About the CMA
The CMA’s vision is to create safe spaces for dialogue. The Centre aims to embrace a responsive, transformative, and inclusive understanding of mediation that adequately responds to conflict in all its complexity, builds constructive relationships, and leads to a sustainable peace that is owned and lived by all members of society.
The CMA’s vision is pursued through rigorous, high-impact research, publications, postgraduate teaching and supervision, mediation training, mediation curriculum development, mediation practice development, and policy and science engagement.


Founded in 2012 by Professor Laurie Nathan, the CMA is located in the Political Sciences Department of the University of Pretoria. The Centre is currently being led by Professor Cori Wielenga, and has evolved into a dynamic community with teams working on a variety of research projects. The CMA also has, and continues to build, partnerships across academic, civil society and political spaces locally and internationally, making it a strategic Centre of influence, and offering researchers, students and other associates a highly impactful learning experience.
The Team
Researchers
Research Associates
Advisory Board
Prof Susanne Buckley-Zistel
Executive Director – Center for Conflict Studies, Philipps-Universität Marburg