Zohra Dawood

Zohra Dawood was appointed executive director of the Open Society Foundation for South Africa "in 2001 and is responsible for developing policies and programmes, as well as fostering local and international partnerships. She joined the Open Society Institute in 1999 and has been actively involved in the promotion of human rights and international justice, as well as social, economic and legal reform. In 2006, she was appointed country director to head up the institute’s democratic efforts in Indonesia. Dawood served as deputy director for restitution policy and implementation in the department of land affairs and agriculture. She was involved in drafting land legislation for the post-apartheid government and served as an advisor to cabinet members under Nelson Mandela’s presidency. Prior to this, Dawood worked for a decade as chief researcher at the land rights organisation, the Surplus People Project, and advocated for agrarian reform and restitution. She holds degrees in law and African government and administration, as well as a master’s degree in economic history."