Zimingonaphakade is a development sociologist and early-career researcher and evaluator specializing in youth development and education in Africa. She holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies (with distinction) and an Honours in Sociology from the University of Cape Town. She is skilled in research design, evaluation, and project coordination with particular expertise in youth livelihoods and education pathways. Her work emphasizes decolonial and inclusive approaches and methodologies in research and evaluation.
Zimingonaphakade specializes in qualitative methods research and evaluation of youth-focused development projects, having worked on multi-stakeholder research and evaluations projects. Her career has focused on understanding and improving education and pathways to dignified work for young people. She has extensive fieldwork experience, having conducted research and evaluations in both urban and rural contexts. She brings experience in participatory approaches to evaluation, aligned with Made in Africa evaluation principles.
Some of the relevant projects which Zimingonaphakade has worked on in recent years include:
- Project Manager for Future Fit Young Africa (FFYA) investigating youth skills requirements across five African countries and coordinating a community of practice around youth futures in Africa (2024-2025)
- Senior Researcher on The Imprint of Education longitudinal study mapping pathways of Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program alumni across Africa (2022-2025)
- Country Lead for the Evaluation of the Baobab Platform for Mastercard Foundation and Arizona State University in South Africa (2023-2024)
- Field researcher for various education and youth development evaluations including the Capitec Maths Tutoring Programme, the Funda Udlale Nathi (F.U.N) project in KwaZulu-Natal, and DVV International’s Adult Education Project in South Africa (2019-2024)