Mahlogonolo Thobane – Mu Duka Founder

Dr. Mahlogonolo Thobane is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Criminology and Security Science at the University of South Africa (UNISA). Dr. Thobane joined the then Department of Security Risk Management in the College of Law, UNISA, in 2007, as a Post Graduate Research Assistant (PGRA). She, however, left UNISA in 2008 for Absa Bank, Group Risk/Group Financial Crime Management/Group Security, where she worked as a risk analyst. As a risk analyst she focused on violent crimes against the banking industry such at bank robberies, Cash-in-Transit (CIT) robberies, burglaries, ATM bombings and associated or bank-following robberies. During her tenure at Absa, she served as the secretary of the Group Risk Transformation Committee from 2009 until she left the organisation in September 2011.

After four years of working for Absa, Dr. Thobane returned to UNISA in 2012 where she is currently permanently employed. Dr. Thobane holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences: Psychology degree from the University of Pretoria (UP); BA (Honours) degrees in Criminology and Psychology from UP and UNISA respectively. She also holds a Master’s degree in Criminology. She obtained her Doctor of Literature and Philosophy (DLittet Phil) degree in Criminology in May 2017. She is the (2018-2020) Vice-President of the Criminological Society of Africa (CRIMSA), the only society for Criminologists and Criminal Justice professionals in South Africa; and other African countries. She was the quarterly newsletter editor for CRIMSA from 2014 – 2018. In 2019, Dr. Thobane was one of the 10 young international Criminologists who won a research paper award (based on her research on CIT robberies) at the International Congress of Criminology. As a Criminologist, she conducts research on various crime related problems. Her research and personal interests are bank related robberies as well as gender based violence. It is for the latter reason that she founded Mu Duka in February 2018.