Thandolwenkosi Mthembu -
Mthembu is an Architectural Studies graduate, and in 2017 she completed her Master of Science in Urban Planning for Developing Countries and Transitional Regions. She completed her masters at Oxford Brookes University and her masters research was centred around the analysis of urban dynamics and their effect on informal traders in sub-Saharan African cities. As a specialist in urban strategy for developing countries, she is passionate about solutions for African cities that are inclusive and economically advantageous for the urban poor. Her company, Azaniya Urban Solutions®; is a consultancy firm offering services in architectural design, city planning and development strategy. She is passionate about designing African cities that serve their populations and that can grow to support rapid urban development.
"I want to do more than just design buildings, I want to change people's lives."
Mthembu's training has brought to light to her the social and development issues that her society lives in, and she hopes her innovative but sympathetic design approach, coupled with a strong interest in decreasing the effects of poverty, will fuel her career in the built environment. She is the founder and currently the chairperson of Power Generation, a youth organisation aimed at empowering the disadvantaged through education and skills upliftment.
Thandolwenkosi was featured on the Mail and Guardian as one of the Top 200 Young South Africans in 2017 for her contribution to built environment education and activism. She was a lecturer at the Durban University of Technology in 2016 in the Thandolwenkosi Mthembu Architecture Department and was awarded a bursary by the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research in 2015 to pursue her Postgraduate Diploma in Urban Planning.
Thandolwenkosi has built her academic career and work experience to drive her vision for Azaniya Urban Solutions® to be a pioneer in decolonised city planning and building in Africa as a whole. As a young leader in research and practice in various disciplines in the built environment, she seeks to expand her personal outgrowth and invest in her community through the procurement of her own skills and others in her team.
Her experiences of poverty and being a young, single mother have shaped her.
"I am committed to the transformation of the spaces in which Africans live, and I am a strong advocate for equal opportunities for women in male-dominated fields such as the built environment; and for transformation of all issues around racial equity and the empowerment of women."
Founder, Azaniya Urban Solutions (Pty) Ltd
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Architectural Urban Strategist
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Mail and Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans - http://ysa.mg.co.za/2017/thandolwenkosi-mthembu/
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Chairperson, Power Generation National Youth Development Programme
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MSc (Oxford Brookes University) - Urban Planning for Developing Countries
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Chevening Scholar 2016/2017
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Postgraduate Diploma in Urban Planning (Wits)
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Bachelor of Architecture (UKZN)