WATHINT’ abafazi, wathint’ imbokodo – you strike woman, you strike a rock. This Women’s Day, Higher Education Resources Services South Africa (HERS-SA) recognises and celebrate women leaders in higher education.
HERS-SA is a self-sustaining non-profit organisation (NPO) dedicated to women’s advancement and leadership development in the higher education sector.
In 2022, the organisation was awarded a top gender-empowered company award. It also does advocacy, research and strategic collaborations to advance its vision.
It will host the second Higher Education Women Leaders (Hewl) Awards at the Two Oceans Aquarium at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on August 29.
“We are very proud of the women that have made it to the 2024 nominees’ list and wish them all the best in the upcoming 2024 Hewl Awards,” said Brightness Mangolothi, director at HERS-SA.
Mangolothi said the organisation would also like to invite companies who are interested in becoming their sponsorship partners in both the academy and the 2024 awards.
“Women’s Month is an opportune time to celebrate women whose leadership and influence have positively impacted universities and the greater community,” Mangolothi said.
As the country celebrates Women’s Month, the organisation said this awards ceremony seeks not only to emulate but to surpass the triumph and impact of the inaugural awards held in 2023 to mark the 20th anniversary of HERS-SA’s establishment as a NPO.
Mangolothi said this is a build-up of the HERS-SA Academy – a week-long conference where leaders from institutions in South Africa and other countries have an opportunity to empower women about women leadership in higher education.
She said the initial Hewl Awards in 2023 were conferred in seven categories and the respective winners were Lifetime Achievement Award: Professor Heidi Abrahamse (University of Johannesburg); Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (Stem) Award: Professor Nosisi Feza (Deputy-Vice Chancellor, University of Venda); Women in Humanities & Social Sciences: Professor Nicolette Roman (UWC); Trailblazer Award: Professor Beatrice Olutoyin Opeolu (Cape Peninsula University of Technology, CPUT); Humanitarian Award: Professor Tembisa Ngqondi (Dean, CPUT); Women in Academic Administration: Professor Jose’ Frantz (Deputy-Vice Chancellor, UWC); and Emerging Young Woman Leader: Dr Sisanda Nkoala (senior lecturer, CPUT).
Mangolothi said for the 2024 Hewl Awards, the Emerging Young Woman Leader category has been split in two to distinguish between an academic and support role.
She said the Women in Academic Administration Award has also been renamed as Women in Support Services (WISS) Award.
Mangolothi said this therefore means that the sward categories have increased from seven in the 2023 to eight, with five nominees/finalists per category, except for Women in Humanities and Social Sciences, with four finalists, and Lifetime Achievement Award, with two finalists.
Shortlisted finalists for the 2024 Awards shared the view that the awards are the culmination of HERS-SA’s advocacy efforts in fostering an environment for women achievers in Higher Education to lead, innovate and excel in their fields.
She said they all agree that the organisation provides a platform for fostering inclusivity, expanding horizons, amplifying the voices of marginalised groups, mentoring the next generation, and lobbying for greater representation of women in higher education.
“The Hewl Awards are an endorsement and validation of women leaders’ perseverance, dedication and commitment to excellence,” said Mangolothi.
She said all the nominated finalists have highlighted the quest for knowledge, the discovery of new ideas and methods of accomplishing objectives, unravelling and disentangling complex theories and contributing to the body of knowledge in their disciplines.
The finalists also said that globally, women throughout the higher education sector face ongoing systemic and cultural biases, regardless of their positions. They emphasised that as a collective, women must continue to advocate for themselves and ensure that there is a support system to shepherd their careers.
The total number of nominees for the awards is 36. Here are some of them:
Marinda Neethling (NWU) – is a professor of inclusive and early childhood education. She holds a PhD in Learning Support from the same institution and her current research focuses on participatory community-based research in early years teacher education policy and practice.
Dr Kaobaka Omphile Precious Seshoka (NWU) – is a language activist who specialises in African language studies. She is director of the Language Directorate at NWU. She subscribes to Nelson Mandela’s dictum: “If you speak to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you speak to a man in his language, that goes to his heart.”
Dr Rosaline Sebolao (UFS) – is an author, professional coach, a social entrepreneur and is Teaching and Learning manager in the Faculty of Humanities. She holds a doctoral qualification in Business Administration.
Dr Annie Moletsane (VUT) – has spent 30 years in Co-operative Education, Student Academic Development and Work Integrated Learning. She holds a Master of Commerce degree in Business Management and recently graduated with a PhD in Public Management and Governance.
Dr Nosisa Mayaba (UFH) – is director of Planning and Quality Assurance. She holds a PhD in Botany and is dedicated to quality assurance, good governance and sound leadership. She is an advocate for scholarly excellence and high educational standards.
Dr Buyiswa Hlangothi (NMU) – obtained a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and subsequently became the first female head of the Chemistry Department at Nelson Mandela University. She’s an established researcher in Medicinal Plant Chemistry.
Dr Noluntu Dyubhele (NMU) — the first female doctoral student to graduate in the Economics Department at NMU in 2011. Her main research interests are in rural development, women empowerment, capacity building and talent identification.
Dr Lungile Sithole (UJ) – is director of the UJ Soweto Science Centre and a lecturer in biochemistry. She has honed her leadership skills courtesy of UJ’s Women’s Leadership Development Programme as well as the Women in Research Leadership, also at UJ.
Professor Roula Inglesi-Lotz (UP) – heads the Energy Economics Unit and is a leading researcher for the Just Energy Transition project. Her research focuses on the economic impact of energy consumption and generation methods
Fezile Wagner (Wits) – is head of Institutional Research. Her research interests focus on the psycho-social determinants of academic success in higher education. Her work primarily involves benchmarking, strategy development and research to inform decision-making.
Professor Usisipho Feleni (Unisa) – specialises in electrochemistry, with an emphasis on electroanalytical sensors and biosensors. Her completed research work involves medical diagnostics, with the aim of contributing to improving the quality of life of patients and aquatic life.
Manoko Molabe (UJ) – is a PhD Nursing Candidate who works as a clinical simulation laboratory manager under the Faculty of Health Sciences. She was selected as one of the 2023 Inspiring Top 50 at the BRICS Young Scientist Forum under the theme: The Future of Education, Mindset and Skillset.
Professor Kareemah Najaar (CPUT) – is Associate Professor in the Emergency Medical Sciences department. She boasts a PhD in Human Physiology. Her research focuses on the human respiratory system, where she supervises Masters’ and PhD students. She is the leader of a Stem-driven faculty community project dedicated to supporting matric life Science students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Professor Mabokang Monnapula-Mapesela (RU) – is the institution’s first black female Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic and Student Affairs since 2019. She exemplifies transformative leadership and dedication to educational excellence. Her journey from high school teacher to esteemed academic is testament to her commitment to student success. She is a revered advocate for transformation.
Masimbulele Buso (RU) – is a HPCSA registered senior counselling psychologist with extensive experience in gender-based violence (GBV) response and prevention strategies. She’s been the manager for anti-harassment, discrimination and gender harm for the past three years and the managing-director of the Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation – a GBV-centred NGO.
Jay Pillay (RU) – is the director for Residential Operations. Her career demonstrates a steadfast commitment to higher education, having over 13 years in middle management, including a decade as deputy director and over a year as director. As Officer of Research and Development for ACUHO-I-SAC (2021-2023), she organised two high-impact conferences, elevating the South African chapter's global presence. Currently, she also serves as president-elect at ACUHO-I-SAC.
Saturday Star