Dr. Kundani Makakavhule


Mrs. Kundani

Visiting Fellow: January – June, 2026

Dr. Kundani Makakavhule is a registered Town Planner and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Town and Regional Planning at the University of Pretoria, and a Core South African Lead Partner for the DAAD-funded Global Centre of Spatial Methods for Urban Sustainability (SMUS). She holds a PhD in Town and Regional Planning from the University of Pretoria and is currently completing a Master’s degree in International Human Rights Law at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria. 

Research Areas

  • Public space management and design
  • Urban Planning
  • Planning Law
  • Institutional Capacity
  • Human Rights
  • Waste management 

Recent Publications

  1. Sekonyela, L., and Makakavhule, K., 2026. Exploring waste management from the perspective of waste pickers: Roles, opportunities and challenges in the City of Tshwane, South Africa. Urban Studies, forthcoming. 

  2. Mady, C., Khan, S., Ortiz, C., Stephan, J., Makakavhule, K., Kamal, O., and Meza, M. (eds.) 2025. Southern Urbanism as a Negotiation of Past, Present, and Future. International Planning Studies, Special Issue.  

  3. Makakavhule, K., (2022) What can a Game of Football in a Public Open Space tell us about our Socio-Economic and Political Condition? A Case of the City of Tshwane, South Africa, Built Environment, 48(2), pp. 155–168. DOI: 10.2148/benv.48.2.155. ISSN: 0266-5433. 

  4. Landman, K., and Makakavhule, K., (2021) Decolonizing Public Space in South Africa: from conceptualization to actualization, Journal of Urban Design, 26(5), pp. 541–555. DOI: 10.1080/13574809.2021.1880885. ISSN: 1357-4809. 

  5. Makakavhule, K., and Landman, K., (2020) Towards deliberative democracy through the democratic governance and design of public spaces in the South African capital city, Tshwane, URBAN DESIGN International, 25(3), pp. 280–292. DOI: 10.1057/s41289-020-00123-4. ISSN: 1357-5317. 

Recent Research Projects

  1. Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) Implementation. The development of a Framework For Intergovernmental Support And Coordination Against Chapter 3 Of The SPLUMA (2024 -2026)
  2. Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) which translates to the German Academic Exchange Service. Global Center of Spatial Methods for Urban Sustainability (SMUS). South African Core Lead Partner (2025-2030)
  3. Regenerative Public Space – South African National Research Foundation Funded Project (2021–2024) 

Achievements/ Honours

  1. Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) Implementation. The development of a Framework For Intergovernmental Support And Coordination Against Chapter 3 Of The SPLUMA (2024 -2026)
  2. Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) which translates to the German Academic Exchange Service. Global Center of Spatial Methods for Urban Sustainability (SMUS). South African Core Lead Partner (2025-2030)
  3. Regenerative Public Space – South African National Research Foundation Funded Project (2021–2024)