Ncediwe Qomoyi, Director: Human Capital Operations and Services, challenges women to grab opportunities presented to them and not to look down on themselves.
“Women need to stand up and work hard in supporting each other and not work against each other. In doing that, we will together turn any hindrances we are facing to opportunities,” she remarks. Qomoyi believes that empowering women addresses issues of the past and transforms our mind-set to ensure gender equality and inclusivity.
“Women are strong and can survive any obstacle placed before them. What we have to do, including myself, is to realise that we are wonderfully and fearfully made.”
Born in King Williams Town, Eastern Cape, Qomoyi, through the financial assistance of her community and church members, managed to obtain a BTech in Commercial Administration at Border Technikon, now Walter Sisulu University. “My parents struggled to see us succeed in life… That alone made me want to achieve and do it for them. Unfortunately, my father passed on in the same year I was doing my matric and so my mother took the responsibility of ensuring that I further my studies,” she recalls.
The church leader continues: “Both my parents never went to school… During those days parenting was not done by one’s biological parents only but by the whole community [who] cared about our childhood... This shaped me into what I am today.”
Her first job was at African Bank as a Personnel Secretary and then she was employed by Border Technikon as a Personnel Clerk. She was later promoted to Personnel Officer and eventually to a Human Resources (HR) Generalist. From 2002 -2004, the Technikon granted her a scholarship to study in Australia where she obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in HR Management and further completed a Master of Business Administration at University of Newcastle.
On her return, she was promoted to Senior HR Practitioner and three years later she was employed at CPUT as HR Manager. Qomoyi also believes commitment, dedication, perseverance and loyalty took her to where she is today. “As a result, I had acted several times in the Executive HR roles at CPUT for longer and shorter periods.”
However, she admits that it had never been easy to be part of such high-level leadership of the Institution, “but I thank God that I persevered. I had been in hot spots and high-level institutional platforms and I managed. I am proud to say, now I hold this post [since April 2019].” Qomoyi manages close to 30 staff members and deals with many stakeholders regarding human capital matters.
She says CPUT, through the Learning and Development Unit in Human Capital, has made good strides in empowering its staff. “We currently have good programmes which cut across all levels. We have provided coaching and mentoring programmes, Women in leadership programmes e.g. HERS-SA Academy, Leadership development training for directors and many more.”
Despite her demanding job, she is currently studying towards her second Master’s degree in Labour Law with the University of the Western Cape, “Although it’s difficult and challenging, I am still determined to pursue a PhD.”
She says the representation of women in leadership is something “we still need to work on together and I am glad to be part of a department that is one of the key stakeholders of transformation in CPUT”.
“The institutions of higher learning should trust their own and strive to ensure that they are mentored and coached to achieve. Successful leaders regularly speak about the advice they had received from those who walked the walk before."
*For the duration of Women’s Month, we will be profiling several high profile CPUT women whose achievements and activities help us to become One SMART CPUT.
Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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