Dr Sibusiso Mkwananzi is a senior researcher and demographer whose work centres on public health, gender equity, and climate vulnerability in Africa. Her research draws from demographic data, health systems analysis, and community-based knowledge to inform both local and regional policy. She has led multi-country studies on gender-based violence and femicide, sexual and reproductive health and rights and climate-linked health outcomes. Mkwananzi collaborates with government and civil society partners to ensure that climate research is locally grounded and policy-relevant.
Mkwananzi says: “The climate crisis is not gender-neutral. It deepens existing health inequalities for women by exacerbating vulnerabilities in SRHR [Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights], access to care, and everyday survival. A just climate response must centre gender to build truly resilient health systems.”
Mkwananzi’s under-reported topics are:
- The need for climate resilience health systems in South Africa – a crisis waiting to happenÂ
- Lack of gender-disaggregated data in climate and health policymaking
- The intersection of climate change and SRHR outcomesÂ
- The impact of population dynamics on climate vulnerability and development planning
- The gendered cost of failing to realise the demographic dividend
- Community silences around incest, coercion and statutory rape, which are often hidden drivers of teenage pregnancy.
- Failure to meaningfully include boys and men in SRHR and GBV programming
- The impact of teacher misconduct and power imbalances in school settings – a hidden driver of sexual exploitation and dropout
