University of South Africa | South Africa
Dr. Mandla Freddy Bhuda is an emerging leader in environmental and public health research, with a strong focus on air pollution exposure and its impacts on vulnerable populations in South Africa. His work is rooted in rigorous scientific inquiry, informed by extensive professional experience as an environmental health practitioner, occupational hygienist and municipal health services manager. Dr. Bhuda’s research provides critical evidence on the burden of indoor and outdoor air pollution in low-income communities, particularly its effects on preschool children. His peer-reviewed publications explore the relationships between pollution sources, particulate matter (PM2.5) composition, household fuel use, and adverse health outcomes such as asthma and atopic eczema. By combining epidemiological approaches with environmental monitoring, chemical analysis and atmospheric modelling, he has advanced understanding of pollution source attribution and health risk quantification in under-researched South African townships. His recent studies in Mabopane and Soshanguve offer novel insights into trace-element analysis and the geographic origins of polluted air masses findings with significant implications for local policy and targeted interventions. Dr. Bhuda has secured competitive funding from the National Research Foundation, Ninety-One Projects and the University of Pretoria for studies on air quality and child health, demonstrating research leadership and sustained academic impact. His work not only enriches scientific literature but also supports evidence-based public health planning, environmental governance and community protection initiatives. Through his contributions as a Senior Lecturer in Public Health, he continues to mentor emerging scholars while producing research that enhances understanding of environmental health risks and advances strategies to reduce pollution-related disease burdens in South Africa.
Featured Publications
Bhuda, M., Wichmann, J., & Shirinde, J. (2024). Association between outdoor and indoor air pollution sources and atopic eczema among preschool children in South Africa. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(3).
Bhuda, M., Wichmann, J., & Shirinde, J. (2024). Household fuel use and severe asthma symptoms among preschool children in Gauteng province, South Africa: A cross-sectional study. BMJ Public Health, 2(2), e000938.
Bhuda, M., Molnár, P., Boman, J., Shirinde, J., & Wichmann, J. (2025). Health risks of atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and its trace elements in Mabopane, South Africa. Environmental Quality Management, 35(2), e70189.
Bhuda, M., Molnár, P., Boman, J., Shirinde, J., & Wichmann, J. (2025). PM2.5 chemical composition and geographic origin of air masses in Mabopane, South Africa. X-Ray Spectrometry.