Dr Marlie Holtzhausen is the Programme Director of Team Development at the Centre for Mediation in Africa at the University of Pretoria. Her research focuses on relational thinking as a core concept of political studies, development, economics, justice, mediation, and peacebuilding. Her postdoctoral research has been shaped by her work in South Africa’s NGO sector, training as a life and organisational coach, as well as through work at a national standard accredited certification body in South Africa. The research is guided by a pragmatic approach that emerged from working within the development sector in search of sustainable research tools, assessments, methodologies, and solutions to people’s real-life problems. She has also been involved in teaching courses in political sciences throughout most of her graduate studies.
Research Profile
Book Chapters
Published 2022: Holtzhausen, M. The Political Economy of Migration in South Africa. In Developmental migration: Policies, problems, and possibilities for South Africa, edited by Paul Kariuki and Jason Musyoka. Johannesburg: UJ Press.
Forthcoming 2023: Holtzhausen, M. Parliament as a Legislative Authority in South Africa: The Constitutional framework for governance and oversight. In The South African Parliament, Politics, and Democratic Governance in the Post-Covid 19 era: Challenges, insights, and possibilities. Johannesburg: UJ Press.
Journal articles
Published 2021: Holtzhausen, M; Musyoka, J. “Re-Legitimising Development: A case for relational approach in development interventions, measuring the relationships of an NGO in South Africa”, published in Southern African Journal of Social Work and Social Development.
Forthcoming 2023: Holtzhausen, M; Wielenga, C. “The need for ‘messy’ development interventions: In support of a relational approach to development with as reference a case study from the South African care industry”, submitted to Politikon: South African Journal of Political Studies.
Forthcoming 2023: Holtzhausen, M; Wielenga, C. “A Relational Approach to Human Development in the Covid-19 Crises: Perspectives from two case studies in South Africa”.
Forthcoming 2023: Holtzhausen, M. “The Re-conceptualisation of Terminology in Development from a Relational Approach: Perspectives from two case studies in South Africa”
Newspaper and other articles
- A Relational Response to the Covid-19 Crisis: Perspectives from Two Case Studies in South Africa by Social Science Research Council – Items. Published 11th August 2022.
- Tokens and smokescreens – Why women don’t need more commemorations on Women’s Day by University of Pretoria. Published 5th August 2022.
- South Africa in crisis: We need gutsy leadership and progressive intervention by business for Daily Maverick. Published 9th March 2021.
- The future should be a relational economy for City Press. Published 10th May 2020.
- Giving Tuesday — the antidote to Black Friday for Daily Maverick. Published 27th November 2018.
- Land needs a relationist approach for News 24. Published 16th March 2018.