Bio

Izu Daniel Lifuka Sichinga is an LGBTQI+ hate crimes researcher, policing scholar, and criminologist from Chingola, Zambia. His work at the Centre of Criminology, Public Law Department, University of Cape Town, focuses on queering and decolonising criminology/policing in Africa. His recent research explores the experiences, perceptions, and challenges faced by frontline police officers dealing with LGBTQI+ hate crimes in Cape Town. This work has earned him the best PhD presenter award at the 2024 International Network for Hate Studies Biennial Conference. It is set for publication in The Palgrave Handbook of Criminology and the Global South, scheduled for later in 2025.

Izu is a PhD candidate in Criminology investigating how LGBTQI+ police officers navigate their identities within the South African Police Service. Passionate about higher education, Izu aims to train Africa’s next generation of critical social scientists. He firmly believes that Africa’s grand challenges—ranging from crime and security to health, education, politics, economics, and the environment—require interdisciplinary and critical social scientists who can communicate in multiple domain languages.