Board of Director Biographies

Adebayo O. Olukoshi

Adebayo O. Olukoshi, an IJR Board member since 2021, holds a Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Leeds and a Bachelor of Science in International Studies from Ahmadu Bello University. During his career, he has held a number of high-impact leadership roles including director at institutions such as the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and the United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP). His dedication to research and academia is evident through his tenure at the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and various fellowships, including those at Oxford University.

Olukoshi’s contributions have earned him numerous awards and honours, reflecting his commitment to social justice and human rights. Currently a Board member of the International Journal of Research, he remains at the forefront of advancing democratic governance and socio-economic development in Africa.

Betty Oyella Bigombe

Betty Oyella Bigombe is an internationally recognised expert in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, with a career marked by notable achievements in mediating armed conflicts and fostering post-conflict reconciliation. An IJR Board member since 2021, her extensive experience spans diverse roles, including serving as the Special Envoy of Uganda to the South Sudan Peace Process, where she plays a pivotal role in peace negotiations and monitoring peace agreements.

Betty has also held key positions in international organisations like the World Bank Group, focusing on reducing poverty in fragile states. Notable for her dedication to capacity-building, she conducts training sessions for African women mediators and young peacebuilders. With a wealth of experience in governmental roles, including Minister of State for Water in Uganda, Betty’s efforts have been recognised with prestigious awards such as the Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur from the French Government. She remains a highly respected figure in promoting peace, reconciliation and human rights across Africa and beyond.

Courtney Dale Sampson

Courtney Dale Sampson, an IJR Board member since 2022, boasts a career spanning academia, religious leadership, and public service. With a profound commitment to social justice, his journey encompasses roles as an Anglican chaplain, university lecturer and member of various church and academic Boards. His extensive international engagements include representing the Anglican Consultative Council and participating in conferences on world religions and black Episcopal clergy.

His publications and presentations reflect his deep insights into theology, politics and human rights, addressing issues such as black nationalism and the role of evangelism. Notably, he served as the Administrative Assistant to the Archbishop of Cape Town and later as Provincial Electoral Officer for the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa.

Currently, Courtney contributes his expertise as the Lead Independent Director and Chairperson of the Social and Ethics Committee at Cricket Boland, and serves as Chairperson of the Board at Hope Africa, the development arm of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.

Prof. Cheryl Hendricks, IJR Executive Director

Professor Cheryl Hendricks, an accomplished academic and thought leader, is currently the Executive Director of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR), where she oversees research, dialogues, and policy advice on transitional justice and peacebuilding in Africa.

With a PhD from the University of South Carolina and an MA from the University of York, Cheryl brings extensive experience in governance, peace, and security. Her strategic leadership at the IJR, combined with her previous roles at the Africa Institute of South Africa and the University of Johannesburg, underscores her commitment to advancing pan-Africanism and feminism. Cheryl’s expertise in conflict analysis, peacebuilding and gender equality drives impactful initiatives and fosters collaboration across diverse sectors.

As a respected leader of integrity, Cheryl’s visionary approach continues to shape the discourse on peace and security, inspiring positive change across the continent.

Gerhard Kemp

Gerhard Kemp is professor of law at UWE Bristol Law School in the United Kingdom and extraordinary professor of public law at Stellenbosch University. He is admitted as an advocate of the High Court of South Africa and has published widely on international criminal law, comparative criminal law and transitional justice. Gerhard has received several awards and scholarships for his work, including fellowships of the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung, the Robert Bosch Foundation, and the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study. He serves on the IJR’s Board as well as its Executive Committee.

Glenda Wildschut

Glenda Wildschut, who joined the IJR Board in 2001, has extensive experience in human rights, especially in situations involving gross violations of human rights, torture and captivity rehabilitation, return of exiles and migration. She has helped civil societies to develop post-conflict reconciliation strategies in Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau and Rwanda. She has served as advisor to the Parliamentary Office of South African Council of Churches, and also sat on an expert panel on social integration/social cohesion at UNESCO in 2007.

From 1999 to 2005, Glenda was Director of the Leadership Academy in the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre. She has also worked with the World Health Organisation and the World Council of Churches, among other NGOs, and she served as a commissioner on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Since 2005, she has been an independent consultant in leadership and organisational development, as well as a part-time lecturer in UCT’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

Lorenzo Davids, Acting Chairperson

Lorenzo Davids, currently the IJR’s Acting Chairperson, was born in Cape Town in 1961. He was part of a groundbreaking pre-school initiative at Hewat Teachers Training College in 1967 before completing his primary and secondary education. Lorenzo pursued a BA Hons at the University of the Western Cape and embarked on a career in student counselling in Johannesburg before transitioning to NGO management and public service roles.

Notably, he served as CEO of a prominent NGO and later of Community Chest, significantly increasing budgets during his tenure. Lorenzo now operates as a consultant, specialising in impactful donor investments. At the same time, he is pursuing an M.Phil. at UCT, exploring philanthropic decision-making dynamics. With a diverse skill set encompassing leadership, fundraising, and systems thinking, Lorenzo is dedicated to advancing equity, justice, and prosperity. His work is guided by a set of personal values and a mission to promote inclusive dialogue and sustainable development.

Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge

Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge joined the IJR Board in 2015. She was among the few women at the negotiations for South Africa’s post-apartheid transition as part of the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA). In 1994, she was elected as a member of the ANC to Parliament in South Africa’s first non-racial, democratic election.

From 1999 to 2004, she served as a Deputy Minister of Defence and Deputy Minister of Health. In 2008, she was elected Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. She later resigned from Parliament and co-founded Embrace Dignity with her husband, Jeremy Routledge. She is a recipient of the Tanenbaum Peacemakers Award and an honorary doctorate from Haverford College, Pennsylvania. She also holds a Bachelor of Social Science honours degree from the University of Cape Town.

Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela

Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, who joined the IJR Board in 2003, is the Research Chair in Studies in Historical Trauma and Transformation at Stellenbosch University. She graduated from Fort Hare University with a bachelor’s degree and an Honours degree in psychology. She obtained her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at Rhodes University. She received her PhD in psychology from the University of Cape Town. Her doctoral thesis, entitled ‘Legacies of violence: an in-depth analysis of two case studies based on interviews with perpetrators of a “necklace” murder and with Eugene de Kock’, offers a perspective that integrates psychoanalytic and social psychological concepts to understand extreme forms of violence committed during the apartheid era.

Her main interests are traumatic memories in the aftermath of political conflict, post-conflict reconciliation, empathy, forgiveness, psychoanalysis and intersubjectivity. She served on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). She currently works at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein as a senior research professor.

Salona Lutchman

Salona Lutchman, who joined the IJR Board in 2019, has been a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Public Law at the University of Cape Town since January 2013. She gained her LLB degree (summa cum laude) from the University of KwaZulu Natal in 2006 before completing her articles of clerkship at Routledge Modise attorneys in Johannesburg.

She moved to Cape Town in 2009 and joined the Department of Private Law. That year, she was awarded a scholarship to pursue her LLM studies at New York University (NYU). On her return to UCT in 2012, she was appointed as a lecturer in the Department of Private law and taught the law of Succession.

She is currently convenor of the postgraduate Human Rights Programme (LLM and MPhil), the LLB elective International Human Rights and the Constitution, and the International Protection of Women’s Human Rights course. She also co-convenes the International Rights of the Child course.