Women's Month 2020

Women in Science
FOREWORD
Nthabiseng Mokake | Managing Director
Women in Science. Africa
Women in Science.
Africa is proud to
celebrate Africa’s
Women of Science,
as part of our
Women’s Month celebration in
August 2020.
In a male dominated field, these
heroines have risen head and
shoulders above gender bias and
claimed their position in the echelons
of leadership within the academic,
corporate and government circles.
We also present profiles of some of
the women worth celebrating, with
hindsight that there are hundreds
more out there who are also equally
engaged in remarkable work of
science.
We say Africa is privileged to
have such women of courage and
dedication at an era where there is
an upsurge in complicated diseases
such as the coronavirus otherwise
referred to as COVID-19.
African has never required
healthcare workers more than the
year 2020, when the continent is
faced with a devastating pandemic
that has put the continent’s
inhabitants at stake. The COVID-19
pandemic has adversely affected
economies, as fiscal budgets were
revised, with a bulk of treasury
focused on fighting the pandemic.
It played havoc on medical staff at
the frontline of the fight. Reports
said in South Africa alone, over
500 healthcare workers had tested
positive for COVID-19 while in
Kenya the number was said to be
about 250. The continent’s most
populous nation, Nigeria, recorded
the highest infection rate of medical
staff at 800. In reports, the World
Health Organisation gave credence
to the fact that a majority of such
healthcare workers are women, in the
nursing profession.
Doubts on the accuracy of statistics
in the infection as well as mortality
rates have further warranted
more robust data collection and
dissemination tools, to assist in
strategies employed to combat the
scourge. Reports that health care
workers were prosecuted in Egypt
for revealing the acute shortage in
personal protective equipment PPE
as well as errors in computing the
number of fatalities are disturbing.
The marauding virus has presented
a clarion call on governments
to increase budgets focused on
increasing the enrolment of young
women and girls in Science,
Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM).
This issue of Women in Science
in Africa comes a month later after
the African Academy of Sciences
published results of a study
headlined “Factors which Contribute
to or Inhibit Women in Science,
Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics in Africa.”
This report discussed a wide range
of issues posing as a deterrent such
as stereotypes, lack of enabling
policy formulation patriarchal
attitudes and other stumbling blocks
that affected the choice of women to
pursue and succeed in STEM.
It also correctly found that the
success of women already working
in STEM was highly influenced by the
work environment—the recruitment
process, promotion and gender
relations played a great role in
women’s success or failure in STEM.
We also draw readers’ attention to
the significance of mentorship as a
very necessary form of guidance for
girls and youth who have interest in
science but lack role models.
Prolific writer John C. Maxwell
writes that “one of the greatest
values of mentors is the ability to see
ahead what others cannot see and to
help them navigate a course to their
destination.”
This holds true of our academics
who are devoting hours of their
personal time to visit schools and
forming concentrated groups to
encourage youth to excel in science.
We wish all our women a happy
month and encourage them to
continue sharpening their knowledge
and skills in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics.
PAGE 1

MEET THE TEAM
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Nthabiseng Mokake
EDITOR
Timothy Semelane
PRODUCTION & DESIGN
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CONTENTS
05 20
Mentorship
Amanda takes STEM to
another level
08 22
10 A proud fossil age scientist 26
18
30
46
47
Astronomy a natural
choice for Julia
There’s no limit for
Lunga Nkosi
Making progress
on blood clotting in
COVID-19 research
Seni Dlamini
WOMEN SCIENTISTS
Mean Business
IMPACT OF COVID-19
On Women

HELP US CHANGE THE NARRATIVE OF SCIENCE, WOMEN AND AFRICA.
Science is theory. Science is action. Alone these are both capable
but together they are infinitely powerful.
The same is true for
women in science…
ALONE WE ARE CAPABLE.
Alone we are doing great things, but together we are a powerful collective of
knowledge, ideas, experiences and actions that have the power to change the world
and make a world of change.
SO LET’S START BUILDING A POWERFUL COLLECTIVE /REPOSITORY/PLATFORM
FOR ALL WOMEN OF SCIENCE IN AND FOR AFRICA…
One women, one voice, one contribution
at a time. We want to:
highlight your field and work and the role of women in it.
share your experiences, challenges and ideas on how women
are changing your field
showcase what science looks, thinks and does every day,
from a woman’s perspective
We have questions. You have answers.
Together we can create a platform that more women in
science will follow to lead.
Interested? Write to us
editor@womeninscience.africa
Section Mantras
Why have one payoffline when you can have a wealth of
collective empowerment mantras!
Alone we are capable. Together we are powerful.
The future is in our hands..and heads.
The ability of Science to the power of Women in Africa.
Where unified thought meets collective action.
HEADS UP! is both a call to women in science to take note of what is being done, said and shared by women in science for science, but also
a reminder to hold their heads up and walk tall as women leading and changing the field of STEM. It is a place where we collect and showcase
women in science by highlighting their voices and elevating their choices in order to change the narrative about women in science and
Africa and, in so doing, change the future for women in science in and for Africa. Imagine… the ability of Science to the power of Women in
Africa. Science is both theoretical and practical. Knowledge (theory) and action (experiment). Head and hand. Alone the two are useful but
not nearly as powerful. Theory without experiment. Action without scientific basis. They are only half of a very powerful equation.
The future is in our hands and head. Let’s bring them together. The true power of science lies in the ability of the collective - the sharing of
thought, action and focus. Alone we are capable. Together we are powerful.
The same goes for women in science. Alone they are only so powerful, but when they bring their collective knowledge and actions (heads
and hands) together, they are enormously powerful and have the ability to change the future and shape the future of women in science.
The ability of science to the power of women. In aiming to advance the work of women of science, particularly across Africa, Heads Up! will
serve as a platform for female scientists to activate their collective power

Women in Science
MENTORSHIP
is the missing link
Lack of mentorship leads to stunted growth in mindset
Tihe saying that “behind
every successful woman, is
a mentor” can be attested
to by most successful
women who have survived
the most downgrading of situation
fuelled by gender bias.
The absence of women in
leadership position and structures
of influence presents a need for
leadership institutions and the
business community to revise their
engagement strategies to ensure it
manifests qualities of inclusivity and
diversity.
The concept of mentorship could
not be explained in a more accurate
way that by Hamilton Stefan in the
book Mentors in Adolescent’s lives
1998 book on where he describe it
as a powerful, supportive emotional
tie between older and younger
persons in which the older member
is trusted, loving and experienced
in the guidance of others. In the
concept of women empowerment,
mentorship also needs to be done
out of love and not necessity.
Amongst the women in science
many have not been content
with making it in the academic
realm, but have made a U-turn to
start empowerment groups and
nongovernmental organisations
targeting teenagers. Those who are
consumed with academic work have
also revealed how they get out of
their normal routine to empower their
students with mentorship classes.
To a large extent the first mentor
should be the parent, who has to
go the full mile to instill the need to
succeed by also availing the required
financial support as well as learning
tools. From that point, girls need to
choose the right role models who
are the embodiment of true success.
Mentors also need to tell the truth
about the journey to success, so that
these young girls would approach
the science field knowing what to
expect.
Mentors are the missing, link
between a woman’s ambition to
succeed and complacency, while the
latter, experts say, lead to stunted
growth in mindset and personal
development.
For mentorship, women should
not look up to the other gender, but
the responsibility lies among other
women to instil that very necessary
courage where needed. In countries
where elections are directed at
individual representation and not a
particular party, it remains uncertain
why women voters fall for males and
less trust on women candidates.
An Afrobarometer, a public opinion
survey carried out across 31
countries in sub-Saharan Africa
found that more women participate
in elections than men in Africa but
the fact that very few women are in
position of power speaks volumes.
Over the past 40 years, almost all
African countries have ratified the
Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW), though the United
Nations African Renewal report
says little progress has been made
in guaranteeing the convention is
implemented. The way forward is
mentorship of girls and the youth to
excel, especially in science.
Mind tools says that mentors can
develop leadership skills and gain
a personal sense of satisfaction
from knowing that they’ve helped
someone. Mentees can expand their
knowledge and skills, gain valuable
advice from a more experienced
person, and build their professional
networks.
Mentors play an effective role
in bringing to light the way
out of challenges, successes,
aspirations, and lessons learned
Every women wants to reach the
level reached by Chimamanda
Ngozi, Adichie, a Nigerian author,
Bethlehem Alemu an Ethiopian
entrepreneur, Wanjira Mathai an
accomplished environmentalist
and others. They need the mentors
who will urge them on in spite of
the real life hurdles.
Alumni of institutions of higher
learning must accept the urge to
broaden their scope of influence so
that it is not restricted to fundraising
initiatives and painting of classrooms
while enjoying the social jamboree.
They should start forming well knit
networks of mentorship programmes
targeting the professional
development of women, from as
early as high school.
PAGE 5

Women in Science
How to increase women participation
IN STEM
Policy reform has been suggested
as a major requirement if Africa
is to encourage her women
to participation in technology,
engineering, and mathematics
(STEM).
A report titled “Factors which
Contribute to or Inhibit Women in
Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics in Africa” compiled
by the African Academy of Sciences
2020 found that some of the policies
embraced by organisations, and
nations were still failing to promote
women involvement in the field.
It then called for policy, legislative
and organisational initiatives that can
significantly reduce the gender gap
in STEM in Africa.
The report is the result of a survey
response by several women in
science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics (STEM) and policy
experts involved in data collection
from across African institutions.
The study was conducted in
the backdrop of reality that even
though the gender gap in STEM is
narrowing, females continue to be
less likely to pursue STEM careers
compared to their male counterparts,
creating underrepresentation of
females in the field.
After studying the many variables
in the science field, it said women
scientists have a vital part to play
in scientific leadership and in
contributing to Africa’s development
and transformation, but they remain
substantially under-represented in
higher education and in STEM.
The report found that countries
across the globe are not fully utilising
the potential of the entire population,
including girls and women in
innovation, science and technology.
Study findings also showed that
women’s success in STEM was
influenced by various factors that
reinforce each other at various levels
including at the individual, family,
societal and the work environment
It then calls for a multipronged
approach that addresses challenges
that women face in their quest to
pursue STEM courses and succeed
while in practice.
“The continent also lacks a fair
distribution of women researchers
as data from some high-income
countries indicate a low proportion of
female researchers,” it says.
It also points to gender disparities
that continue to subsist despite the
efforts being made to recruit and
retain more women in STEM.
It states that major gender
disparities between female and male
research scientists are also evident
in places of work and their levels of
responsibility.
“Women scientists primarily work
in academic and government
institutions, while their male
PAGE 6
counterparts are engaged more in
the private sector, with better pay
and opportunities.
In addition, women scientists
are often concentrated in the
lower echelons of responsibility
and decision-making with limited
leadership opportunities,” the report
states.
It discards an assumption under
the nature argument that girls’ brains
develop differently from boys’
“There is no evidence that biological
factors cause gender differences in
STEM.
Furthermore, there is evidence that
in some countries, girls perform as
well as or even better than boys in
science,” it states.
Stereotyping was also found to
have negative influence by shifting
an individual’s focus from performing
a task to worrying that low
performance will confirm a negative
stereotype about a group to which
the individual belongs.
“Negative stereotypes about the
ability of girls to excel in STEM
can substantially lower girls’ test
performance and their aspirations for
science and engineering careers over
time, yet men continue to outnumber
women, especially at the upper
levels of these professions,” the
report states.
Evidence from diverse bodies of
research also show that social and

environmental factors contribute to
the underrepresentation of women
in STEM. “In many African countries,
socio cultural beliefs and practices
largely connected to the construction
of feminine identities, ideologies of
domesticity and gender stereotypes
may exclude girls from pursuing
science subjects,” the report states.
The report is also a clarion call for
teachers and parents to interact with
girls and support their effort because
it has been proven that girls perform
better in mathematics and are more
likely to pursue math in the future if
they receive such mentorship.
A survey conducted in the course
of compiling the report suggested
various solutions to bring more
women to actively participate in
STEM, including the availability
of equipment and resources.
empowerment, family support and
peer to peer support.
“Over 95% of the survey
respondents reported that
scholarship was a crucial facilitator
for success in STEM. Support in
terms of financial resources was
highlighted by interviewees as a
significant factor in ensuring that
women were successful in STEM.
This was mostly in form of financial
support through payment of school
fees for girls at lower levels of
education to ensure that they transit
to the next level,” the report found.
PAGE 7

Women in Science
Amanda takes STEM to another level
I AM...
Amanda
Obidike
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
Woman, be fearless, be free to dream,
be free to collaborate, be free to
ask questions, be free to excel and
be free to succeed
Africa needs an aligned education
and future-focused system that
supports developmental efforts
in generating talents needed to
become self-reliant and problemsolvers
using Science, Technology,
Engineering, Maths and Innovation
(STEMi).
This is a strong conviction from
Amanda Obidike, who thinks the
continent needs to raise young
women and students’ achievement
in STEM Subjects and skills if it is to
rise from economic slump.
Amanda is the Executive Director
of STEMi Makers Africa. She also
serves in the Leadership Board
Team, 500 Women Scientists, USA..
She is well decorated in STEM
having graduated from The Open
University, UK where she was
granted Certification in STEM
Education, in 2019. Just recently,
she graduated with a Mastes Degree
in Data Science at the International
Business Management Institute,
Berlin – Germany. Before this,
Obidike had studied AS Degree
in Organisation and Economics
Science, at the Politecnico di
Milano, Italy in 2017. In 2016, she
received a in Biomedical Research
Data Management from the Harvard
PAGE 8

Women in Science
Medical School. Her higher learning
started in 2014 when she graduated
with a Diploma and Higher Advanced
Diploma in Business Management
at the Obafemi Awolowo University,
Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
To Amanda, science is a way of
life and she derives motivation from
that this career empowers her to
solve problems and proffer lasting
solutions both on a community level
and professionally. Indeed, STEM,
especially Science has ushered her
into a lot of opportunities.
“After I got an opportunity to be
trained by IBM, I took the initiative to
inspire and provide young Africans
with job-ready, transferable skills
and STEM opportunities they need
to be successful in the changing
workforce,” she says.
Amanda is pregnant with a dream
to build an “Africa By Us, For Us”,
which she describes as a STEM
Ecosystem that should empower
over 2,000,000 young Africans with
future-focused skills to compete on a
global level.
She ventured into the world
of science at a time when the
meaningful and lucrative jobs
available in Nigeria required technical
and scientific skills that she didn’t
have originally after graduating from
the University. She says globally,
the number of jobs in STEM fields
increased 36% from 10.2 million in
2008 to 26.5 million jobs in 2014, yet
there are over 80.6 million underskilled
West Africans who cannot
embrace STEM opportunities in the
continent due to lack of talents.
Amanda considered this stumbling
block a stepping stone for her as she
went on to get technical knowledge
and competence in each of the four
major aspects of STEM. Today she
is able to function as a scientist, an
engineer, a business/data analyst
and mathematician.
One of the biggest career highlights
for her was the recent selection as
a Technology Rising Star Awardee
for 2020 from the Women of Color,
Michigan USA. She is proud of
having been selected as the 100
Leading Ladies in Africa and joining
the Leadership Team of the 500
Women Scientists Organisation.
She says One of her biggest
challenges as a woman in this field,
is the under-representation of women
and dominance of men in STEM and
socio-political scheme of things.
“My plight as a woman has been
characterised by the lack of
adequate representation, lack of
access to well-developed education
and training systems for me and
women in general,” she says.
“One way I think women scientists
can help each other more is being
open to collaboration and teamwork.
As women, we should inspire one
another and offer peer-to-peer
support. This can help budding
scientists, young girls seeking clarity
in their science career and even
professional women in academia.
We need to work together for the
common good of open science, and
inclusion,” she says.
On the same wavelength,
she believes businesses and
corporations are in a better position
to help women in addressing the
existing stereotype in the workplace,
difficulty of women to advance in
management, paternalism, sexual
harassment as well as male-oriented
corporate culture that are hostile to
women.
Her advice to women wanting to
enter this field is “be fearless, be
free to dream, be free to collaborate,
be free to ask questions, be free to
excel and be free to succeed. There
may be hurdles in the journey but
please maintain focus. Science is
a wonderful decision anyone can
make. Feel free to reach out to the
peers you admire or professionals in
STEM who could share their stories,
tips and advice that can help you in
the field.”
She says statistics provided by the
International Labour Organisations
in 2017 that women are 30% more
likely than men to lose their job as
a consequence of automation and
low STEM skills is reason enough to
motivate women to join the field.
“It is high time women began
exploring lucrative opportunities in
Science and STEM as a whole. I
strongly encourage young women
and girls to delve into Science
because there is a lot we can do in
this field for our better livelihood,
economy and improving retention of
young women in STEM Careers,” she
says.
Amanda says she would love to see
her government bridge the gender
gap or introduce a quota system in
the educational and science sector
to improve female representation
in Science and by extension
women voices within the STEM
and leadership discourse. She
says she would also love to see the
government integrating STEM into
classrooms by equipping teachers
with project-based learning tools and
redesign the country’s antiquated
education curriculum for a better
learning approach.
PAGE 9

Women in Science
A proud fossil age scientist
Aviwe Matiwane
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
I AM...
South Africa is rich with fossil
heritage spanning millions of years,
which creates a huge opportunity for
young palaentologist to explore this
field and come with answers.
Well, Aviwe Matiwane, a female
scientists from the Eastern Cape,
in South Africa has assumed the
challenge out of love and passion.
Matiwane is a Research Associate
at the Albany Museum studying
towards her doctorate degree in
Palaeoscience at Rhodes University.
She completed both her BSc (Hons)
and MSc Botany at the same
institution.
Palaeoscience is described as any
scientific discipline that studies the
geological past.
She encourages more women to
follow suit in her career path.
“I would love to see more women in
my field because there are currently
two palaeobotanists in the country
and when I receive my PhD, I will
be the third. It would be great to
get more people in the field as,
compared to the rest of the world,
South Africa is lagging behind in
palaeobotany,” she says.
She says what she likes about her
field is the discovery of new fossils
as well as contributing to South
Africa’s great fossil heritage.
One thing Matiwane wishes she had
known before going down the PhD
road was that the road would not be
easy.
“PhD is hard work and it tests you
physically, mentally, financially and
emotionally,” she says.
Matiwane says palaeosciences
can be viewed as controversial,
particularly by people with strong
religious backgrounds.
The PhD candidate says one of
her memorable achievements was
being featured in Forbes and the Mail
and Guardian Top 200 Young South
Africans.
She frowns at challenges that seek
to bring down the efforts of women
in science, listing some of them as
racism, funding and patriarchy.
Her past experience as a teacher
has left a passion to impart
knowledge to other people, coupled
with philanthropy.
“My biggest dream is to build a
school like Oprah Winfrey’s in my
village where disadvantaged children
can learn about science and receive
proper career guidance. I also want
to build a home for children and
people with disabilities where they
can get the best care and love as
PAGE 10

Women in Science
possible. I would also love to have an
animal welfare clinic that takes care
of animals and teaches people how
to take good care of their pets,” she
says.
Matiwane says women scientists
can help each other by being
supportive of each other and
standing up for one another.
She also challenges businesses
and corporations to put women in
key policy making positions and to
create safe work spaces that are
free of sexual harassment, prejudice,
patriarchy, and fair pay.
She says these institutions must
also prioritise funding opportunities
for women on equal basis with male
counterparts.
“I would love to see my government
put more funding in science and
creating more job opportunities
for palaeosciences because if this
does not happen, where will all the
graduates go without employment
opportunities?” she says.
Matiwane says in the next ten
years, she would like to see South
Africa having a black woman as
state president as well as increased
number of youth in key government
positions.
She derives inspiration from her
young cousins, Ude and Mischa
Matiwane, who love animals and
treat them with such care.
“They also love assisting my
grandfather on the farm,” she says.
Her advice to women who want
to join the science field is that they
should start as early as possible to
make an impact, especially whilst still
at elementary age of learning.
She does not take kindly to
monotony, but advocates for
diversity in all industries and
opportunities in life.
Matiwane believes in a system of
mentorship which is seamless and
takes the person to the end, so that
they are able to also covey it to
others.
“I believe mentorship is important,
particularly if you are new to the field.
Also, mentors need to be available
for their mentees and not volunteer
only to abandon the person at a later
stage,” she says.
Matiwane says she is most
passionate about animal welfare,
women’s rights and representation,
science communication, and
teaching.
PAGE 11

Women in Science
Passionate about changing mindsets
I AM...
Dr Sihle
Qulu
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
No one wakes up and decides to be a
criminal in the absence of genetics or a
completely broken environment.
Having done a research focusing on
understanding “why do men rape”,
Dr Lihle Qulu says she is beginning
to realise the value and importance
of investing in mental health, as
part of the complexity of mental
health issues is the brain, the engine
for a human behaviour, and its
physiological well-being.
Dr Qulu is a Neuroscientist and a
Senior lecturer in the Discipline of
Human Physiology, under the Faculty
of Medicine and Health Sciences at
the University of Stellenbosch. Her
research focuses on sexual violence
in understanding the behavioural and
neuronal changes of both victim and
sexual offender and understanding
other factors that affect sexual
offence.
Her prior research focused on
understanding the effects of early life
stress and the impact it may have on
the later life of the offspring. Apart
from her academic work, Dr Qulu
is a Neurozone couch, a program
“essential for any high-performance
coach or professional in the field
of human capital to have a working
understanding of what drives and
motivates brain behaviour” using
the fundamental brain drivers i.e
exercise, meditation, sleep/wake
PAGE 12

Women in Science
cycle and exercise. Qulu is not
just an academic but she serves
on different boards such as SONA
(Society of Neuroscience in Africa)
representative for the ‘African
Southern Hemisphere. She is also
the deputy Secretary of Southern
African Neuroscience Society
(SANS). She is passionate about
changing mindsets, using radio
platforms such a Ukhozi FM, Cape
Talk, EWN, Cape talk and other news
domain discussing this topic. She is
further a flourishing keynote speaker
for different academic, cooperate
and social events such as Liberty life.
She has travelled parts of the world
attending conferences and spent
time in Canada at the John Hopkins
institutions in Calgary and Germany
Regensburg University where she
conducted part of her research.
She is further a DRILL (Developing
Research Innovation, Localisation
and Leadership in ‘South Africa)
fellow, which is an NIH (USA) funded
program that aims at grooming future
academic leaders.
As an academic, she does not only
work in the lab, but also lectures
health science students such as
those in physiotherapy, dietetics,
nursing and medical students.
Dr Qulu says she has observed
that economic transformation alone
will not heal the generational impact
the colonial and apartheid system
that imposed poverty and hardship,
and the impact on the minds and
dignity of black South Africans. She
has also learnt that no one wakes
up and decides to be a criminal in
the absence of a completely broken
environment.
She says society needs women in
science because they have the ability
to use knowledge to change society.
“Our continent is in dire need of
mental wellness transformation and
neuroscience research will contribute
greatly to this transformation in
collaboration with other disciplines
both in the Sciences and Social
Sciences,” she says.
She is a firm believer that
mental health is crucial to social
development.
“If people are unable to manage
stress around interpersonal
relationships, unemployment,
poverty and many more, they
often resort to violent behaviour,
alcohol abuse and other disruptive
behaviours. Gender Based Violence
(GBV) very often stems from these
frustrations and men’s inability to
express and deal with their anger
issues, many times stemming from
a very overt masculinity that goes
unchecked.
On what business and corporates
can do to help women in science,
she says that anxiety and stress is
across all sectors of society including
the workplace where people work
in toxic environments with a fear of
losing their employment and thus
must endure abuse at the hands of
others - very often their superiors.
“Corporations can contribute
greatly to this and are best placed
to assist both government and
communities to achieve a healthy
mindset to deal with the many
challenges that people face,” she
says.
Her goal is to change the mindsets
of people, taking cue from renown
author Bantu Biko who once said
“the most powerful weapon in the
hands of the oppressor is the mind of
the oppressed”.
Dr Qulu says women are the
building blocks of societies and “if
woman gain a deep understanding
on the how brain affects behaviour
and directly impacts on society we
can make more informed decisions
on how we lead our societies in
every role/group we function in.”
Looking back, Dr Qulu saysn she
believes that she did not choose her
career path but that it is the career
that chose her.
“I registered late and all the other
topics were already taken, and
some supervisors were rather
intimidating. However, when I
approached Professor Mabandla
for a neuroscience topic he was so
welcoming and helpful. Little did I
know my destiny was chasing me,
since that day I fell completely in love
with neuroscience,” she says.
Since then, she has loved learning
about the human brain, and about
how complicated, fascinating and
interesting it is.
She is also proud to be working
under a supportive Stellenbosch
University Professor Hans Strijdom
whom she describes as a very
supportive leader.
She recalls how when she had an
opportunity to be in Germany with
Professor Inga Neumann’s, working
in her lab in Regensburg, she was
introduced to the sexual defeat (rape)
research project.
“I initially visited the lab wanting
to learn about social stress and
depression, but I can say this was
the second time in my career where I
had a serendipity moment where my
destiny was once again chasing me
without my knowledge,” she said.
She also recalls a proud moment
when she was nominated by Woman
in Neuroscience in 2017 to attend
SFN (Society for Neuroscience)
in Washington DC and being
nominated as the SADC SONA
(Society of Neuroscientists of Africa)
representative.
“I am proud of the woman
I have become from
humble beginnings being
raised by my mom who
was a single parent, with
other siblings to take care
of as well. Her unwavering
support and belief in my
capabilities propelled me
forward in my pursuit of
Neuroscience,” she says.
PAGE 13

Women in Science
WHO ARE YOU
I AM...
Dr Amin Amal
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
No one wakes up and decides to be a
criminal in the absence of genetics or a
completely broken environment.
The notion that science is
a complex subject ideal for
intellectuals who venture where
eagles dare has been proven wrong
by Dr Amal Amin, who feels that
science is source of happiness not
burden.
This scientist who also prides
herself of being a strong proponent
of peace is the Associate Professor
at National Research Centre
for Polymer Technology and
Nanotechnology in Cairo, Egypt.
She is also Visiting Professor at the
Nanotechnology Program in the
Faculty of Engineering at the Cairo
University.
Dr Amin has proudly formed the
Women in Science Without Borders
Initiative (WISWB) with members in
48 countries and the World Forum
for Women in Science, which are
tools that she uses to bridge the
gender gap in scientific communities
as an example for the whole society
in the future. Her passion is to see
society having more cooperation
and interaction between females and
males from scientific communities,
industry, Non Governmental
Organisation (NGOs), stakeholders,
media, policy makers, and other
disciplines. She views science
as a universal platform to reach
outand facilitate mutual cooperation
between all parties.
To her, being a scientist is the
realisation of a childhood dream to
change the world with science.
“That desire increased by reading
and following the stories of great
scientists like Mary Curies, who
I considered as a role model that

Women in Science
transformed herself and the world
to another era with her science. So,
being a scientist was a dream turned
into reality. With time, I found myself
in science and I think it was a perfect
choice for me to change the world as
I ascribe to peace,” she said.
The well-travelled Dr Amal has
also worked for Centre of Molecular
Design and Recognition, the Maurice
Morton Institute for Polymer Science
and the University of Akron, Ohio,
USA. She has also spent some
time in Europe working for the
Inorganic chemistry department II-
Ulm University- Ulm – Germany in
addition to other places in Germany,
France, USA. She is also cofounder
of global young academy and other
organisations.
Her specialty has been in organic
chemistry/polymer technology,
for which she has successfully
ascended from BSc to PhD level
between 1991 and 2003, whilst
at both the Ain Shams and Cairo
Universities in Cairo, Egypt.
After immersing herself in science
for decades, she now defines it as
the greatest catalyst for change
which transcends borders, conflict,
cultural, political and religious
considerations.
“That is the best thing I love in
science as I consider it a peaceful
platform to connect humanity and
further bring development,” she
says.
She frowns at the ill-conceived
notion that women scientists do
not make good housewives and
mothers because they are generally
considered tough and unfriendly,
without an iota of social enjoyment,
given their mundane work schedule.
“That concept is outdated and
untrue because we are now seeing
an increased number of women
scientists, especially in the fields of
physical sciences. That is why in all
my activities, I insist to conduct the
concept that science is a source of
happiness not burden,” she adds.
Looking back at her career, she
derives pride from being considered
a real change maker with her
affection for science, though she
recognises the huge responsibility
that comes with the tag.
“I know there is a huge
responsibility to ensure I play a
pivotal role in transforming people’s
lives and I really recommend all
scientists to consider enhancing
people`s lives with their science
and not only consider their personal
glory or career promotion, whether
in their research or science related
activities,” she adds.
Competing evenly in a male
dominated field has been one of Dr
Amal’s challenges.
She recounts how being a scientist
and a mother at the same time
could slow woman down in terms
of delivery and child care when
compared to the male counterparts.
She says in her career, there were
situations in which she knew she
could do much better if she was a
man, though she has refused to be
limited by such circumstances.
In like manner, she is disquieted by
circumstances that seek to make the
science field only for the rich.
“Science should be available and
accessible to all in the world as
the only logical means for change.
Scientists must be more involved
in societal activities and they
must be empowered to develop
more science-based networks
and initiatives to share strongly in
solving the current problems facing
humanity,” she says.
She has conceived of a dream to
use science diplomacy to avoid
international conflicts and enhance
international scientific relations.
Dr Amal says it is a basic human
right for women to be allowed to
venture into science.
“Women and men have similar
abilities and qualifications to be used
as and when they are exposed to
opportunities in science. Competition
in science will be fruitful and worthy
if it is gender inclusive and allows
freedom of expression,” she notes.
She says women could be
successful in science if they
supported each other through
mentorship and cooperation.
Dr Amal’s advice to industry
captains is that they could leverage
from the innovative ideas of women
scientists to help develop their
institutions and industries.
She laments that she did not have
a mentor as she ventured into
science, and that this had slowed
her progress in ensuring there was
balance between work and life
effectively. She says she did not
have the opportunity to use her time
equitably in the beginning of her
career, but had later on achieved this
using the right strategy.
As a result of lacking a mentor,
she says she had to pull through
loneliness and discouragement to
succeed.
Her advice to women scientists
is that they have to be focused
and develop the skill to share time
between work and family.
“If you are a mother or wife, you
must try to be relatively successful
in both career and personal life by
being organised and being able to
arrange priorities while using the
skill of time management, with daily
to do list. She would like to see her
government and the world working
effectively to remove hurdles that
prevent women from self actualising
in the world of science.
She also advocates for quality of
research not quantity, so that women
can be able to compete regardless of
the number of papers or inventions
they make but through the impact of
their work.
PAGE 15

Women in Science
Makelane wants
inclusion in science
I AM...
Dr Hlamulo
Makelane
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
Knowledge gained from research
output is the gateway to making a
positive difference
Dr Hlamulo Makelane is motivated
by the positive difference she
makes to people at local, national
and international level through the
research output that she devotes
herself to from time to time.
Born in Tzaneen South Africa
Dr Makelane is the Research
Project Manager at the Centre for
Educational Testing for Access and
Placement (CETAP), University of
Cape Town’s (UCT).
Her responsibilities include
identifying areas for future research
collaboration and initiate processes
necessary to carry out the required
research as well as translating
research output into reports and
presentations.
She is also a Research Fellow in
the Department of Chemistry at
the Nelson Mandela University,
where here responsibilities include
Managing research project as well
as preparing data collection, analysis
and maintaining project, stage as
well as exception plans as required.
She started her career in science
with a BSc. Chemistry and
Biochemistry at the University of
Limpopo in 2007. She also enrolled
for an Honours degree at the same
institution in 2008 before moving
PAGE 16

Women in Science
to the University of South Africa to
do an MSc. She was awarded her
PhD in Chemistry at the University
of Western Cape in 2014. Her latest
addition in the basket of degrees
was an MSc in Project Management
which she received from the
University of Pretoria.
Research is her speciality, as she
has also worked as a Research
Specialist for the Center for Science,
Technology and Innovation Indicators
at the Human Sciences Research
Council, South Africa.
She says she developed interest in
science because of the innate urge
to make a difference in society.
“Science gives more insights
about many things around us,
and that motivated me to do
scientific research that matter
and has a practical application
because science is the generation
of evidence-based solutions to the
challenges that require scientific
contribution. In addition, knowledge
gained from research output is
the gateway to making a positive
difference for humankind at the local,
national, and international levels,”
she says.
Over the years, Dr Makelane says
she has learnt that planning is key
to ensuring that work or tasks are
completed.
“What I love most about my field is
that science makes the world better
by creating new information that
leads to improved decisions making.
The diversity within my field enhance
my knowledge and methodology
required to provide better solutions,”
she says.
She says most people do not realise
that self-motivation and passion
to science contributes to long
working hours, and is driven by the
strong wish to better understand
the world, or some part of it, to
generate evidence based scientific
solutions, while making an important
contribution to science and society.
She cherishes the day she was
nominated for the Mail & Guardian’s
200 Young South Africans 2017
under Science and Technology
category and being recognised
as a Future Leader by Science,
Technology and Society forum 2018
in Japan.
She was also recognised by the
Academy of Science of South Africa
(ASSAF) as one of the top five young
South Africans in chemistry to
participate at the 67th Lindau Nobel
Laureate Meeting 2017 in Germany.
“I am also proud of the
accomplishments in contributing
to the body of knowledge through
authored and/or co-authored peer
reviewed journal articles, among
other type of scientific publications,
and presented in national and
international conferences, some by
invitation, for the communication of
my scientific work,” she says.
She notes how the science field is
still dominated by biasness “in which
one has to constantly justify the field
chosen and the passion and the
potential for making a difference in
the field is frequently questioned.”
In addition to this, she says there is
an undue preference of males over
female in higher position, which still
plays a critical role, signalling that
there is no confidence in female
skills.
“As a woman, it is frustrating when
you are highly skilled and very much
capable of doing the work but not
treated equally,” she says.
Inspite of the widespread
challenges, she rallies women
to support each other by having
honest conversation about the
challenges faced by women in the
field. She says males should also be
part of this conversation, to better
understand the change required to
accommodate women in the field.
“One way business and corporates
can help women in this field is by
creating a platform that directly
PAGE 17
supports women and work towards
closing the gap between male and
female as well as bringing inclusion
which can have far-reaching benefits
for both business and corporate,”
she advises. She advises women to
join the science field in order to get
empowered to think differently about
the global challenges and, by so
doing, their creativity will contribute
to the much-needed solutions to
move society forward.
“Therefore, challenge yourself to
even go beyond the first degree and
obtain the highest degree because
it will provide you with all necessary
qualities and skills required to make
a difference in the field,” she says.
Dr Makelane says she would love
to see her government continue
addressing issues facing women
in Science by implementing and
monitoring policies that encourage
the number of women scientists
to be recognised. She feels that
government should create a platform
towards closing the gap between
male and female scientist as well
as bringing inclusion in science
regardless of gender, which will
enable women scientist to grow in
their career.
“More women would be attracted
to stay in sciences, enhance their
careers in the field and become role
models to young and upcoming
women scientist,” she says.
In the next ten years, she would like
to see more support for scientific
research that addresses issues
related to sectors such as water,
energy, agriculture, and health
through technologist in order to
provide a better world for the people
and the environment.
She says this will happen if there
are more scientists being trained in
entrepreneurship and professional
development to provide skills
currently lacking for women in the
field to be fully functional as well as
creating jobs.

Women in Science
Emmie has eyes on Nobel Prize
I AM...
Emmie
Chiyindiko
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
Trust your intuition. You cannot
ask people for directions to
places they have never been –
your vision and dreams.
Africa is not for fainthearted but women scientists
who are intent on breaking ranks with the slow pace of
development through research and innovation.
One such is the success thirsty Emmie Chiyindiko
who ultimately wants to be a Nobel Peace Prize award
winner through science and innovation.
Emmie is a Zimbabwean born scientist who lives in
Bloemfontein, South Africa, where she is pursuing a
PHD in Chemistry at the University of Free State. She is
also a lecturer at the Central University of Technology.
Among many achievements, Emmie is an awardwinning
science communicator, speaker, STEM event
facilitator, mentor and writer.
Academically, Emmie graduated with BSc (Hons)
degree in Applied Chemistry from the National
University of Science and Technology (NUST) in
Bulawayo Zimbabwe. At the end of 2019, she
was awarded a Master’s degree in Chemistry with
distinction/highest honour/cum laude from the
University of Free State. She has also completed
an intensive science communication program at
Stellenbosch University in Cape Town.
She says she fell for science after feeling an innate
and unquenchable desire to figure out how the universe
works.
“Serioulsy, sometimes I cannot sleep trying to figure
out how stuff works. I have stayed in this career largely
to the moments when I learn something in the lab and
think; “I’m the only human that knows this right now.”
Then I publish it,” she says.
To any other person, gazing at mutation of colours and
matter reacting to heat and cooling forces is a laborious
experience that is like watching paint dry. But to Emmie,
it is a great treat from which she derives answers for her
scientific experiments.
“I have worked with chemical products that glow in the
dark; change colors on heating or cooling; produces
bubbles and exist in multiple physical states at the
same time. Watching chemistry in action is a treat.
There’s also something cathartic about blowing stuff up,
in a safe environment. The keyword is safe,” she says.
One of Emmie’s fascinating researches is one
motivated by the green revolution.
She says catalysts from earth-abundant metals
for industrial applications are important to replace
expensive and/or toxic catalytic compounds with ecofriendly
and less toxic alternatives, contributing to a
greener environment.
“My research looks into how we can make our energy
PAGE 18

Women in Science
production industrial processes
more efficient, ultimately reducing
the carbon footprint. This branch
of social and environmentally
conscious chemistry is known as
“green chemistry”. Green chemistry
applies across the entire life cycle
of a chemical product, including
its design, manufacture, use, and
ultimate discarding. The objective of
my research is to reduce pollution at
its source by minimizing the time and
material required to produce energy,”
she says.
Emmy says she hopes to achieve
this by studying the synergy between
experimental and computational
chemistry of catalysts (materials that
speed up chemical reactions).
“By understanding their structure
and reactivity, this helps in the
design of chemical processes
to maximize the sustainability of
industrial activity. Catalysts from
earth-abundant metals for industrial
applications are important to replace
expensive and/or toxic catalytic
compounds with eco-friendly and
less toxic alternatives, contributing
to a greener environment. The
design and application of new
catalysts and catalytic systems are
simultaneously achieving the dual
goals of environmental protection
and economic benefit,” she says.
But Emmie’s thoughts transcend
bunsen burners and testubes, as
she looks at chemistry in a broader
sense.
“Science is not so removed from
our everyday world. Science is
behind almost every convenience
in life. Have you ever wondered
how a liquid cough syrup cures my
cold symptoms? What makes nail
polish remover so effective? Why
wine tastes better with age? We
are made of chemicals, we wear
them, build with them, eat them, we
even breathe chemicals. Everything
around us is made up of atoms and
molecules, how we manipulate them,
transform them and create new
chemicals is chemistry. It won’t be an
exaggeration to say that chemistry is
the study of everything,” she says.
She recalls that one of the biggest
career highlights her was when she
was named the national winner and
best science communicator in the
FameLab2018 Competition.
“I went on to represent South Africa
in the international finals on an allexpense
paid trip to Cheltenham,
UK. I have received many accolades
in my field, including winning our
institutional three-minute thesis
competition (3MT) and best
conference posters. I got to travel,
meet national finalists from all over
the world and build long-lasting
professional relationships,” she says.
Emmie has also made contributions
to community through involvement
with science.
“Most recently, I facilitated the
South African Agency for Science
and Technology Advancement
(SAASTA) provincial science debate
competition with over 20 high
schools. I hosted a training workshop
on building self-confidence, public
speaking and effectively debate on
science-related topics,” she adds.
She says the path towards women’s
autonomy in science is still marred
with challenges ranging from lack of
representation to inequity.
“Women are highly
underrepresented in positions of
authority, such as tenured faculty
positions, but you will also see
this reflected in STEM cohorts
and organisation. Racial and
sexist macroaggressions are also
rampant in the sciences, and
these macroaggressions, whether
intentional or unintentional, expose
hidden biases and prejudices that
generally make women of colour feel
undermined,” she says.
However, no journey is without
hurdles, as Emmie says.
She says often times, women
exist in feminine and masculine
transposition in the work place
with fear of being either too soft or
intimidating. However, what has kept
her on focus has been to stand her
ground and appreciate her instincts
without looking for approval.
“We all have an element of
masculine and feminine energy
within us. We exist on a spectrum.
I love dressing and often felt like I
was “doing too much” at the lab.
The best thing I did for myself is find
my unique balance in the workplace.
I rock a red lip when I want to and
I hold my own in project meetings.
You balance will be unique to you,”
she says.
Her advice to young girls who want
to venture into science is that they
must be assertive and never relent to
being pushed around.
“You will find yourself in rooms
smart, highly qualified and enigmatic
people, remember, you deserve to
be there. Breathe, relax, network.
Instead of brooding over whether
you can do something or not, try
it and then you will get the answer
you need. When faced with a tough
career decision, do not run polls but
instead search within you. Trust your
intuition. You cannot ask people for
directions to places they have never
been – your vision and dreams,” She
says.
Like many other women scientists,
Emmie is concerned that there is
gender imbalance in STEM.
She says the lack of women in this
field is a complex, multifaceted issue
that requires more than diversity
hiring.
“There is need for persistent, longterm
action in order to see results.
Organisations need to create multiyear
plans with publicly declared
goals in order to demonstrate their
commitment to diversity and hold
themselves accountable to their
stated objectives. Modern hiring
processes that do not require women
to discuss their personal lives, which
can include plans to have children
increase hiring bias. Such implicit
biases are embedded in many job
descriptions, interview questions,
and interviewer attitudes,” she says.
PAGE 19

Women in Science
Astronomy a natural
choice for Julia
Julia Healy
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
I AM...
A radio astronomer is credited to
be the one who discovered WIFI,
and Julia Healy, a South African
astronomy student, is paying
attention to also make a mark in this
field.
Healy admits that Astronomy is
presumed to be a science that does
not have many real-life applications,
but recalls how there have been
some very important and successful
commercial creations as a result of
technology required to advance this
field.
Healy is enrolled for a joint PhD in
Astronomy at Kapteyn Astronomical
Institute at the University of
Groningen as well as the Department
of Astronomy at the University of
Cape Town.
She has studied Astronomy and
Physics at the UCT from 2011 when
she enrolled for a Bachelor’s degree
until the end of 2016 when she
graduated with a Master of Science
in Astronomy.
Healy currently lives in Groningen,
The Netherlands where she
continues to sharpen her knowledge
of the world of astronomy, whilst in
pursuit of a doctorate degree.
She recalls how as a kid she wanted
to become an astronaut, a dream
which is still alive today.
“I knew I would need to go to
university before I could become
an astronaut, and so Astronomy
seemed like the natural choice —
space fascinated me and I was good
at Maths and Physics,” she says.
Julia says she spends most of her
time on the computer, working on
data which usually involves trying to
understand the correlations between
different physical properties of
galaxies in different environments.
“I am currently finishing up my PhD
thesis, so I also spend a fair amount
of time reading and writing. My week
is also interspersed with meetings
with my supervisors and other
collaborators,” she says.
Science research suits her well as
she loves learning new stuff about
the cosmos.
“I also love all the travel we do
— both to attend and present at
PAGE 20

Women in Science
“Women should not have to choose between having a
family or having a career”
conferences, but also to telescopes
to obtain data,” she says.
In 2019, Julia was recognised by
the Department of Science and
Innovation with a South African
Women in Science Award.
She says one of the greatest
highlights of her career was
attending the 69th Lindau Nobel
Laureates Meeting held in Lindau,
Germany in July 2019. This is an
annual gathering of Nobel Laureates
and Young Scientists to which Julia
had been selected by the Academy
of Sciences South Africa to attend.
She is also proud of being part of a
team awarded observing time as part
of the first open call for proposals
with South Africa’s new radio
telescope, MeerKAT.
She says one of her greatest
challenge as a woman in science
is constantly reminding herself she
knows her stuff and has something
to contribute.
But she is lucky that she has never
found herself in a gender bias
situation.
“I’ve been lucky enough to get
to where I am without having
experienced any hurdles or biases
due to my gender. I attribute this to
two things: my upbringing and my
academic support environment. My
parents brought up my brothers and
I without any regard to the typical
gender roles. They encouraged my
dreams and have supported me
throughout my career. They taught
me to stand up for what I believe
in and to speak up when I have
something to say.”
To add to this, she was given
this advice by her physics tutor as
she was finishing her undergrad:
“Choose your supervisor and then
your project”.
She says this advice has been
invaluable to her and shielded her as
she progressed through her studies.
“The supervisors I chose for my
different thesis projects have been,
and still are, some of the most
supportive people anyone could ask
for.
They have taught me to present my
work with confidence, have listened
to me when I have had an idea, and
where necessary have provided
constructive criticism meant only to
help me be the best I can be,” she
says.
Julia believes women are equally
as capable as men in the field of
science and that there is no good
reason why the gender balance
should be so skewed.
“One way business and corporates
can help women in this field is
through the provision of
mentorship and understanding.
“Women should be encouraged
to take this path into research and
should be supported if they choose
to have a family at the same time.
Women should not have to choose
between having a family or having a
career,” she says
PAGE 21
“My advice to women wanting to
enter this field is that they should
follow their dreams and not let
anyone tell them that they cannot
make it.
The research career path is not
linear, which means there is no such
thing as a wrong move. Find good,
supportive friends - having that
support network both within your
field and within your personal life is
a key part of being successful,” she
said.
She encourages more women to
join the science field, saying “if 50%
of the population is being denied an
opportunity to present their ideas,
we slow down the progression of our
science.”
One thing she wishes she knew
before joining this field was that
“things don’t always turn out the
way you dream; sometimes different
opportunities will come up and they
may be better for you, so don’t
be afraid to take them. There are
multiple different paths to the same
end goal.”
In the near future, Julia would love
to see her government doing better
in the field of basic education.
“Training new researchers starts at
a young age and the state of Basic
Education in South Africa right now,
and over the last 10 years, means
that we are going to take too long to
transform our research tier. You can’t
fix a building with rocky foundations
from the roof,” she says.

Women in Science
I AM...
There’s no limit for
Lunga Nkosi
Lunga Nkosi
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
At a tender age, Lunga Nkosi is
positioning herself to challenge the
notion that engineering is an industry
reserved for males.
A Grade 11 pupil of Hoërskool
Bergvlam in Mpumalanga, Lunga
is a budding scientist who is
very inquisitive and is motivated
by knowing why something is
happening the way it is happening.
She lives with both parents in
Nelspruit, having grown up at the
Waterfall Boven, a small town on
Mpumalanga.
There is something peculiar with
Lunga’s affection for science and
technology that has earned her an
invite by South African President
Cyril Ramaphosa to his inauguration
ceremony at the Loftus stadium in
2019.
She dares to reach out for the sky
as in 2018 she was recognised for
being the best science student in
Ehlanzeni, a district of Mpumalanga
and went on to blaze the trail at
regional stage.
It is these achievements, she
believes, that earned her an
opportunity to represent her province
at the International Science Fair and
further got a silver medal as well as
an all expenses paid trip to Sci-Fest
Africa in Gramstown, where she got
PAGE 22

Women in Science
Now that I know that there is no limit,
like a wild fire in an open field I will reach
greater lengths.
the opportunity to showcase her
project. “My science journey started
when I was in sixth grade and started
participating in science expos, in
particular the Eskom Expo for young
Scientists. What we had to do was
create new inventions with the hope
of going to the national stage,” she
said.
Lunga says one of the
biggest challenges for her,
as a woman in science is
the fact that this is a male
dominated industry.
She boldly states: “Some
people still use that against
us, as they believe that
women are not capable of
successfully pursuing an
engineering career path.”
Lung says she is ready to offset
these stereotypes, as she intends to
study Engineering at the University of
Pretoria after completing her matric.
“I would love to see more women
in my field because it is very
inspiring to see women in a field
predominantly filled with males.”
She encourages other girls to take
mathematics and science at school
to break the notion that engineering
is reserved for males.
For her peers to explore the science
field, she encourages them to
participate in science expos, which is
a perfect pedestal for recognition.
Over the years, Lunga has learnt
to think big in order to achieve
greatness.
“One thing I wish I knew when I
started was that there is no limit to
success. I used to wonder if I was
saying too much for a young girl or
if my topics we’re too complicated
and sensitive to be addressed by a
young teenager. I never understood
the impact of not thinking big until
in 2019 when I went big with my
science project. I took the challenge
and rode with it and the outcome
was amazing. Now I realise that I
could’ve been so far ahead in my
science career if only I had gone big
from the start, however, I now know
that there is no limit. Like a wild fire
in an open field, I will reach greater
lengths,” she says.
Her advice to women is that they
must not be afraid to take up space
in an environment that they are not
familiar with and that they must work
hard to unsettle the stereotypes that
prevent them from venturing into
science. “It is high time we show
people and the world the importance
of woman and that we are stronger
than they think we are. If we can
work on enforcing change outside in
communities, we can definitely do it
in our laboratories as well,” she says.
Lunga says she would like to see
government initiatives that are
aimed at encouraging more young
women to take maths and science in
schools.
She says her love for science
stems from her passion to know
why things are the way they are, as
well as allowing her thoughts to be
tomorrow’s possibilities
She says her typical day includes
attending all classes and coming
back home to complete her
assignments and science projects.
“What I love the most about Science
is that it is such a broad field, taking
into consideration that all living
beings consist of science. From the
moment you wake up in the morning
to the moment you fall asleep you
undergo many scientific changes.
Science allows us as human beings
to grow and expand. Without
scientific principals, this world we
live in would not be as inhabitable as
it is today,” she says.
PAGE 23

Women in Science
Mixing science with
Commerce
Prof Keolebogile Motaung
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
I AM...
Professor Keolebogile Motaung is
receiving accolades from far and
wide because she has thrown the
gauntlet in bridging the gap between
science and entrepreneurship.
This Biomedical Scientist and
Assistant Dean in Research,
Innovation and Engagement in the
Faculty of Science at the Tshwane
University of Technology is also the
founder and Chief Executive Officer
of Global Health Biotech (Pty) Ltd.
Born and raised in Krugersdorp, a
mining city in the West Rand, she
has carved a career path for herself
in science from as early as 1989
when she first worked as a Medical
Technologist at Lancet Laboratories.
Based on her own scientific
exploration into the use of medicinal
plants in tissue engineering of
bone and cartilage, she develop a
natural anti-inflammatory ointment
named La- Africa Soother (LAS)
from medicinal plants, which helps
relieve muscle and joint aches, thus
offering athletes and sportsmen and
women an alternative natural antiinflammatory
ointment has opened
doors for her.
It has capped her 31 years of active
engagement in science, research
and development, innovation and
biotechnology.
Global Health Biotech (PTY) Ltd a
company she founded in partnership
with Dr JohannahMpilu, a traditional
healer practitioner and two of her
former PhD students Dr Maepa and
Dr Razwinani has broken the ranks
in producing the first product of its
kind aimed at preventative care,
as it is applied ahead before and
after physical activity to prevent
anticipated muscle aches, as well as
after the fact.
This product, packaged in a green
and white tube, is already available
on the market.
Motaung has also licensed a
technology from Stellenbosch
University to develop a second
product named pump protein shake
(vegan friendly plant-based). The
product simultaneously leads to
decreased muscle inflammation
which leads to accelerated
regeneration and may be more
effective as an anti-inflammatory
agent than known non-steroidal anti-
PAGE 24

Women in Science
inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and with
less side-effect.
For her groundbreaking innovation,
she has received recognition from
a wide spectrum of institutions
including :
• The Shining Light Award for
Science and Technology- by the
Motsepe Foundation on 6 March
2020
• 2019 Institutional Award as Inventor
of the year (Patent) at TUT.
• Winner of the Institute People
Management (IPM) Business Leader
of the Year Award, 2019.
• Winner of the Top Women in
Science at the16th annual Standard
Bank Top Women Awards by Topco
Media and Communications 2019
• Awarded a grant from DTI/THRIP
to develop a chronic wound healing
dressing using plant extracts and
nanoparticles.
• Winner of the Black Management
Forum (BMF) in partnership with
Standard Bank Top Inventor of the
year award 2018
• Winner of the Distinguished
Woman Scientist under the category
Research and Innovation, South
African Women in Science Awards
(SAWISA) 2018
• Recipient of the #Inspiring Fifty SA
Women 2018.
• Winner of the 2017/2018 National
Science and Technology Forum
(NSTF) South32 Awards under
the category: Innovation Awards:
Cooperate Organization.
• Most Innovative Woman of the Year
in Gauteng in 2018
• Winner, Gauteng Legislature’s
Community Heroine award of the
VITA BASADI Awards in 2017.
• Winner of the 2017 FemBioBiz
Pitching Den, she received an allexpenses
paid trip to Finland to
upscale her business.
• Winner of the Biotech Fundi
Research Award in 2017 and the
Gauteng Accelerator Programme
(GAP) Biosciences Competition in
2015.
Motaung says her most formidable
challenge has been to persevere
and overcome many challenges to
succeed at her work, as she found
that it was important to persist in
her efforts, and not be afraid to use
her academic experience in the
commercial space.
“I am also proud of training my
postgraduate students not just on
how to do research, and become a
scientist, but also on how to become
entrepreneur,” she says.
Asked how she copes in a world
where gender bias is rife, she said
“I stand up for what is right and
truthful, and I deal with all individual
corporate and national self-centred
self-preservation behaviours which
have complete disregard for people.”
Her biggest goal, she says, is to
change how entrepreneurship is
being taught at Universities. To
this end, she frowns at lectures on
entrepreneurship without experience.
Motaung has a passion for tissue
engineering to the extent that she
would advise women scientist to
venture into this field.
“Other avenues of engineering carry
a more rigid approach, yet tissue
engineering is really brand new.
There are no cut and dry answers.
Tissue engineers take an engineering
approach toward solving medical
problem and lack of organ donors”
she adds.
Prof Motaung described tissue
engineering as the act of assembling
functional constructs that restore,
maintain, or improve damaged
tissues or whole organs. Artificial
skin and cartilage are examples
of engineered tissues that have
been approved by the FDA, though
currently they have limited use in
human patients.
She advises women and corporate
to help each other by mentorship
and increasing research funding in
the field of tissue engineering and
establish collaboration.
“Women wanting to enter this field
must have the dream and make it
their responsibility to ensure that
becomes a reality, which means
understanding your weaknesses and
building on your strengths. They also
need a strong and clear purpose to
drive them to succeed in business.
Mastering both worlds of science
and entrepreneurship has been no
small feat for Motaung who has long
adopted a schedule of working 13
hours a day from as early as 6.30 am
to 7.30 pm.
“I am most passionate about
my work because I was able to
create value from my research
findings, and make sure that they
contribute to making people’s lives
better, from scientific research to
commercialisation,” she said.
In future, she would like to see more
government funding in research that
can be commercialized, not only
research and development.
As she looks back on her career and
why she chose it she says: “I was an
inquisitive child and never accepted
information at face value. If you told
me that one plus one equals two,
my next question to you would be,
how did you come to that solution,
explain the logic you used to solve
that problem.”
Prof Motaung holds a D Tech
Biomedical Technology from the
Tshwane University in conjunction
with University of California, Davis
which she obtained in 2010. She has
also obtained her MTech. Biomedical
Technology from the Technikon
Pretoria as well as her BTech.
Biomedical Technology from the
Technikon Witwatersrand.
She has resumed here tertiary
from the Technikon Pretoria where
she graduated in NDip. Medical
Technology in 1992.
PAGE 25

Women in Science
Making progress
on blood clotting in
COVID-19 research
I AM...
Prof Resia
Pretorius
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
I mentor young academics and enjoy
every minute doing it
Professor Resia Pretorius devotes
her time, intellect and energy doing
cardiovascular disease research,
and more recently also studies on
COVID-19.
This Physiologist is full professor
and HOD in the Department of
Physiological Sciences, Faculty
of Science at the University of
Stellenbosch.
She has also done remarkable
researches on early identification
of inflammatory disease risk, using
blood protein and blood ell-based
techniques that are relevant to
clinical practice.
Prof Resia has been awarded
the NSTF BILLITON Distinguished
Research Award in 2018, the
Department of Science and
Technology (DST) South African
Women in Science award (runner-up)
in 2017 and 2019, and finalist in the
Standard Bank Top women awards in
2019. Previous awards also include
the African Union Kwame Nkrumah
Scientific Awards Programme
awarded in 2011 for Basic Science
PAGE 26

Women in Science
and Technology: African Women in
Science and University of Pretoria’s
Exceptional Young Researcher award
in 2008. She is also a rated Scientist
of the National Research Foundation
(NRF) of South Africa, and a member
of the Royal Society of South Africa.
She is also Managing Director
of BioCODE Technologies, a
Stellenbosch University start-up
company.
Born in Virginia in the Free State,
Prof Resia now resides between
Paarl and Stellenbosch, where she is
closer to work.
Her illustrious career started when
she graduated with a BSc in the
Faculty Natural Sciences at the
Stellenbosch University in 1990. She
stayed with the institution until she
graduated with Masters in 1993.
From there onwards, there was no
stopping Resia, who proceeded
to the University of Pretoria to do
her PhD in the Faculty of Biological
Sciences. She embraced the saying
that there is no end to education as
in 2003 she pursued and graduated
with Postgraduate Diploma in
Special Needs Education at the
University of Pretoria.
She spends most of her time editing
and writing research papers, while
bringing together teams and zoom
meetings with all her postgraduates,
departmental members and
collaborators.
“I also teach pre-graduate students,
and I fit in online teaching into this
schedule. I also spend time in my
blood lab, and behind our group’s
fluorescent microscope, currently
doing COVID-19 research. I also
constantly have discussions with the
team from BioCODE Technologies
to keep the company on track.
Somewhere in between all of this, I
write grants and review papers for
journals, while also keeping up with
reading the latest publications in my
field.”
She says her work day ends at
about 5:30pm, when her family time
begins, though she keeps tabs with
urgent issues on her phone and
emails.
Resia says one of the biggest career
highlights for her was to be featured
twice in New Scientist and every time
she gets a publication accepted in a
high impact journal.
“I am also proud of my wonderful
family and being a mother of two
successful brilliant boys and to also
be Nico’s wife,” she says.
In a world where gender bias rears
its ugly head even within academics,
Resia considers herself lucky to have
had both strong, kind and supportive
female and male academics during
her career as female scientist.
“My biggest goal/dream is to keep
doing what I love, to mentor young
academics and to enjoy every minute
doing it. I would love to see more
women in my field because we have
so much passion, perceptiveness
and the ability to contemplate
difficult issues that are always part of
an academic career,” she says.
One way she thinks women
scientists can help each other more
is to be supportive and encouraging
and to look for opportunities for
collaboration.
Resia also advises businesses and
corporate to women in science by
providing flexible working hours.
She would also like to see her
government allocate more dedicated
research grants for both research
equipment and lab costs to female
academics.
When confronted with the question
on what she thinks should change in
the next ten years, she said it is the
need to expand academic research
endeavors to allow for biotechnology
applications that will benefit all.
“One thing this industry needs more
of is investors and venture capitalists
that could assist in translating
research into biotechnology,” she
says.
Together with the aid of INNOVUS,
the Technology Transfer Office of
Stellenbosch University, she has
filed six patents, (three treatment
methods and three biosensors for
early detection of inflammation and
disease risk.
“Since 2 000, I have published/
in press over 273 ISI rated research
papers. I was also associate editor
of the Journal of Alzheimer’s
Disease (Impact Factor (IF): 4.15)
2017, and I am on the editorial
board of two Nature journals,
Scientific Reports (IF: 4.5 ) and
Cardiovascular Diabetology (IF:
7.33). I have delivered keynote
and plenary lectures at numerous
international conferences, and I am
a regular reviewer for numerous
ISI-rated journals. I have supervised
51 completed MSc and PhDs, and I
am currently supervising a further 15
postgraduates,” she says.
One of the important biological
insights that Prof Resina is proud
of is the that biophysical and
biochemical pathophysiology
seen in erythrocytes, platelets and
fibrin packaging, are a significant
accompaniment to a variety of
(inflammatory) diseases and the
reason for hypercoagulability and
aberrant rheology is in part due to
circulating bacterial inflammagens.
The technological innovation is to
use viscoelastic, biomarker and
structural readouts, to develop costeffective
nanobiosensors for early
detection of disease risk.
PAGE 27

Women in Science
WHO ARE YOU
I AM...
Dr Nancy
Ntidi
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
Farmers’ main interest is to
produce increased yields, but their
major undoing is the infestation
of nematodes in crops, and this is
where Dr Nancy Ntidi comes in.
Dr Ntidi, an environmental scientist
specializing in plant protection, says
her profession has played a crucial
role in research that adds value to
the industry and improves yield.
Dr Nancy Ntidi is currently a
researcher at Nematology where
her responsibilities include initiating,
coordinating and managing projects
and people within the projects, while
ensuring optimal utilisation. She also
compiles and manages the project
budgets and independently conducts
specialist research/technical support,
diagnostics, and other services
across projects.
Born in Kuruman, Northern Cape,
Ntidi now lives in Potchefstroom,
North West.
Though her interest in science
started at a tender age, it was
rekindled when she enrolled for
NDiploma in Horticulture (1998),
followed by B-Tech Degree in
Horticulture (2000) at the then
Peninsula Technikon which is
currently the Cape Peninsula
University of Technology. She
PAGE 28

Women in Science
then proceeded to study MSc.
Environmental Science Plant-
Protection in 2008 and PhD in
Environmental Science Plant-
Protection in 2016 at the North-West
University.
She has chaptered a book
about the South African situation
regarding nematode research titled
‘Nematology in South Africa: A view
from the 21st Century’.
Ever since she got qualified in
Nematology, she has devoted much
of her work time counting nematodes
behind a microscope, planning the
field or glasshouse experiments,
measuring plant parameters,
collecting plant and soil nematode
samples, capturing and analyzing
data, compiling and writing reports
as well as manuscripts.
What she loves about the
science field is the new findings
that scientists discover and the
information that emanates from
research to add value to the industry
and improve yield.
She says farmers must realise that
nematodes are the most abundant
organisms on earth and can cause
huge yield losses to crops.
She is proud of what they have
achieved as a team of nematologists
and also how far she has improved
her career. She says one of the
biggest challenges for women in this
field is to be recognised, listened to,
accepted and be appreciated.
“My biggest goal is to be
at a specialty level in the
field and partake in finding
an alternative control
strategy that is naturally
and environmentally
friendly toward the
management of nematode
pests,” she says.
She says she would love to see
more women in her field because it
is an ideal platform to inspire and
support one another to do better to
enable more outputs.
“We need more women in this field
because, in general women are
driven by passion, thus they tend
to stick longer in the job with low
income, low-level positions with
limited promotion opportunities.
Their empathy enables them to be
productive at work for other reasons,
which are mostly based on improving
the livelihood of families and
communities,” she says
In order for more women to be
scientists, she appeals for support
from government and the business
community. “One way business and
corporates can help women in this
field is through funding for research
to create more opportunities for
growth, bursaries for skill capacity
development, fair responsibilities
and allow them in decision-making
positions,” she says.
In order to attract the assistance
they need, she advises women to be
persistent, work hard and go against
all odds, especially because she has
observed that there is no fairness in
the real world and being a women
ensures a more difficult life.
She would like to see her
government allocate funds that will
enhance Nematology and assist
researchers practicing the discipline
to further their careers.
“Given the tremendous actual and
potential impact that plant-parasitic
nematodes can have on agriculture,
it is surprising that awareness and
understanding of nematology have
remained almost unchanged since
the second half of the 20th century.
In the next 10 years, she would like
to see the availability of funding for
long-term research projects in the
field of Nematology.
She also wants to see equal
opportunities for both men and
PAGE 29
women with selection based on
knowledge and expertise and not
political or nepotism influence.
“One thing this industry needs more
of is, respect, honesty and empathy,
thus will eventually lead to more
collaboration with seed and chemical
companies as well as the industry
in general. I believe mentorship is,
essential because it can create great
future leaders,” she says.
She says she has learnt to develop
a develop a thick skin, be original
and know that she can excel on
anything she puts her mind to.
“My biggest goal is to be at a
specialty level in the field and
partake in finding an alternative
control strategy that is naturally and
environmentally friendly toward the
management of nematode pests. I
am most passionate about, creating
a better future for the youth and the
next generation in this country,” she
says

Women in Science
WHO ARE YOU
Seni Dlamini
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
I AM...
She’s an engineer with a sgwag,
having displayed full competence
in the engineering field to prove to
managers that gender is not a limit.
Born and raised in the Kingdom
of Swatini, Seni Dlamini –
Mayabane is not afraid to take
the entrepreneurship route as she
is a self employed Consultant
and Executive Member of
WomEng Eswatini, running the
Communications office. Previously,
she has also acquitted herself well
as a Senior Mechanical Engineer
for Sasol Technology and Facilities
Manager at Conco Swaziland.
Seni was schooled at the University
of KwaZulu Natal 2000-2004
where she graduated with a BSc
Mechanical Engineering.
Her fascination with airplanes from
the age of five led her to eventually
fall for the science field as she
wanted to know how things work,
and why they were that way. She
says while most of her friends had
dolls to play with, she had model
planes and cars.
She spends most of her days
differently, based on the project at
hand. Sometimes she is on the field
and at other times she is behind a
desk working on a computer.
“My current project is assisting
an engineering SME (small and
medium enterprise) with strategy
development in the face of
COVID-19, to improve project
execution and hence customer
satisfaction,” she says.
What she likes about her job is the
versatility it comes with, as every day
has its own challenges and there is
always new and exciting challenges
to solve. “One thing people don’t
realise about my career field is that
I am not a mechanic. I don’t fix cars
and wear greasy overalls all the
time!” she says.
What makes Seni’s world go
round is to see a plant, equipment
or project that she designed or
participated in its making coming
to completion, or being used by the
consumer.
She also gets goose bumps when
seeing a young person she mentored
succeeding.
“I am also proud of the success of
those I have coached or mentored
(male or female), just recently I met
a young man who was appreciative
of my role in the development of his
engineering career. I’m passionate
about developing young talent and
sharing knowledge,” she says.
PAGE 30

Women in Science
She encourages young girls who
are still hesitating to take this career
to take the challenge and to have a
mentor.
One of the biggest challenges for
her, as a woman in this field, is the
need to only want to express a view
when it is perfect!
“I have seen this with a lot of
women in engineering. That is one
thing I admire about the males,
they are not emotionally attached
to their opinions; they share ideas
before they are fully developed and
understand that it can still develop
through other’s input or in time, but
its imperfection is not a reflection
on them. So it took time, and having
been involved in a project from
conception to final implementation
and seeing that iterations and
modifications in the process has
been a great help in my own
personal development,” she says.
Seni recounts how she was
confronted with gender bias situation
at one time when she was still finding
her path in the workplace.
“Having been the only female in my
university graduating class, and one
of 3 females (out of 62 employees) in
my department on my first job, I can
say my work has always been cut
out of me. I remember my first day
at the plant. As a graduate trainee,
a male artisan told me straight up,
that if I couldn’t climb up the reactor
at the certain pace I should just
return to the kitchen where I belong.
Mind you, there is nowhere in the
university curriculum where we
are instructed about climbing catladders,”
she says.
Seni says she used that challenge
as fuel for excellence at her job.
“And then when my 18 months
EIT program was complete, none of
the senior engineers jumped to be
my manager, while my three male
counterparts were grabbed like
hotcakes. I believe I sat for three
weeks without a manager in order to
learn to manage myself.
She says this lasted until one day
when no one raised their hand faster
than her when a fire damage project
came up.
“I gladly and diligently put in those
hard long hours. I had ideas, I solved
problems, I put in the work, I never,
not once cried, or wanted to quit. My
soon to be manager was part of that
team and his words still ring in my
ears even today, 13 years later “So,
you are not as fragile as we thought
you were, you are an engineer, just
like us, just with a pretty face.”
She says this is how she eventually
got a manager, who later became her
mentor and good friend.
Seni would like to see her
government investing more in broad
based engineering development in
Eswatini, especially at the University
of Eswatini where, currently,
engineering seems to be focused on
Electrical and Electronics.
Directing to business and
corporates she said: “There is
nothing more disheartening than not
having ablution facilities for females
in a workshop while the company
strategy was to recruit more
females in the engineering sector.
So, companies need to align their
strategies with their practices,” she
said.
PAGE 31

A doctor with sexual
health lessons
I AM...
Dr Tlaleng
Mofokeng
Women in Science
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
“Do not allow naysayers to distract you
from your dream just because they think
your dream is too ambitious”
Finally, Africa has a medical doctor
who is openly passionate about
assisting people to have the most
affirming sexual experiences that are
pleasurable and free of violence.
Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, who hails
from Qwaqwa in the Free State
is currently the Commissioner for
Gender Equality, United Nations
Special Rapporteur, based in
Johannesburg.
She is author of the bestselling first
book “Dr T: A Guide to Sexual Health
and Pleasure,” which she describes
as a love letter to women. One of the
highlights of Dr Tlaleng’s illustrious
career was to found her own TV
show ‘Sex talk with Dr T’ before
going on to co-host a daily lifestyle
show.
This out-of-the-ordinary medical
doctor is a busybody who is content
with being able to express herself
through her work in so many ways.
One of her biggest career highlights
was being appointed the United
Nations Human Rights Council
Special Rapporteur on the Right to
Health on the 17th July 2020.
After cutting her teeth at the
University of KwaZulu Natal
(UKZN), Nelson R Mandela school of
Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery and
Bachelor of Medicine, MBChB in
2007, she went to DISA Clinic where

Women in Science
she was Medical Director.
Since then she has never looked
back.
“What I love most about my field
is the ability to take so many career
paths and areas of specialisation
and that no matter how far removed
you may seem to be to patients, all
your actions can have direct positive
outcomes that benefit people who
need it most. One thing people don’t
realise about my career field is that
doctors also grieve for patients’ loss
and death. We actually think about
our patients constantly even at
home,” she says.
Dr Mofokeng says one of her
biggest challenge as a women in
this field, has been the experience
of harassment both from colleagues
and patients, which she says is a
silent problem and one that must not
be tolerated.
This is the reason she has realised
that there is a very wrong societal
gender bias that paints woman who
are sex positive and body positive as
promiscuous.
A true proponent of women in
science, Dr Mofokeng believes it is
important for women to live by the
intersectional principle even in their
different sectors because the root
causes of inequality are the same.
“We must form inter-sectoral
women’s forums and networks to
leverage off and inspire across fields
and so that our efforts for equality
in the workplace are coordinated
and we are not in silos far removed
from each other professionally,” she
states.
She also sends an SOS business
and corporates to help fund and
resource scholarship programs for
women entering medical training as
well as ensure sustainable financial
support throughout the very long
undergraduate degree, while offering
support beyond academic expenses
to include a stipend for daily living.
She minces no words in that non
governmental organisations that
have industrialised their operations
need to be rebuked,
“I would like to see an
end to dependency on
philanthropy and foreign
aid for the delivery of
sexual and reproductive
health services and the
immediate rebuke of the
industrial complex of the
NGO sector,” she warns.
Enrolling for a medical doctorate
profession demands time and
commitment to academics, but Dr
Mofokeng warns that girls who walk
down the path should also spend a
little bit of time on social activities,
When she started her studies she
says she was as prepared as she
possibly could be, but still found that
medicine was very difficult.
“Looking back, I wish I had partied
a bit more and had a bit more fun
doing other social activities than I
did. My advice for women wanting to
enter this field is that they should go
for it.
Do not allow naysayers to distract
you from your dream just because
they think your dream is too
ambitious,” she asserts.
She says if more women were to
take this career path, it might help
to disrupt the boys club at the top of
medical profession.
PAGE 33
“Having more women doesn’t
automatically make things better on
its own, however to make changes
happen fast, it might take women
in those positions, in many more
numbers to effect the change we
want because we live with the unfair
work schedules, being overlooked
for positions because you may need
maternity leave at some point as a
registrar or that vacancies in certain
specialties are still preferred to be
filled by men,” she says.
For the healthcare profession to
flourish, Dr Mofokeng finds that there
is need for healthcare professionals
who are advocating for health rights
as much as they are delivering
services.
“We need healthcare professionals
who lead in policy and legislation,
medical financing and funding
and program design among other
disciplines, as we are the ones at the
end of the day who have proximity to
patient and know first-hand what the
challenges are regarding translation
of policy into services,” she insists.
Looking back, Dr Mofokeng says
she got into this career because
she had always wanted to help
people get back to health, From
her childhood, she says she had
always had the passion to help her
family and neighbors when they were
injured, to the extent that she even
sourced medical supplies for her mini
doctor’s kit.
For such a passionate doctor, she
says a typical day would be to first
have a cup of coffee put eyeglasses
on and proceed to “go through
emails and refining my workplan for
the day.
I am usually reading, typing, on a
voice call and scanning documents
to review at the same time.”

Women in Science
Katekani joins fights
against COVID-19
I AM...
Katekani
Ngobeni
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
Katekani Ngobeni is using her specialisation in
infection prevention and control to play a role in
finding a cure for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ngobeni (34), who hails from kaNdengeza
outside Giyani in the Limpopo region of South
Africa is a senior researcher at the Council for
Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and
has joined the national search for solutions to
the novel COVID-19 pandemic.
She is not a novice in the field of infection
prevention and control, having engrossed
herself in this field for the past 10 years. She
has also done research in the field of TB
infection prevention and control over the past
few years, an occupation that gave her a ticket
to travel around the world to ensure health-care
workers in resource limited areas operate in a
safer environment.
Her responsibilities include working
closely with government departments and
implementing partner organisations, especially
those funded under the U.S President
Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEFAR), whilst
ensuring that programme activities are carried
out within the recommended practise standard
based on evidence and international guidelines.
She is also involved in the delivery of online
courses and webinars on topics related to
Personal Protective Equipment.
Ngobeni has also played a key role in
facilitating a COVID-19 preparedness course
for the South African National Defence Force
(SANDF)
She is pursuing a Masters’ Degree through the
University of Johannesburg, exploring the use
of respiratory protection devices in low income
healthcare settings.
Ngobeni was selected to attend the Building
Design and Engineering approaches to airborne
infection control training hosted by the Harvard
University in the USA. She has also been
Runner Up for the JD Roberts Awards for
emerging researchers under the age of 35 to
recognise and celebrate the contributions of

“More women should be hired into leadership positions and allow
them to chart their own path, hard as it maybe. Women should
be given a lot of freedom and creativity in their work.
younger colleagues within the CSIR.
Growing up with her grandmother,
who struggled with lack of access
to clean water, sanitation and basic
hygiene, inspired Ngobeni to take
interest in science.
“It was at that point, that I decided
to focus on my studies and further
my education in something that I
knew would help my grandmother
and our community one day. It was
instilled in me from a very young
age to save the community and
our people from some of these
environmental issues,” she says.
She says her mother, who is a
teacher also contributed by nurturing
her passion.
“When I moved from Limpopo to
Soweto, she ensured that I had to
take extra lessons to catch up on my
Mathematics and English in primary
school. She also fought for me to be
in an Environmental Health classes
in college and ensured that I was
aligned with the right mentors,” she
says.
She says what she likes most
about her field is that she gets to
be at the forefront in contributing to
groundbreaking research as well as
its implementation.
“There is no doubt that the CSIR
work environment is unique because
of the richly diverse workforce that
we have. We work and collaborate
with a collection of the best South
Africa has to offer. The organisation
can be viewed as the innovation
hub of the country. The body of
knowledge that comes out of
the compilation of these diverse
backgrounds is very dynamic and
committed to improving living
conditions for everyone in South
Africa,” she says.
Far from confining herself to
the laboratory, Ngobeni spends
most of her time in the office and
attending conferences and meetings
to disseminate information and
form relationships with different
stakeholders.
She says one of her biggest
challenges as a woman in this field
is working in a male dominated
research group.
“While our research group leader
is female, we work in a maledominated
group. By virtue of that, I
have learnt so much from my boss,
on how to navigate your way up
in a male-dominated environment,
leading a successful team to many
milestones of achievements and
still being a lady while doing it,” she
says.
She says she however, considers
herself lucky to be working for
an organisation that doesn’t
discriminate based on gender or race
and creates equal opportunities for
both males and females of different
races based on merit.
Ngobeni believes that women
advocating for women is essential in
all disciplines, especially those that
remain male-dominated and feels
fortunate to be surrounded by female
researchers who are incredible
sources of support and inspiration.
“One way I think women scientists
can help each other more is by
making sure that senior or more
established female scientist should
mentor the more junior scientists
so they can recognise and address
impostor syndrome and stereotype
threats, and encourage them to
prevail,” she says.
She adds that women need to be
honest with other women colleagues
about their fears and failures
and also be able to share their
successes.
Her advice to business and
corporates is that they must allow
women to act as both pioneers and
role models for others.
“More women should be hired into
leadership positions and be allowed
to chart their own path, hard as it
maybe. Women should be given a
lot of freedom and creativity in their
work,” she says
She advises young women
wanting to enter this field to ward
off distractions and prioritise
their education. “I love telling my
mentees, “If I have done it, you can
do it too” and seeing their eyes
glowing. All they need to do is focus
on their education first and avoid the
destructions of social media if they
want to achieve their goals
She says adolescent girls and
young women (AGYW) are prone to
contracting HIV/AIDS in Sub Saharan
Africa, despite substantial declines in
new HIV infections globally.
“Another threat to AGYWs in
Southern Africa is the “blesser and
blessee” phenomenon which is quite
prominent in South African. This is
a form of transactional sex in which
older rich men (“blessers”) tend to
entice young women (“blessees”)
with money and expensive gifts
in exchange for sexual favours. In
most cases, these older men are
married men who secretly engage in
extramarital affairs with these young
women. These are very real dangers
that need to be addressed,” she
says.
Ngobeni says data shows that
AGYW are up to 14 times more likely
to become HIV-infected than their
male counterparts.
She would love to see her
government scale up access to
adequate water, sanitation and
hygiene services, especially hand
hygiene in health care facilities,
schools, public places and homes to
help stop the current pandemic and
reduce the risk of future outbreaks.
“One thing this industry needs
is smart technological health
innovations that add value in
the form of improved efficiency,
effectiveness, quality, sustainability,
safety and affordability. This will
influence communities profoundly
by disrupting markets, changing the
relative importance of resources,
challenging organisational learning
capabilities, and altering the basis of
competition,” she says.

Women in Science
Dr Elliosha’s Molecular biology
helps to increase crop yields
Dr Elliosha Hajari
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
I AM...
Dr Elliosha Hajari is playing a
massive role to ensure food security
in the country with her research
projects in the field of biotechnology.
Dr Hajari is a Researcher in
Biotechnology at the Agricultural
Research Council-Tropical and
Subtropical Crops specialising in
Molecular Biology.
Born in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal,
Hajari currently lives in Nelspruit,
Mpumalanga, South Africa.
As a biotechnology researcher, her
responsibilities includes developing
methods for DNA fingerprinting of
tropical and subtropical fruit crops
such as litchi, mango, macadamia,
citrus and other related tasks.
Previously, she has also worked as
a lab assistant while completing her
PhD, where she performed basic lab
duties.
Hajari studied Bachelor of Science
(three years) at the University of
KwaZulu-Natal, afterwhich she
proceeded to do her Honours (one
year) and Masters (two years).
Eventually, she did her PhD (parttime).
She then completed a threeyear
post-doctorate at the South
African Sugarcane Research Institute
before joining the ARC.
She says one of her memorable
highlights was when she got a
scholarship from an international
funding body to participate in her
first overseas conference.
“I had the opportunity to travel by
myself to a foreign country and was
the only representative from Africa at
the conference. It was a life changing
experience on a personal and
professional level,” she says.
Her journey in the science has not
been uneventful, as at times she has
had to deal with some circumstances
of gender imbalance.
“I have been at many meetings
where I am one of only a handful of
women present – this is the norm
that women in science have become
accustomed to. In these situations,
you need to metaphorically put on
your Supergirl/Wonder Woman cap,
stride forth with confidence and
make sure that your voice is heard!”
she says.
Relating how she got into the
science field, she says she was
looking for something “easy” when
PAGE 36

One of the biggest challenges for me, as a woman in this field,
is to be recognised for what I do and not for what I look like
her parents sent her off to university.
“I learnt very quickly that I was
wrong because this wasn’t as easy
as I thought it would be and in the
process, I discovered my career
path, almost by accident,” she says.
Now, she is accustomed to
spending time at her computer,
planning to make sure everything
runs smoothly in the lab and
troubleshooting when things go
wrong. She works on data for the
next publication.
“Unfortunately, I am not in the lab as
often as I would like to be but I have
a great team and together we are
able to get things done,” she says.
She notes how increasingly,
women are making inroads in
the biotechnology field by virtue
of hard work and being awarded
opportunities.
Her honest advice is that hard work
and perseverance are key in this
field.
“Science is constantly evolving so
don’t be afraid to learn new things
and forge your own path. I have been
in the research arena for a number
of years but I am still that person
that will do a happy dance in the
lab when we get a tricky sample to
work. The enthusiasm for discovery
and the passion for learning keeps
you trying to do your best and share
what you have learnt with others,”
she says.
She says what she likes the most
about her field is that there is always
something new to learn and that
people do not realize that science is
actually a lot of fun.
Her biggest career highlights
was being invited to become the
Associate Editor for an international
journal as well as being able to give
back to the organisations that helped
fund her academic success.
“One of the biggest challenges for
me, as a women in this field, is to be
recognised for what I do and not for
what I look like,” she says.
She says she overcomes gender
bias circumstances with the
assertion that: “I am stronger than
I look” Dr Hajari’s biggest dream is
to help inspire the next generation
of South African scientists from all
walks of life,
She says women deserve
recognition because they come with
a different but equally important
perspective to the science field.
She also thinks women have an
opportunity to support each other in
the science field and that business
and corporate need to provide
opportunities for women in science.
“I believe mentorship is helping to
guide young scientists by providing
them with the tools that will lead
them onto a successful path,” she
says.
PAGE 37

Women in Science
Be confident and speak up
I AM...
Dr Nqobile Xaba
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
It is possible for black kids
with a dream to succeed
In a continent where energy saving is a crucial conversation,
governments and corporate would benefit from the intellect
of Dr Nqobile Xaba, a researcher in energy conversion and
storage.
Dr Xaba, who hails from Inteke, a village of Pinetown, in
South Africa, has been tried and tested in the field of energy
storage technologies including fuel cells and rechargeable
batteries.
A former Postdoctoral Research fellow at Tshwane University
of Technology (July 2019-June 2020), Dr Xaba has had
opportunity to conduct research in energy conversion and
storage focusing on the development of electrocatalysts for
alcohol fuel cells and rechargeable batteries. She has extra
qualities in proposal writing, attracting funding and project
planning.
Previously, she has also served as a Postdoctoral Research
fellow at Council for scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
(Nov 2018-Apr 2019), where her responsibilities were mainly to
conduct research on energy storage Technologies (lithium-ion
batteries) on the development for relevant anode materials for
lithium ion batteries (tin and bismuth based nanocomposites).
This was before she was a Doctoral Researcher at the same
institution between June 2014 and Sept 2018.
She was awarded her PHD in Chemistry at the University of
the Western Cape in Aug 2018, after completing her Master
in Chemical Engineering at the North-West University in 2014.
Her Bachelor of Science Honours and Pure and Applied
Chemistry were completed at the University of Kwazulu Natal.
She says being in academia allows her to combine her
passion of teaching and the ability to contribute to scientific
innovations through research.
She has founded, and is currently serving as a
communications manager for, green-STEMfoundation,
an organisation dedicated to mentorship, STEM career
PAGE 38

Women in Science
awareness, and skills development
to impoverished youth.
Dr Xaba says being in academia
allows her to combine her passion
for teaching with the ability to
contribute to scientific innovations
through research.
“Due to good grades in science at
high school level, I decided to pursue
chemistry upon entry at university.
Through my undergraduate journey
and everything in chemistry
making sense, I decided to pursue
postgraduate studies. This made
me develop passion for research
and ignited the desire to conduct
research that will address the
socioeconomic challenges in our
society,” she says.
Dr Xaba says she now proudly
imparts knowledge and motivates
the future generation to pursue
careers in science.
“I decided to pursue research
in material science working on
developing materials for energy
conversion and storage technologies
including fuel cells and rechargeable
batteries, because our country is
facing energy shortages and these
technologies are key to developing
sustainable energy in our country,”
she says.
She says her daily chores includes
meeting up with students that she
co-supervises to ascertain their
progress as well as going to the
laboratory to see their work and
prepare for research work.
Dr Xaba also sets up online classes
and sends students information
regarding the academic progression.
She says what she likes the most
about the profession is that it gives
her the opportunity to be involved
with finding scientific solution and
better the lives of the people of this
country.
“I also have the opportunity to
interact with students and have the
ability to make a difference in their
lives. As a black young woman, I get
to meet first hand, younger students
from all walks of life. I want them
to see someone like them in front
of them so that they know that it is
possible for black kids with a dream
to succeed,” she says.
She also notes that being in
academia required one to further
their education beyond a bachelor’s
degree and that comes with
challenges for women who find
themselves with child or wants
to start a family, more especially
because postgraduate scholarships
have limited funding period and also
do not cover maternity period.
“This leaves women having to
choose between pursuing an
academic career and starting a
family. If they choose both, they
risk not finishing on time without
funding. There must be provisions
and support to address this issue if
the intention is to have more women
in academia or women with doctoral
degrees,” she adds.
Dr Xaba says being a scientist is
taxing in terms of long hours of work
and attention to detail.
“There is a lot of time spent on
preparation for students before
one gets in class and academics
spend a lot of time working on
research projects in their chosen
field, including writing proposals for
funding.”
Her biggest goal is to contribute
to technological developments to
address the energy shortages in her
country, and to influence government
energy policy through her research
and to inspire more women to get
into STEM careers.
She advises young girls to grow up
knowing that there are no limits and
that they can be anything they set
their mind too.
One way she thinks women
scientists can help each other more
is to empower each other through
mentorship and encouragement.
“Science is still a male dominated
field and we need more women to
follow suit. We need to collaborate
with each other on the work we do
and create networks; we need to
share resources so that more of us
can stay in science and be able to
lead,” she says.
She also calls upon the business
community and governments to
invest in infrastructure as well as
ideas and to trust women scientists
with projects. Dr Xaba says this can
be in a form of research funding that
is needed and development of the
researches made so that they are
marketable and will be able to have
an impact in society. She also makes
a strong case for the employment
of women and that they be paid
what they are worth as the pay gap
between men and women is still a
problem.
“Women are faced with challenges
of taking time off for family
commitment, therefore corporate
or business must create structures
that accommodate these challenges
for development of women in the
workplace,” she says.
She warns young girls to build
networks whilst still studying
because they would need such
contacts after getting their PhDs.
“My advice for women wanting
to enter this field is that there
are no limits, you are more than
capable of holding your own end.
Find a mentor and a support
system to help and guide you.
You already know you are smart,
so hard work and perseverance
will ensure that you succeed.
Be confident and speak up for
yourself,” she says.
She notes how the COVID-19
pandemic exposed some setbacks in
institutions, as there is now the need
to fully embrace technology and use
it to move from contact or face-toface
learning into online learning
mode specifically in science. She
says this will also allow institutions
to accommodate more students as
there won’t be space issues.
“This way, students can learn from
anywhere,” she says.
PAGE 39

Women in Science
Prof Lesley Cornish a role model
in academia and metallurgy
Lesley Cornish
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
I AM...
Professor Lesley Cornish is a role
model in the science field with her
many qualifications, accreditations
and awards in academic research
and metallurgy.
She is currently the Academic
Director of the DSI-NRF Centre
of Excellence in Strong Materials
as well as Academic Director of
the African Research Universities
Association (ARUA) Centre of
Excellence in Materials, Energy and
Nanotechnology.
Her responsibilities entail running
the two centres, lecturing,
supervising research students and
undertaking research.
Previously, she has served in
strategic research positions of
various institutions, such as Mintek,
where she was Section Head in
the Advanced Metals Group and
Materials Scientist, in the Physical
Metallurgy Division, (subsequently
renamed the Advanced Materials
Division) between the period 2001
and 2007.
She has also been an academic
(being promoted Lecturer to personal
Professor) in metallurgy at the
University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg in the period between
1989 and 2001.
She also worked at the United
Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority,
in the (Active Handling Building A59)
at the Atomic Energy Establishment
Winfrith, where she was a Higher
Scientific Officer between 1985 and
1989. Her responsibility was chiefly
to lead a group that was examining
nuclear fuel after it had come from
the reactors.
They were safely extending its
time in the AGR (Advanced Gas
Reactors).
To do all these engaging and
technical tasks, Prof Cornish had
to be adequately trained, and she
undertook a B.Sc. (Hons.) Metallurgy
and Materials Science in 1977-
1980 at Birmingham University,
UK. This was quickly followed by a
Masters in Computer Science M.Sc.
Computer Science, 1980-1981, also
at Birmingham University, UK.
In 1986 she graduated with a PhD in
Metallurgy and Materials, again from
Birmingham University, UK. Her PhD
thesis was “Computer Calculation
PAGE 40

Women in Science
I had to overcome gender bias by showing that she could
work just as long hours as men in an uncomfortable environment
of Phase Diagrams including the
Molybdenum-Based Intermetallics in
Uranium Dioxide Fuel Pins.”
Other qualifications that she
amassed in her academic history
include a Diploma in Management
Studies at the Dorset Institute of
Higher Education in Bournemouth,
UK (now Bournemouth University)
and a PG Dip Ed (HE) Learning and
Teaching in Higher Education at the
University of the Witwatersrand,
which she did part time, and
obtained a distinction.
She says she became interested
in metals and microstructures at the
age of 14.
Before the COVID-19 lockdown
disrupted many people’s work
schedule, Prof Cornish’s daily chores
were mainly lecturing for about
an hour, seeing the postgraduate
students for a few hours, running
around trying to sort things out for
lecturing or research, and one or
two hours of formal meetings with
her colleagues, sometimes driving
there, with the rest of the time spent
working on her computer in the
office.
Now she does most of her tasks
online, working from home.
She says what she likes the most
about her field is the variability and
that there is much to learn.
Prof Cornish says one thing people
don’t realise about her career field
is that there are quite a few women
working in it, and that “you do not
have to be a weightlifter!” to make it
work.
“One of the biggest career
highlights for me is all the travelling
I used to do, and winning two NSTF
Awards and being the Second
runner-up for Distinguished Women
Researchers Natural (Physical and
Life) and Engineering Science South
African Women in Science, in 2019,”
she says.
She is also proud of the interactions
she had with the students, and
helping them progress.
“One of the biggest challenges for
me, as a women in this field, was
getting accepted in an environment
where there was a mostly male
workforce who were less educated
than me, and I had to work to get
their acceptance by listening to them
(in many things, they did know best),
but also proving that I did “know my
stuff” and being prepared to work
on “the shop floor” as well as in my
office,” she says.
She says that in her career, she
has had to overcome gender bias
by showing that she could work
just as long hours as men in an
uncomfortable environment. One
of such incidents, she recalls, was
being prepared to climb up the
outside of a very tall tower (on a fixed
ladder) to inspect something.
Prof Cornish’s biggest goal is to
ensure that there is adequate funding
for materials research to support
students and for equipment, raw
materials and travel to conferences
and other labs.
She unequivocally states that
women can make great contributions
to the science field, although there
are quite a few there now. She further
calls on those in the field to support
and mentor each other.
“One way business and corporates
can help women in this field is to
PAGE 41
stop ‘fast tracking’; working your way
through things is really beneficial,
because you learn more that way,
and are better accepted,” she says.
Responding to the question on what
she wished she had known before
taking this career path, Prof Cornish
says: “I should have done more
failure analyses! I did not really have
the chance, but I could have made
the chance, and this would have
given me more flexibility later on.”
Her advice to those taking up
the calling to science is “Grab any
experience you have, because then
you become more useful. Also, the
more you do, the more you learn.”
She advises women intending to
join the science field to “go for it”,
but warns against job hoping too
much as “then you are never in a
particular environment long enough
to learn things and develop.”
She adds that she would like to see
the government give more money to
research and materials, because they
are important to help develop work
and people.
“One thing that needs to change
in the next 10 years is integrity and
the work ethic: I see so many people
taking short cuts, and they are really
not doing themselves any favours,”
she says.
She believes her industry needs
more understanding of the effects
of pollution, and the effects of
corrosion, both of which would save
a lot of money which could be used
for other things.
She says personally passionate
about trying to understand and
explain things, and the development
of people.

Women in Science
Thulile straddling
science and social
entrepreneurship
I AM...
Thulile
Khanyile
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
Thulile Khanyile has made it her responsibility
to mentor teenagers to take up Science
Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM).
Khanyile is Lecturer and Scientist at
the University of the Witwatersrand. Her
responsibilities include lecturing and conducting
research to which she is currently investigating
various DNA and recombinant protein based
vaccine strategies against HIV. Her role includes
supervising postgraduate students.
She is also Co-founder and Co-Executive
Director of Nka’Thuto EduPropeller, a not for
profit organisation, although she is currently
focusing on completing her PhD.
As co-executive director she oversees
the day to day running of the organisation,
implementing the company’s long-term and
short terms plans in line with the organisation’s
objectives, vision and mission.
She is also responsible for ensuring that the
operations and activities of the organisation
produce desired outcomes and are in line
with the overall mandate of the organisation.
She also reviews organisational reports both
financial and non-financial reports as a means
to create solutions or improvements on existing
systems.
Previously, she worked at the Council for

In the social entrepreneurship side of the field, there seems to
be a mistrust for women led organisations amongst
funders and stakeholders
Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR) where she moved up the
ranks from being an in-service
trainee in Biosciences to Master’s
candidate Researcher in the National
Laser Centre until she became a
Doctoral candidate Researcher in the
institution’s Biosciences Business
Unit.
She is currently pursuing a Doctoral
Degree in Molecular Medicine and
Haematology at the WITS University.
From the same institution, she
had graduated with a Master of
Science in Molecular Medicine and
Haematology.
She resumed her academic studies
at the TUT where she graduated with
a National Diploma in Biotechnology
in 2011 and proceeded to do
a Bachelor Of Technology in
Biotechnology in 2012
Thulile says she got into the medical
research field because it enables her
to contribute to the advancement of
knowledge and potentially solving
complex medical problems such
as discovering cures, vaccines,
therapeutics and even contribute to
the development of diagnostics tools
and devices.
“On the other hand, I got into the
civic leadership space through
Nka’Thuto EduPropeller to ensure
that the most marginalised teenagers
attending low quantile schools gain
visibility to the world of STEM and
innovation.
This enabled me to also make a
difference and contribute to the
development of a pipeline of STEM
professionals for the national system
of innovation,” she says.
A typical day in her line of work
includes catching up with e-mails
from the Wits University in the
morning, putting together a to-do list
for the day which typically includes
conducting some experiments and
checking on the animal models that
assist her me in conducting the study
as mandated by ethical obligations.
“I try to read publications as often
as I can, but it is fairly difficult to
keep up with. I generally need to
ensure that my lectures are up to
date. I have to make time in the day
– mostly in the afternoons to check
up on Nka’Thuto and ensure that
my duties are fulfilled there as well.
Without a proper plan for the day
it’s very easy for me to get lost,” she
says.
What Thulile likes about the science
field is that it gives her the urge to
solve problem, as she likes asking
questions and reporting on data
findings.
She says one of the things she
enjoys about sciences is presenting
research findings to a study that
she was involved in both orally and
through written reports.
Her role at Nka’Thuto gives her
fulfillment, especially because she
creates a platform that enables
teenagers to dream and realise their
potential.
“Also, being in social
entrepreneurship is thrilling in a
similar way to the research I conduct
because both require strategy, which
I really enjoy. Playing out different
scenarios in my head and debating
which would be best and finally
putting the strategies to the test is
exciting for me,” she says.
She says the reason many
researchers find themselves in
management positions outside the
STEM industry is because research
equips one with most of the tools
needed to manage an organisation.
“Research is project management
which entails planning, execution,
monitoring & evaluation of all the
resources (including finances) and
reporting,” she says.
One of the biggest career highlights
for her, she says, is being able to
enter meaningful conversations and
spaces that contribute to change.
She says she is also proud of
the awards and honours she has
received as well as the feeling of
having made her parents proud.
Khanyile says one of the biggest
challenges for her, as a woman
in this field, is feeling like she is
ignored.
“I don’t like feeling as if I need to
prove myself or that I am being
set up to fail, as I don’t receive the
same support as some of my peers.
Just because there are initiatives
that seek to empower women in
the sector, this is not always well
received by others in the field who
are most of the time your seniors,
who perhaps want to challenge why
you’re in the position you’re in,” she
says.
She says arguably, these challenges
may be a result of other factors either
than being a woman.
“In the social entrepreneurship side
of the field, there seems to be a
mistrust for women led organisations
amongst funders and stakeholders,”
she says.
The PhD candidate says one
gender bias that she overcame
was that women are sometimes
overcome by emotion, which
ultimately compromises their work,
and that women can’t lead other
women.
“I would love to see more women
in my field because while there are
many female biologists this doesn’t
translate to leadership positions
and this compromises diversity of
thought and ideas in the industry.
As a social entrepreneur in the
space of advancing STEM I would
say we definitely need more
female STEM professionals in
entrepreneurship,” she says.
She says women scientists can
help each other by collaborating and
creating meaningful and honest work
relationships, especially across racial
lines.
PAGE 43

Women in Science
Zoologist Dr Lia Rotherham
mentors girls in STEM
Dr Lia Rotherham
BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE
I AM...
Dr Lia Rotherham has assumed a
role of mentorship to inspire young
females to follow their dreams in
science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM).
She is a researcher on Vaccine and
Diagnostic Development Program
at the Agricultural Research Council
(ARC) where she devotes hours
developing diagnostics for a wide
range of pathogens that cause
disease in livestock and poultry.
Her duties include writing grant
proposals, project management,
conducting research on the
development of novel diagnostics for
a range of animal diseases (such as
avian pathogens, abortion causing
pathogens in livestock) investigation
of the molecular epidemiology of
such diseases as well as offering
support to diagnostic services
Previously, she has also worked
for the Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR) where
she had the opportunity to join the
Aptamer Technology team and
subsequently pursued a PhD degree,
with a focus on TB diagnostic
development.
She cut her teeth in Zoology at
the University of Pretoria where she
started with a BSc in 2 000, and ever
since that time, she dedicated herself
to this field until she graduated with
a PhD is Microbiology in 2012 at the
same varsity.
Her love for mathematics and
science, coupled with an inquisitive
mind that loves problem solving
landed her in the science profession.
She has always had that innate
call to do something that made a
difference in people’s lives through
science.
Dr Rotherham spends her time
between the laboratory and the
office, where she analyses data
on computer. She also says she is
actively involved in helping with any
task that needs to be completed,
even if it does not relate directly to
her projects.
“What I love most about my field
is that I get to help people across a
broad spectrum. Working within the
animal health sector is fulfilling in
PAGE 44

Women in Science
“It is often still the case that male scientists are favoured
over female scientists as there is a perception that they
are more intuitive, that they have more control and
that young female scientists are a risk due to their
childbearing abilities.”
that you make an impact in terms of
ensuring small scale farmers have
access to diagnostics that not only
protects their livestock but also the
people that they employ. I find the
greatest reward is not being known
for what you have achieved but
simply knowing you have enabled
someone to sustain their livelihood,”
she says.
Her greatest achievements
was developing a point-of-care
TB diagnostic while having the
opportunity to go overseas on
multiple occasions and working with
some of the best scientists in the
field.
She has a rare quality that enables
her to adapt to any situation and be
able to work with almost anyone on
any project and reach a conclusion.
“One of the biggest challenges
for me, as a woman in this field,
is earning the respect of other
scientists, especially male scientists
in Africa. It is often still the case
that male scientists are favoured
over female scientists as there is
a perception that they are more
intuitive, that they have more control
and that young female scientists
are a risk due to their childbearing
abilities,” she says.
Over the years, she has learnt that
it is what you know and not that you
are a woman that gets you to climb
the corporate ladder.
Dr Rotherham says she would like
to see more women joining the field
because female scientists have
exactly the same capabilities as male
scientists.
She says female scientists just need
to stop second guessing themselves
due to peer pressure.
She further believes strongly that
if women scientists were to support
each other, they would overcome the
self-doubt that they often experience
due to being told they are not
good enough. This way, she says,
they would work together towards
greatness and achieve more.
“One way business and corporates
can help women in this field is
to ensure there is more female
leadership within scientific
institutions and on scientific boards,
by supporting their female scientists
and enabling them to reach their
potential. Many female scientists
are overlooked and kept in junior
positions, in favour of male scientists
in leading positions,” she says.
In a continent where young
scientists are discouraged from the
field, Dr Rotherham emerges as a
strong believer in mentorship. She
says this is an important part of
shaping young individuals.
“I believe as a female scientist
I have a responsibility to ensure
more young females follow the path
that I have, to teach young females
to follow their dreams whatever
they may be and not to let anyone
deter them from the path they have
chosen.”
Personally, she considers herself
lucky to have had many female
mentors that have taught her to
stand up and let her voice be heard
to show people she is more than
capable.
She says one thing she wishes to
have known before joining this field
is that it is okay to be assertive and
bold when it comes to your research.
“You do not have to conform to
what most of society considers
acceptable in terms of leadership,”
she says.
She would like to see her
government create an environment
where more female scientists are
put in leading positions to inspire
young females to follow careers in
science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM).
PAGE 45

Women in Science
WOMEN SCIENTISTS
Mean Business
Science and
entrepreneurship has a
common ground from
which women could
exploit the substantial
benefits of embracing both fields
simultaneously for the sake of
personal growth.
Africa is seeing an increase in
academic professionals who also
double as entrepreneurs in the very
field they study in. From a distance
the two fields are completely
unrelated, with one focusing on
research, laboratory tests and
computing results while the other is
concerned with marketing strategies,
profitability and bookkeeping.
Women scientists say it is fulfilling
to them to have a place where they
can practically implement what
they can develop in the lab. This
increasing interest in science of
entrepreneurship had resulted to
the redrafting of science courses
in Universities so that it includes
an element of entrepreneurship.
Without such adjustment, scientists
are compelled to graduate with
doctorates and then return to
sit behind the desk and study
commerce.
Lauren Seymour argues in her blog
“Science Pub” that the similarities
in the two trades cannot be over
emphasised.
“At their core, entrepreneurs and
scientists both create and test
hypothesis and develop solution to
problems. The challenges faced are
also paralleled in both career paths
from funding to communication,” she
reckons.
The Africa University of
Zimbabwe has introduced a
course called Master of Science in
Entrepreneurship, Innovation and
Creativity. In the course outline, it
is described as “a very practical
programme aimed at producing
entrepreneurally minded graduates
who will appreciate the vital role that
innovative and creative entrepreneurs
play in today’s society.”
The aim of this programme,
according to the prospectus, is to
prepare students to develop insights
that will help them discover and
create entrepreneurial opportunities
and the expertise to successfully
initiate, launch, manage and grow
their own ventures through start-up
entrepreneurial projects which could
be helpful to Africa’s competitive and
dynamic economies.
Talking about using science to
develop the economy, the African
Union Commission welcomed
a document titled The Science
Technology and Innovation Strategy
for Africa which outlined the variables
that make science so intrinsic to the
development of economies.
Some of the priority areas under
the umbrella of science include
eradication of hunger and achieving
food security, prevention and control
of diseases, communication (physical
and intellectual mobility) and wealth
creation. It also lists the promotion
of entrepreneurship and innovation
as a necessary pillar to achieve the
science and technology innovation
strategy.
No doubts, Africa’s women
scientists have a role to play in the
area of wealth creation through
entrepreneurship. If they get involved
in entrepreneurs that speak more
about their academic profession,
such as private surgeries and
science collages, they are even
better placed to succeed. The
document is on point when it turns
to African governments, calling
upon them to create enabling
environment for science, technology
and innovation. If the request is to be
implemented, women scientist, who
are victims of gender bias would also
benefit and venture into innovative
means, including entrepreneurship.
One of the role models in this
field is Rapelang Rabana, a South
African technologist with Honours in
Computer Science. She co-founded
Yeigo Communications, which was
SA’s first development company
that offered free VoIP mobile
services. This earned Rapelang
a place in Forbes 30 Under 30
Africa’s best Young Entrepreneurs
and Oprah Magazine’s O Power
List 2012. Nagwa Abdel Meguid of
Egypt studied genetics and went
on to establish a highly successful
children’s clinic. Dorcas Muthoni
is founder and Chief Executive
Officer of Openworld LTD a highly
successful specialist computer
software company in Kenya. It is now
a leading eGovernment and business
software services firm. The list is
endless.
Of these women. Forbes writes:
“these are just a few of the African
scientists making the world a better
place.”
PAGE 46

Women in Science
IMPACT OF COVID-19
On Women
In a continent where there are
over 800 000 novel coronavirus
infections and about 13 000 deaths,
the challenge lies on all scientists,
regardless of gender, to play a role in
finding and rolling out a cure.
The growing interest by women
scientists in researches that
contribute to the global urge to find
a vaccine and to understand the
pandemic better have been hailed by
governments.
As healthcare workers in the
continent are at the forefront of
the battle against the pandemic,
it is common knowledge that a
majority of nurses are women. A
large number of the continent’s
nurses have contracted the virus in
the line of duty, placing the lives of
their loved ones also at risk. They
do not hold back their commitment
to save lives, even in situations
where governments would rather
use finances elsewhere than buy
personal protective equipment (PPE)
for health workers.
Countries, such as Ghana, which
has availed incentives such as tax
holidays and pay increases for
nurses who at the frontline of the
fights against the poandemic, have
helped to boost the morale of health
care workers.
As one of the critical aspects of
finding a vaccine is conducting trials,
scientists say that it is vital for Africa
to take part in these trials, arguing
that not doing so could jeopardise
efforts to find a vaccine that works
worldwide.
Africa Centre for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) Director
John Nkengasong recently said
hopes were high that the vaccine
for COIVID-19 could be developed
in Africa because the continent
has manufacturing capabilities and
capacity especially in countries
such as South Africa, Tunisia, Egypt,
Nigeria and Senegal.
Recently, the World Health
Organisation published a report in
which it was discovered that the
impact of COVID-19 on women
and girls is high. To qualify these
findings, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the
WHO Regional Director for Africa
said women were disproportionately
affected by lockdowns, resulting in a
reduced access to health services.
COVID-19 has also taken a negative
toll on the general health of women
in the continent, most of who have
since resorted to other means of
finding treatment than presenting
at health care facilities where there
is shortage of staff and chances of
being exposed to COVID-19.
“As efforts are focused on curbing
the spread of COVID-19, essential
services such as access to sexual
reproductive health services have
been disrupted. According to
PAGE 47
preliminary data, in Zimbabwe,
the number of caesarean sections
performed decreased by 42%
between January and April 2020
compared with the same period in
2019. The number of live births in
health facilities fell by 21% while new
clients on combined birth control
pills dropped by 90%. In Burundi,
initial statistics show that births with
skilled attendants fell to 4 749 in April
2020 from 30 826 in April 2019,” the
WHO said.
It was also said the bulk
responsibility of caring for the sick
is borne by women, be it at home
or in healthcare facilities. To add
to this, the WHO also found that
women were at the receiving end
of domestic violence and financial
worries during the lockdown period.
The World Bank recently said
the infection in Africa would reach
110 million and that the existing
gender inequalities would worsen
as a result of the pandemic. It
said the pandemic has adversely
affected women’s income generating
initiatives, especially given the fact
that they form 58% of the continent’s
self employed population.
At this point Africa needs dedicated
women and men who are willing
to sacrifice comfort to save the
continent either though scientific
means, health care, philanthrophy
and skills development.