Philile Mbatha

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Philile MbathaPhilile Mbatha is an Assistant Lecturer and PhD Candidate within the Environmental and Geographical Science Department at the University of Cape Town. My research interests lie mostly within marine and coastal governance research in the Western Indian Ocean region of southern Africa, with a specific focus on rural contexts along the coast. I also have vast experience in the research field working with rural/economically poor and marginalized communities, as I am interested in conducting research that can contribute to rural development by linking policy-making platforms and institutional arrangements that manage coastal resources to the people on the ground and their livelihood realities. I am also passionate about conducting research on topics that involve fisheries, mining, tourism, as well as broader conservation of coastal resources; exploring different issues including livelihoods, legal pluralism, access, politics, power dynamics, distribution of benefits from resources and plural governance.

Key Publications

  • Mbatha, P. and Wynberg, R. 2014. Mining and the myth of benefits in South African rural coastal communities. In Sharing Benefits from the Coast: Rights, Resources and Livelihoods. Hauck, M. and Wynberg, R., Eds. Cape Town: University of Cape Town Press: 67-94.
  • Hauck, M., Mbatha, P. and Wynberg, R. 2014. Coastal communities and livelihoods in South Africa and Mozambique. In Sharing Benefits from the Coast: Rights, Resources and Livelihoods. Hauck, M. and Wynberg, R., Eds. Cape Town: University of Cape Town Press: 17-36.
  • Hauck, M., Mbatha, P. and Raemaekers, S. 2014. Enhancing benefits to small-scale fishers along the east coast of South Africa. In Sharing Benefits from the Coast: Rights, Resources and Livelihoods. Hauck, M. and Wynberg, R., Eds. Cape Town: University of Cape Town Press: 37-66.
  • Mbatha, P. 2013. Shifting Livelihoods: Women in fisheries in South Africa and Mozambique. Yemaya-ICSF, No. 43, July 2013: 2-3.