Blessings Masuku

Research Interest: Rethinking urban food security through the lens of township economy: the case study of street food vending in Alexandra township, Johannesburg, South AfricaBlessings Masuku holds a MSocSc Development Studies ‘Cum laude’; BCom Hons Development Studies; BSocSc HRM, University of Fort Hare). Blessings is a currently doing his PhD degree in Environmental & Geographical Sciences specializing in informality governance and urban food systems at the University of Cape Town. Blessings’ current study seeks to address urban household food insecurity by enhancing the informal food economy and fully integrate it into the urban food supply chain through inclusive planning and governance practices. The project acknowledges that in most African city economies the informal sector is largely ignored, suppressed and excluded from urban growth and development yet the sector contributes immensely in addressing urban poverty and providing livelihood strategies for many of the urban population groups. Blessings has recently published a journal paper with peer reviewed journal of Journal of Foresight and Thought Leadership (JOFTL) entitled: Questioning governance of urban informality in South African cities. The paper is part of his current PhD project. Blessings’ interests and focus on his academic and research career has been around urban studies mainly on food and energy studies, poverty and inequalities, urban informality governance, social policy, skills development, and youth unemployment, and recently on knowledge production and dissemination on African pedagogy. Blessings has also worked with Prof E.K. Nene as a research assistant at the University of KwaZulu Natal in the School of Bult and Environment.