Qualifications

• Bachelor of Social Sciences: Psychology (University of Pretoria)
• Bachelor of Honours: Criminology (University of Pretoria)
• Bachelor of Arts (Honours): Psychology (University of South Africa)
• Master of Arts: Criminology (University of South Africa)
• Doctor of Literature and Philosophy: Criminology (University of South Africa) 

Currently teaching

• Masters and Doctoral Students Supervisor
• Coordinator: Honours in Criminology Programme
• Primary Lecturer
  • CMY1501: Introduction to Criminology: Crime, Offenders and Criminal Behaviour
• Secondary Lecturer
  • CMY2602: Principles of Crime Prevention, Reduction and Control
  • CMY3702: Crime Typologies
  • CMY3708: Qualitative Research Methodology in Criminology
  • HMCMY80: Applied Research Methodology in Criminology
  • HRCMY81: Research Report in Criminology

Fields of academic interests

• Bank related violent crimes
• Cash-in-transit robberies
• Armed robberies
• Gender-based violence
• Contemporary crime issues
• Decolonial perspectives
• Critical criminology
• Transformative/indigenous research methods 

Field of Specialisation

• Cash-in-transit robberies
• Gender-based violence
• Correctional/prison related research 

Journal articles

• Thobane, M.S. & Herbig, F.J.W. (2014). Getting to them and through them: Practical challenges of conducting research with incarcerated offenders. Acta Criminologica: Southern African Journal of Criminology, 27(1)/2014:16-27.
• Thobane, M.S. (2015). Armed robbers: Creating a perception of invisibility and invincibility through mysticism – Are Sangomas providing protection?  Acta Criminologica:  Southern African Journal of Criminology, 4/2015:151-168.
• Schoeman, M. & Thobane, M.S. (2015). Successes and challenges since the implementation of the Child Justice Act No 75 of 2008: A practitioner’s perspective. Acta Criminologica: Southern African Journal of Criminology, 23(8)/2015:34-49.
• Thobane, M.S & Prinsloo, J.H. (2018). Is crime getting increasingly violent? An assessment of the role of bank associated robbery in South Africa. South African Crime Quarterly, 65: 33-41.
• Thobane, M.S. (2019). The South African Cash-In-Transit heist enterprise: Managing its wellspring and concatenation. International Annals of Criminology, 57(1-2): 198-224.
• Ramokolo, K.P. & Thobane, M.S. (2021). The challenges faced by support services for child trafficking victims during the Covid-19 national disaster in Gauteng, South Africa. (2021). Acta Criminologica: The African Journal of Criminology and Victimology, 34 (3): 45-64.
• Mnguni, N.Z. & Thobane, M.S. (2022). Factors contributing to women being used as drug mules: A phenomenological study of female offenders incarcerated at the Johannesburg and Kgoši Mampuru II Correctional Centres in South Africa. Cogent Social Sciences, 8:1. DOI: 10.1080/23311886.2022.204846.
• Thobane, M.S. & Jansen van Rensburg, S.K. (2022). Transforming methods for research with indigenous communities: An African social sciences perspective (Pp 190-203). In P. Ngulube. Handbook of research on mixed methods research in information science. IGI-Global.
• Munarini, T.P. & Thobane, M.S. (2023). Pseudo families as a way of coping with incarceration by female offenders: An explorative study of Kgoši Mampuru II and Johannesburg female correctional centres in the Gauteng province of South Africa. International Annals of Criminology.  
• Thobane, M. (2023). A deductive reflection on the modus operandi used to commit bank-associated robbery in South Africa. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147- 4478), 12(5), 421–428. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v12i5.2648

Paper presentations

• Thobane, M.S. Addressing Harmful Sociocultural Practices to Reduce Gender-Based Violence: A Case Study of Six South African Communities. Presented at the 23^rd Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology on 9 September 2023
• Thobane, M.S. Until Death Do Us Part: Rurality and Marriage Related Gender Based Violence in South Africa. Presented at the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology (ANZSOC) 2022 Conference on 29 November 2022.
• Thobane, M.S.  The South African Cash-in-Transit heist enterprise:  Managing its wellspring and concatenation. Presented at the International Congress of Criminology on 28 October 2019.
• Thobane, M.S. & Monyepao, D.F. A nation that does not know itself cannot stand up for itself: African conscious criminology. Presented at the International CRIMSA Biennial Conference on 29 August 2019.
• Thobane, M.S. The phenomenon of cash-in-transit heist in an unequal post-democratic South Africa. Presented at the 6th UNISA Annual Spring LAW Conference on 26 September 2018.
• Thobane, M.S. The phenomenon of associated robbery from a victim’s perspective. Presented at the XXXIV. International post graduate course in victimology, victim assistance and criminal justice on 14 May 2018.
• Thobane, M.S. The South African justice system: A friend of patriarchy. Presented at the Dreaming Feminist Conference by the University of Cape Town African Gender Institute Conference on 22 March 2018.
• Thobane M.S. The criminological exploration of associated robberies in Gauteng. Presented at the International CRIMSA Biennial Conference on 3 September 2017.
• Thobane, M.S.  The criminal pathway  of  a Cash-in-Transit  robber.  Presented at the  16th   Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology on 22 September 2016.
• Thobane, M.S. Spare the road and spoil the child: The criminal career of an armed robber. Presented at the ICSCL 2015: XIII International Conference on Sociology, Criminology and Law on 9 January 2015.
• Thobane, M.S.  Armed robbers:  Creating a  perception  of  invisibility  and  invincibility  through mysticism – Are Sangomas providing protection? Presented at CRIMSA Biennial Conference on 21 September 2015. (Paper published in conference special edition)
• Thobane, M.S. That’s where the money is: The motivation of an armed robber. Presented at the ISS 5th   International Conference:  National  and  International  Perspectives  on  Crime  Reduction  and Criminal Justice on 15 August 2014.
• Thobane, M.S. & Herbig, F.J.W. A reflection on methodological challenges of conducting research with  incarcerated  offenders.  Presented  to  Masters  and  Doctorate  students  at  the  UNISA  CLAW Student Indaba on 30 August 2013. (Paper published in ACTA Criminologica: Southern African Journal of Criminology)
• Schoeman, M. & Thobane, M.S. Successes and challenges since the implementation of the Child Justice Act No 75 of 2008: A practitioner’s perspective. Presented at CRIMSA Biennial Conference on 17 September 2013. (Paper published in conference special edition).
• Thobane, M.S. & Schoeman, M. Penetrating penitentiary walls: Methodological complexities of conducting research with incarcerated offenders. Presented at CRIMSA Biennial Conference on 19 September 2013. (Title re-vamped and paper published. Refer to article 1 under articles published in peer-reviewed articles).
• Thobane,  M.S.  That’s  where the  money is:  The  criminal  career  of  offenders committing acts  of violence against the SA banking industry (work in progress). Presented at the First College of Law MIT International Conference on 14 August 2012.

Professional positions, fellowships & awards

• President of The Criminological Society of Africa (CRIMSA) (2021-2023)
• UNISA Vision Keepers Research Grant Awardee (2018-2023)
• Working Group Member: The National Strategic Plan (NSP) on Gender-based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) End GBV Collective: Pillar 6 (Research and Information Systems) (2022-current)
• Transformation Chairperson of CRIMSA (2018-2021)
• Vice-President of CRIMSA (2018-2020)
• Runner-up: HSRC and USAf 2020 Medal in Social Sciences and Humanities: Emerging Researcher
• Talent Management Candidate (2019 Cohort)
• International Society of Criminology Young Criminologist Paper Award (2019)
• 2018 UNISA Woman of the Year ‘Enhancing Other’s Health and Wellbeing’
• Young Academics (2017 Cohort)
• Secretary of CRIMSA (2015 -2017)
• Deputy Chairperson of Absa Group Risk Transformation Forum (2010-2011)

Projects

• USAID Local governance to improve gender-based violence response (2019 – 2023)
• Gender-based violence (GBV) in the workplace (2021-2023)
• USAID Local governance to improve gender-based violence response (2019 – 2022)
• Member of UNISA Inside-Out Community Engagement Project (2018-current)
• Project Leader of UNISA Learner Research Summit Community Engagement Project (2017-current)
• Co-Project Leader of UNISA Substance Abuse in Hoedspruit Community Engagement Project (2016-current)
• Member of UNISA Restorative Justice Community Engagement Community Engagement (2013 – 2016)
• Member of UNISA College of Law Flagship: Child Justice (2013 – 2016)

Other

Research Reports

• Thobane, M. Artz, L., Ngubane, M., Maksudi, K. & Haji, M. (2020). Collaboration in gender-based violence response, access to justice and prevention. Cape Town, South Africa: Gender, Health, and Justice Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
• Rehse, K., Thobane, M., Gihwala, H., Artz, L., Waldaman, N., Solomons, N., Maksudi, K., Karimakwenda, N. & Ngubane, M. (2021). Protection orders must protect: Exploring the implementation of Domestic Violence Act (116 of 1998) at local magistrates’ courts and police stations in Cape Town and the Cape Winelands. MOSAI Training, Service and Healing Centre for Women, Cape Town.

• Thobane, M., Jansen van Rensburg, S., Kader, S., Aphane, M. & Mpuru, L. (2022). An exploration of the challenges faced by learners with disabilities: A case study of a Secondary School for Learners with Special Educational Needs (LSEN). Pretoria, South Africa: University of South Africa.

• Thobane, M., Barkhuizen, M., Mnguni, N., Chokoe, L. & Mokgoko, K. (2023). Workplace gender-based violence: A case study of an institution of higher learning. Pretoria, South Africa: University of South Africa.
• Thobane, M., Artz, L. & Ngubane, M. (2023). Educators’ perceptions of school-related gender-based violence: A case study of four schools in Mbombela and Emalahleni. Gender, Health, and Justice Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
• Thobane, M., Artz, L. & Ngubane, M. (2023). Educators’ perceptions of school-related gender-based violence: A case study of four schools in KwaZulu-Natal, EThekwini. Cape Town, South Africa: Gender, Health, and Justice Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
• Thobane, M., Artz, L. & Ngubane, M. (2023). Educators’ perceptions of school-related gender-based violence: A case study of four schools in Gauteng, Johannesburg. Cape Town, South Africa: Gender, Health, and Justice Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
• Gihwala, H., Solomons, N., Artz, L. & Thobane, M. (2023). A systematic content analysis of rape sentencing judgement in three provinces: 2016 – 2022. Cape Town South Africa: Gender, Health, and Justice Research Unit, University of Cape Town.