Modiegi Mafalo is a master’s student in Public Sociology and Anthropology at Stellenbosch University, focusing on governance. Her research critically examines perceptions of police and policing in post-apartheid South African townships like Sharpeville and Alexandra, exploring the roles of social and historical factors such as intergenerational trauma in shaping public attitudes toward law enforcement. As a research fellow at AVReQ, Modiegi engages in critical social inquiry through qualitative methods, contributing to research that challenges state-centered narratives and explores pathways for rebuilding trust between police and communities. Informed by decolonial and trauma theory, she contributes to broader discussions on justice, security, and state-society relations in South Africa.

Current Research Project

Sharpeville and Alexandra, two historically significant townships in South Africa, serve as key sites for understanding contemporary perceptions of police and policing in a post-apartheid context. Sharpeville, remembered for the 1960 massacre, and Alexandra, a space of both resistance and systemic neglect, embody the enduring legacies of apartheid-era policing. This study explores how these historical legacies continue to shape public attitudes toward law enforcement. By centering community narratives, this research challenges dominant, state-centered accounts of policing and contributes to decolonial scholarship. Using a qualitative, multi-method approach, it seeks to uncover how institutional trust is shaped by past and present policing practices, and how community-driven initiatives may offer pathways for reconciliation. Ultimately, this study aims to highlight the persistence of colonial and apartheid policing structures and contribute to discussions on governance, security, and social justice in South Africa.

Supervisors: Dr Mosa Phadi & Dr Akuch Kuol Anyieth

Email: 27671062@sun.ac.za