Sethembiso Mthembu

Sethembiso Mthembu is a radical and post-colonial feminist, an advocate for strategic interests of women living with and a researcher. Mthembu has worked in the field of HIV and feminism at national and international level for more than twenty years. Her research interests are the political economy of women’s health, motherhood and reproduction in Post-colonial societies. Mthembu pioneered and led research, advocacy and litigation strategies on forced sterilisation of HIV positive women in South Africa and Namibia. She has published widely on the subject of the politics of the womb, racialised and gendered exclusions in HIV policy, and violence against women living with HIV. Mthembu served as guest editor of Agenda Feminists Journal entitled ‘The Politics of Women's Health in South Africa’. In 2017 Mthembu was recommended by the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa to the President of the Republic of South Africa to serve as Commissioner in the Commission for Gender Equality. Mthembu currently holds a position of Deputy Director for research and policy analysis in the Ministry in the Presidency Responsible for women, youth and persons with disabilities.