Dr Itai Makone
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!
About the Author: mike
Researcher in Policy Advice
Dr Itai Makone is a Social Science and Policy Innovation Researcher at the Policy Innovation Lab. She holds a PhD in Political Science from Stellenbosch University in South Africa, funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation. Itai’s PhD focused on political risk analysis in hybrid regimes.
Itai has a wealth of experience in academia as a lecturer at Stellenbosch University and Researcher at HUMA, University of Cape Town, in public service as an Economist for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in Zimbabwe, and as an individual consultant for the Parliament of Zimbabwe and various NGOs like the African Development Bank and the International Rescue Committee.
From these and other experiences, Itai brings vast expertise in policy-relevant projects across various topics and advanced qualitative analysis skills to the team. Her research interests include using AI for evidence-based policymaking, ethics in AI, political risk analysis and security, public policy, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Zinhle Novazi is a Lecturer in Law and Technology and International Trade Finance in the Mercantile Law Department at Stellenbosch University. She is a qualified attorney and a doctoral candidate at the University of Groningen, where her research focuses on the regulation of automated decision-making in financial services, with particular attention to data protection, AI, and consumer protection.
She brings professional experience from roles in tax, fiduciary services, and cybersecurity, having worked as a Tax and Fiduciary Specialist at Investec Bank, completed her articles at Tabacks and previously contributed to risk and intelligence projects at S-RM. Zinhle holds master’s degrees from Queen Mary University of London (where she was a Chevening Scholar) and the University of the Witwatersrand, along with an LLB and a Bachelor of Social Science from the University of Cape Town.
Beyond academia, she serves as a Director of Novazi Investment Holdings and the Heavy Chef Foundation NPC, supporting initiatives that broaden entrepreneurial opportunities. In recognition of her leadership, she was named one of the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans in 2023.
Christine Strauss is an admitted Legal Practitioner (Attorney) and Trade Mark Practitioner (SAIIPL). After practising in intellectual property law until 2022, she transitioned to academia and is now a lecturer in the Mercantile Law Department, where she teaches Law & Technology. She holds an LLM in Law, Science and Technology from Stanford University and is currently completing her LLD at Stellenbosch University. Her research explores the intersection of law, science, and emerging technologies.
Geo Quinot is a Professor of Law at Stellenbosch University and Director of the African Procurement Law Unit (APLU). He specialises in public law and is a leading voice in the development of procurement regulation and administrative justice in South Africa and across the continent.