Expert Profile: Vayda Megannon

Vayda Megannon is the Quote This Woman+ Voices of the Year winner in the Politics & Law category for the year 2022. Vayda is a PhD candidate (focusing on social protection) and advocate who works tirelessly – and with huge impact –  in the area of social welfare in South Africa. Her papers and research on democracy, governance and public policy in the Global South have been delivered and published at a variety of conferences, journals and symposiums; and she is a Women in STEM mentor for the Schmidt Foundation’s RISE program. 

Her work has been a model for career trajectory guidance for young women wanting to work in data policy and social justice; and her human-centered, constitutionally-led approach to realising holistic transformation in public policy – especially with regards to the Social Relief of Distress Grant in SA – is groundbreaking. 

She has ensured that those most affected by policy and social injustices are the ones who are consulted when determining solutions to remedy their situation, and her determination to improve the lives of every South African is evidenced by the sheer volume of data and research she generates, documenting their stories – and how they can be better served by their government. 

Education: Megannon is a PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Cape Town (UCT).

Vayda’s quote on why we should nominate more women+ experts for the award:

“Promoting the voices of women+ ensures fair and equal representation in all sectors of society. The Voices of the Year awards not only contributes to this, but also ensures that there is visible representation of women+ in the media who are providing accurate and reliable information on topics which impact all people in South Africa.”

Contact jordan@quotethiswoman.org.za to Interview Vayda For Your Next Story.