Ziyanda is a Policy Manager at J-PAL Africa. Before joining J-PAL, Ziyanda has worked as a Policy Researcher in the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, as a Program and Campaign Manager for Digify Africa, and as a Senior Program Assistant at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) headquarters in New York City.
Ziyanda holds a BA (Honours) in Political Science from Stellenbosch University, an MA in Conflict, Security and Development Studies from the University of Sussex and an MA in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University. She is also an alumna of the Chevening and Fulbright scholarship programs.