Current Staff
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Professor Tracy-Lynn Field
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Email: Tracy-Lynn.Field@wits.ac.za
Office Tel: No: +27 (0) 717 8440Professor Tracy-Lynn Field
School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Full Professor, Claude Leon Chair in Earth Justice and Stewardship, Director, Mandela Institute, Commissioner, Presidential Climate CommissionTracy-Lynn has worked in the School of Law at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa since 2003. She was promoted to full professor in 2017 and has held the Claude Leon Chair in Earth Justice and Stewardship since 2022. In October 2023, she was awarded the status of honorary professor at the School of Law, University of Edinburgh, and in August 2025 she was redeployed to the role of Director of the Mandela Institute. In January 2026, she was also appointed to serve as a member of the Presidential Climate Commission until 2030.
Tracy-Lynn focuses on the law and governance of water, climate change, energy, and mining. She produces peer-reviewed academic research, supervises postgraduate research students, teaches postgraduate students, and supports civil society advocacy, and public engagement. Amongst others, her work has supported the Centre for Environmental Rights, the Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa, Natural Justice, and the Federation for a Sustainable Environment.
Tracy-Lynn has degrees in music, law, and social science. She graduated with a PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2012. She is also an admitted advocate of the High Court of South Africa.
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Dr. Albert Edgar Manyuchi
Email: Albertedgar.Manyuchi@wits.ac.za Dr. Albert Edgar Manyuchi
Mandela Institute, School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Senior ResearcherDr. Albert Edgar Manyuchi is a Senior Researcher at the Mandela Institute, University of the Witwatersrand. He holds BSc (Hons), LLB, MSc, and DPhil degrees, as well as a PhD in Environmental Sciences from Wits. The PhD he conducted under the Global Change Institute examined the intersections of climate change and human health. His work focuses on climate services for health, heat–health impacts, and public health, and he has published in leading journals including Climate Services and Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. Dr. Manyuchi has worked extensively in humanitarian and public health settings, leading programmes and research initiatives across several African countries. He is passionate about conducting impactful mixed methods research that transforms institutions and the lives of the most marginalized, stigmatized and discriminated population groups.
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Zunaida Wadiwala
Email:
Zunaida.Wadiwala@wits.ac.zaZunaida Moosa Wadiwala
Mandela Institute, School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
PhD candidate in international climate law, Legal Researchers and leads the African Climate Law ProgrammeZunaida Wadiwala is a PhD candidate in international climate law at Wits University and leads the African Climate Law Programme at the Mandela Institute. She specialises in climate law, litigation, and governance, and serves as Africa’s Regional Lead Rapporteur for the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, contributing to global climate governance and reporting on litigation trends across Africa. An admitted Attorney, Conveyancer, and Notary of the High Court of South Africa, Zunaida previously practiced property law and examines admission candidates for the Legal Practice Council. She is an associate fellow at CISDL, a Course Leader for Cambridge’s global justice programme, and part of editorial teams for GNHRE and UNESCO’s Voices of Future Generations. Her qualifications include LLM, LLB, BLC, and certifications in Islamic and comparative law.
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Dr. Chiedza Lucia Amanda Machaka
Email: Chiedza.Machaka@wits.ac.za Dr. Chiedza Lucia Amanda Machaka
Mandela Institute, School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Postdoctoral FellowDr. Machaka is a Joint Postdoctoral Fellow in Water, Climate Change and Environmental Law, jointly hosted by the Mandela Institute and Claude Leon Foundation Chair in Earth Justice and Stewardship at the University of the Witwatersrand and the Global Environmental Law Centre at the University of the Western Cape. She holds an LLD in International Law (environmental focus), an LLM in Environmental Law and Governance, and an LLB from Wits. Her interdisciplinary research explores the intersections of water, climate change, and environmental law, with a strong commitment to equity, participation, and resilience. Her work foregrounds the role of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), drawing on participatory governance, customary law, and inclusive legal frameworks for natural resource management and climate justice.
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Dr. Xavier Rebelo
Email: Xavier.Rebelo@wits.ac.za Dr. Xavier Rebelo
Mandela Institute, School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Postdoctoral FellowDr. Rebelo is a postdoctoral researcher in the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management at the University of the Witwatersrand. He holds an LLB, LLM, and PhD from the University of Cape Town. Xavier’s research interests lie in coastal and mining governance, where he applies socio-legal research approaches to visibilize the ways in which law and materiality are mutually constitutive and world-making.