Sethulego Matebesi is an Associate Professor and Academic Head of Department of Sociology at the University of the Free State (UFS), South Africa. He holds a Ph.D. (Sociology); MA (Sociology); BA Hons Sociology (cum laude); and BA from UFS. Before joining the Department of Sociology in 2004, he was a Researcher at the Centre for Health Systems Research at UFS and an Andrew Mellon Foundation Fellow. Sethulego has an extended research track record in large and long term research and development projects for national and provincial governments, and local municipalities. He currently teaches on Social Movements and Collective Behaviour and Social Research at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Sethulego Matebesi is an Associate Professor and Academic Head of the Department of Sociology at the University of the Free State. His research interests lie in social movements, ranging from community protests at the municipal level to community mobilisation against mining in South Africa. This scholarly work is underpinned by the theory of trust and participatory governance models. His recent publications include Civil strife against local governance: Dynamics of community protests in South Africa (Barbara Budrich, 2017) and Social licensing and mining in South Africa (Routledge,  2020). He also acts as an anchor analyst for the South African Broadcasting Corporation during elections. In addition, Sethulego regularly writes opinion pieces and provides commentary on current affairs on various media platforms.

Books

2020:   Matebesi SZ. 2020. Social licensing and mining in South Africa. New York: Routledge.

2017    Matebesi SZ. 2017. Civil strife against local governance. Dynamics of community protests in contemporary South Africa.  Berlin & Toronto: Barbara Budrich Publishers.

Book chapters

2021:   Matebesi SZ.  2021.Mining, environmental and human security challenges in South Africa. In Swain A, Öjendal J & Jägerskog A (eds.). Handbook of Security and the Environment. London: Edward Elgar, Chapter 8, pp. 103-114.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781789900668.00016

Matebesi SZ. 2021. Yearning for basic municipal services: the trajectories of community protests in the Eastern Cape. In: Makiwane M, Gumede NA & Zembe-Mkabile, W (Eds.). Reflections from the margins: Complexities, transitions and development challenges: The case of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Stellenbosch: Sun Media, Chapter 5, pp. 99-117. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52779/9781991201133/05

Matebesi SZ. 2021. Transitional justice in South Africa. In Peters S, Molope M & Louis T (Eds.). Dealing with the past. Transregional perspectives and experiences from Africa, Latin America and Europe. Baden-Baden, Germany: NOMOS Verlagsgesellschaft. Chapter 3, pp. 45-60. Available at https://www.nomos-elibrary.de/10.5771/9783748923527.pdf#page=44

Van der Watt P & Matebesi SZ. ‘The mines must fix the potholes’: A desperate community. In: Burger P, Campbell M, Denoon-Stevens S, Marais L & Van Rooyen D (Eds.). Coal, energy and development in South Africa: Reflections from Emalahleni. Edinburgh University Press, Chapter 15, pp. 205-217 (forthcoming, in press).

2019    Matebesi SZ. 2019. Insurgent citizenship and sustained resistance of a local taxi association. In: Coetzee JK, Rau A & Wojciechowska M (Eds.). Narrating the everyday: Windows on life in central South Africa. Bloemfontein: Sun Media, Chapter 20, pp. 420-442.

Sello JS, Coetzee JK, Elliker F, Groenewald C & Matebesi SZ. 2019. Online social networking, interactions and relations. In: Coetzee JK, Rau A & Wojciechowska M (Eds.). Narrating the everyday: Windows on life in central South Africa. Bloemfontein: Sun Media, Chapter 10, pp. 195-220.

2016    Atkinson D, Schenk R, Matebesi SZ, Badenhorst K, Umejesi I & Pretorius L. 2016. Impacts on Social Fabric. In: Scholes R, Lochner P, Schreiner G, Snyman-Van der Walt L & De Jager M (Eds.). 2016. Shale gas development in the Central Karoo: A scientific assessment of the opportunities and risks. Pretoria: CSIR. Available at http://seasgd.csir.co.za/scientific-assessment-chapters/.

Articles in scientific journals (accredited)

2018    Matebesi SZ & Marais L. 2018. Social licensing and mining in South Africa: Reflections from community protests at a mining site. Resources Policy, 59(Dec 2018):371-378. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2018.08.009

Matebesi SZ.2018. “A hungry stomach knows no allegiance”: Transactional activism in community protests in Ficksburg. Journal of Contemporary History, 43(1):242-261. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18820/24150509/JCH43.v1.12

Matebesi SZ. 2018. Insurgent citizenship and sustained resistance of a local taxi association. Qualitative Sociology Review, XVI(4):168-185. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18778/ 1733-8077.14.4.11

Sele, J.S., Coetzee, J.K., Elliker, F., Groenewald, C & Matebesi, S.Z. 2018. Online social networking, interactions and relations: Students at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein. Qualitative Sociology Review, XIV(4):100-120. DOI: http://dx.doi.org /10.18778/1733-8077.14.4.07

2017    Matebesi SZ & Botes L. 2017. Party identification and service delivery protests in the Eastern Cape and Northern Cape, South Africa. African Sociological Review, 21(2):81-99. Available at: https://www.ajol.info/index.php/asr/article/view/167162

2014    Rau A; Radloff S; Coetzee J; Nardi C; Smit R & Matebesi SZ. 2014. Students perceiving risk: a quantitative assessment of three South African universities. African Sociological Review, 18(1):65-90. Available at: https://www.ajol.info/index.php/asr/ article/download/113675/103395.

2013    Marais L & Matebesi SZ. Evidence-based policy development in South Africa: the case of provincial growth and development strategies. Urban Forum, 24 (3): 357-371. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-012-9179-4.

2011    Matebesi SZ & Botes LB. 2011. Khutsong cross-boundary protests: the triumph and failure of participatory governance? Politeia, 30 (1): 4-21. Persistent link: http://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC88266.

2010    Marais L, Cloete J, Matebesi SZ, Sigenu K & Grieshaber D.  2010. Low-income housing policy in practice in arid and semi-arid South Africa. Journal of Arid Areas, 74(10): 1340-1344. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2010.03.010

2008    Marais L, Matebesi SZ, Mthombeni M, Botes L & Grieshaber D. 2008. Municipal unrest in the Free State (South Africa): a new form of social movement? Politeia, 27(2): 51-69. Persistent link: http://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC88211.

2005    Matebesi SZ, Meulemans H &Timmerman, C. 2005. Healthcare-seeking behaviour among clinic-based tuberculosis patients. Acta Academica Supplementum 1, 154-172. Available at: http://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/aa/article/view/1047/1036.

Meulemans H, Van Ouytsel J, Rigouts L, Mortelmans D, Heunis C, Matebesi SZ, & Van Rensburg H. 2005. Social capital and community TB care in the Free State, South Africa. Acta Academica Supplementum 1, 128-153. Available at: http://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/aa/article/download/1046/1035/.

Van der Spoel-van Dijk A, Mokhethi Z, Khumalo M, Shamputa C, Matebesi S, Van Rensburg H, Portaels F & Rigouts L.  DNA fingerprinting analyses of M Tuberculosis: complex isolates from the Free State, South Africa, as part of a multidisciplinary study. Acta Academica Supplementum 1, 82-109. Available at: http://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/aa/article/view/1044/1033.

2004    Van Rensburg HCJ, Meulemans H, Rigouts L, Heunis JC, Janse van Rensburg E, Matebesi Z, Van der Spoel A, Timmerman C, De Graeve D, Pauwels L, Portaels F, Gryseels B & Van Houte J. Social research as an intervention tool in tuberculosis control. International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 8(9):1127-1129. Available at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2004/00000008/00000009/art00014#.

Matebesi SZ & Booysen F. Treatment adherence among tuberculosis patients. Acta Academica, 36(3):140-171. Available at http://hdl.handle.net/11660/6755.

1999    Janse van Rensburg E, Steyn F. Matebesi Z. 1999. Perspectives of health workers regarding primary health care delivery to the rural population in the Bothaville district. Curationis, 22(4): 49-53. https://www.curationis.org.za/index.php/ curationis/ article/viewFile/758/695.

1998    Ackerman L & Matebesi SZ. 1998. Experiences of co-resident carers of elderly persons in Mangaung (Bloemfontein). Southern African Journal of Gerontology, 7(1): 21-25. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21504/sajg.v7i1.127.

 Matebesi SZ. 2020. Social licensing and mining in South Africa. New York: Routledge

Matebesi SZ. 2017. Civil strife against local governance. Dynamics of community protests in contemporary South Africa.  Berlin & Toronto: Barbara Budrich Publishers.

Matebesi SZ.  2021.Mining, environmental and human security challenges in South Africa. In Swain A, Öjendal J & Jägerskog A (eds.). Handbook of Security and the Environment. London: Edward Elgar, Chapter 8, pp. 103-114.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781789900668.00016

Matebesi SZ. 2021. Yearning for basic municipal services: the trajectories of community protests in the Eastern Cape. In: Makiwane M, Gumede NA & Zembe-Mkabile, W (Eds.). Reflections from the margins: Complexities, transitions and development challenges: The case of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Stellenbosch: Sun Media, Chapter 5, pp. 99-117. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52779/9781991201133/05

Matebesi SZ. 2021. Transitional justice in South Africa. In Peters S, Molope M & Louis T (Eds.). Dealing with the past. Transregional perspectives and experiences from Africa, Latin America and Europe. Baden-Baden, Germany: NOMOS Verlagsgesellschaft. Chapter 3, pp. 45-60. Available at https://www.nomos-elibrary.de/10.5771/9783748923527.pdf#page=44

SOCR3728 - Social Research & Practice (Third-year module)

SOCS6808 - Sociology of Social Movements and Collective Behaviour (Honours)

2016 - current:Board member of the Karoo Development Trust

2020-current: Secretary: Mafoxters Care Community Organisation