Michael joined the Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI) in 2017 as Project Coordinator of the Digital Rights Advocates Project. He previously worked at the Open Society Foundation for South Africa as Programme Officer in the Information, Expression, and Accountability Programme. Before that he was a researcher at an NGO working at the intersection of police reform, community safety and sanitation. Michael holds an MSc in Media & Communications Governance from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a B.A. (Hons) in Transitional Justice from the University of Cape Town and B.A. in History and Political Science from the same institution.