Bio
Martin Magidi is an interdisciplinary critical development researcher currently serving as the African Centre for Cities Research Officer for the Infrahub.africa project at UCT.
He holds a PhD in Urban Development from the School of Built Environment and Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. His research interests centre on informal urbanism, exploring themes such as informal businesses, economic activities, informal employment and livelihoods, as well as informal and township housing. Additionally, he investigates urban governance issues related to these themes and their impact on the growth and development of African cities. Prior to his role on the InfraHub project, Martin worked as a postdoctoral researcher and then as a research officer for the African Mayoral Leadership Initiative (AMALI).
He joined ACC in 2019 as a postdoctoral researcher on the Pan-African Research College on Sustainable Cities project, a collaboration that includes five universities from South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana. Before his time at ACC, he gained valuable experience in academic research, public health initiatives, poverty reduction research, and post-conflict environmental rehabilitation projects.
Publications
Journal Articles
- Magidi, M. (2022). Small towns as research sites: The impacts of deindustrialization on livelihoods in Norton, Zimbabwean. South African Geographical Journal, https://doi.org/10.1080/03736245.2022.2049633
- Magidi, M. and Hlungwani, P. (2022). Development or destruction? Impacts of mining on rural livelihoods and the environment at Connemara Mine, Zimbabwe. South African Geographical Journal, https://doi.org/10.1080/03736245.2022.2032294
- Magidi, M. (2021). The role of the informal economy in promoting urban sustainability: Evidence from a small Zimbabwean town. Development Southern Africa, https://doi.org/10.1080/0376835X.2021.1925088
- Magidi, M. and Mahiya I.T. (2021). Rethinking training: the role of the informal sector in skills acquisition and development in Zimbabwe, Development Southern Africa, 38:4, 509-523, https://doi.org/10.1080/0376835X.2020.1799759
- Hlungwani, P., Masuku, P. and Magidi, M. (2021). Mainstreaming youth policy in Zimbabwe: what role for rural youth?, Cogent Social Sciences, 7:1, https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2021.1893907
- Magidi, M. (accepted). More than just petty trading: How Zimbabwe’s informal economy transformed itself into a vibrant sector. Africanus: Journal of Development Studies.
Conference Presentations, Working Papers and Reports
- Magidi, M. and Jimu, T (2022). Urban livelihoods beyond industrial ruins: The birth of a night-time informal economy in Norton, Zimbabwe. Third International Conference on Night Studies, Lisbon, Portugal, 4-7 October 2022. https://repositorio.iscte-iul.pt/handle/10071/26179
- Magidi, M. (2022) Why Dunoon transformed from a planned into an auto-constructed informal township. Townships Studies Hybrid Conference, Johannesburg, South Africa, 10-11 Nov 2022.
- Magidi, M. (2022). Zimbabwe’s informal sector plays a key role in skills development but gets no recognition, The Conversation, 12 Sep 2022 https://theconversation.com/zimbabwes-informal-sector-plays-a-key-role-in-skills-development-but-gets-no-recognition-189178
- Magidi, M. (2021). How the informal economy solves some urban challenges in a Zimbabwean town, The Conversation, 28 0ct 2021 https://theconversation.com/how-the-informal-economy- solves-some-urban-challenges-in-a-zimbabwean-town-169951
- Hlungwani, P.M., Masuku, S. and Magidi, M. (2019). Mainstreaming of policies and institutions towards engendering a pro-youth, consensual and progressive empowerment policy in rural Zimbabwe. UCT Centre for Social Science Research Working Paper Number 443, http://www.cssr.uct.ac.za/cssr/pub/wp/443
