcebisi Ndletyana, Africa Institute of South Africa.
• 2014: “The Democratic Opportunity: Does South Africa need electoral reform?”, NR Research and Analysis.