Board of Director Biographies

Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge

Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge joined the IJR Board in 2015. She was among the few women at the negotiations for South Africa’s post-apartheid transition as part of the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA). In 1994, she was elected as a member of the ANC to Parliament in South Africa’s first non-racial, democratic election.

From 1999 to 2004, she served as a Deputy Minister of Defence and Deputy Minister of Health. In 2008, she was elected Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. She later resigned from Parliament and co-founded Embrace Dignity with her husband, Jeremy Routledge. She is a recipient of the Tanenbaum Peacemakers Award and an honorary doctorate from Haverford College, Pennsylvania. She also holds a Bachelor of Social Science honours degree from the University of Cape Town.

Adebayo O. Olukoshi

Adebayo O. Olukoshi, an IJR Board member since 2021, holds a Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Leeds and a Bachelor of Science in International Studies from Ahmadu Bello University. During his career, he has held a number of high-impact leadership roles including director at institutions such as the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and the United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP). His dedication to research and academia is evident through his tenure at the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and various fellowships, including those at Oxford University.

Olukoshi’s contributions have earned him numerous awards and honours, reflecting his commitment to social justice and human rights. Currently a Board member of the International Journal of Research, he remains at the forefront of advancing democratic governance and socio-economic development in Africa.

Betty Oyella Bigombe

Betty Oyella Bigombe is an internationally recognised expert in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, with a career marked by notable achievements in mediating armed conflicts and fostering post-conflict reconciliation. An IJR Board member since 2021, her extensive experience spans diverse roles, including serving as the Special Envoy of Uganda to the South Sudan Peace Process, where she plays a pivotal role in peace negotiations and monitoring peace agreements.

Betty has also held key positions in international organisations like the World Bank Group, focusing on reducing poverty in fragile states. Notable for her dedication to capacity-building, she conducts training sessions for African women mediators and young peacebuilders. With a wealth of experience in governmental roles, including Minister of State for Water in Uganda, Betty’s efforts have been recognised with prestigious awards such as the Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur from the French Government. She remains a highly respected figure in promoting peace, reconciliation and human rights across Africa and beyond.

Courtney Dale Sampson

Courtney Dale Sampson, an IJR Board member since 2022, boasts a career spanning academia, religious leadership, and public service. With a profound commitment to social justice, his journey encompasses roles as an Anglican chaplain, university lecturer and member of various church and academic Boards. His extensive international engagements include representing the Anglican Consultative Council and participating in conferences on world religions and black Episcopal clergy.

His publications and presentations reflect his deep insights into theology, politics and human rights, addressing issues such as black nationalism and the role of evangelism. Notably, he served as the Administrative Assistant to the Archbishop of Cape Town and later as Provincial Electoral Officer for the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa.

Currently, Courtney contributes his expertise as the Lead Independent Director and Chairperson of the Social and Ethics Committee at Cricket Boland, and serves as Chairperson of the Board at Hope Africa, the development arm of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.

Fanie du Toit, IJR Interim Executive Director

Dr du Toit brings to the role decades of distinguished experience in transitional justice, reconciliation, and peacebuilding. A former Executive Director of IJR, he led the organisation through a period of significant growth, expanding its reach across Africa and into the Middle East. Internationally recognised for his advisory work with governments, multilateral institutions, including the United Nations and civil society, Dr du Toit has worked in over 45 countries. His expertise spans policy development, community reconciliation processes, and post-conflict recovery, supported by an academic background that includes a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford and an M.Phil. in Justice and Transformation from the University of Cape Town.

Gerhard Kemp

Gerhard Kemp is professor of law at UWE Bristol Law School in the United Kingdom and extraordinary professor of public law at Stellenbosch University. He is admitted as an advocate of the High Court of South Africa and has published widely on international criminal law, comparative criminal law and transitional justice. Gerhard has received several awards and scholarships for his work, including fellowships of the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung, the Robert Bosch Foundation, and the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study. He serves on the IJR’s Board as well as its Executive Committee.

Salona Lutchman

Salona Lutchman, who joined the IJR Board in 2019, has been a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Public Law at the University of Cape Town since January 2013. She gained her LLB degree (summa cum laude) from the University of KwaZulu Natal in 2006 before completing her articles of clerkship at Routledge Modise attorneys in Johannesburg.

She moved to Cape Town in 2009 and joined the Department of Private Law. That year, she was awarded a scholarship to pursue her LLM studies at New York University (NYU). On her return to UCT in 2012, she was appointed as a lecturer in the Department of Private law and taught the law of Succession.

She is currently convenor of the postgraduate Human Rights Programme (LLM and MPhil), the LLB elective International Human Rights and the Constitution, and the International Protection of Women’s Human Rights course. She also co-convenes the International Rights of the Child course.

Gertrude Bibi Annoh-Quarshie

Gertrude is a chartered certified finance professional with over 20 years’ impressive track record in senior leadership roles. A feminist who is very passionate about women’s rights and gender justice. Committed to using my knowledge, skills and experience to advance financial and operational strategies for greater organisational impact and a sustainable world.

Personal Values: integrity, honesty, justice, dignity, respect and courage.

Lloyd Kuveya

Llyod holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa and works as an Assistant Director, Operations at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria. He is a member of several professional bodies, which include the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa, African Union Watch; Coalition for the African Court; Zimbabwe Lawyers or Human Rights, Pan-Africa Lawyers Union. He has occupied leadership positions at middle management and senior management level for 15 years at the Southern Africa Litigation Centre, International Commission of Jurists, Amnesty International, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum and Centre for Human Rights at University of Pretoria

Lawson Naidoo

Lawson Naidoo is the Executive Secretary of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC), an organisation committed to the principles of progressive constitutionalism, democracy and the rule of law. He has held this position since CASAC’s inception in 2010.
He has worked as a strategic political consultant focusing on the spheres of anti-corruption and good governance. He is a regular media commentator on constitutional and legal issues.
Lawson is a Founding Partner at The Paternoster Group – African Political Insight, a consultancy focusing on political economy issues in South Africa.
Lawson served as the Chairperson of the Board of Cricket South Africa from June 2021 to September 2024. He was also a Director of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the global governing body for cricket from 2021-2024.
He is a trustee of the Momentum Medical Scheme, and is the Chairman of its Governance & Remuneration Committee. He also serves on the Board of CaraDem, an Irish-based democracy and governance NGO since September 2025.
During 2007-08 he served as the Deputy Secretary of the Presidential Enquiry into the fitness of the National Director of Public Prosecutions to hold office (the Ginwala Enquiry). He previously held the position of Special Advisor to the Speaker of the National Assembly from 1994 to 1999.
He spent many years in political exile in the UK, and worked at the ANC Mission in London, serving, inter alia, as a Spokesman for the ANC.
He holds an LL.B from the University of Southampton (1984) and an LL.M from the University of Cambridge (1986), and was admitted as a barrister at the Inner Temple.