Two remarkable women academic leaders from CPUT recently celebrated an extraordinary victory at the Higher Education Women Leaders Awards.

HERS-SA hosted the awards at the Lagoon Beach Hotel and Spa in Cape Town. These awards mark the pinnacle of HERS-SA’s commitment to empowering and celebrating women whose leadership has positively transformed the higher education sector. HERS-SA not only recognises and honours academics but also uplifts women in all leadership roles within higher education.

Prof Tembisa Ngqondi, Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Design, received the Women in Student Development and Faculty Administration Award. Her research interests focus on Information and Communication Technology, particularly in the areas of Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) and Information Technology Governance.

Meanwhile, Prof Bongani Ncube, who has over 30 years of experience in water, agriculture, and environmental studies, received the Trailblazer Award. She holds a Chair under the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI), which was established by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) in 2006.

Andiswa Mrasi, the Manager of Strategic Initiatives and Projects in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, was also a finalist for the Women in Support Services Award. Mrasi is a higher education professional with over 15 years of experience in both the private sector and academia, including a decade at CPUT.

Ngqondi dedicated her award to "every woman who walked before me," emphasising that leadership is not easy, especially within the faculty, which she described as the heart of the university. She pointed out that everything that happens at the university is carried out within the faculty. “It simply means the Dean works and interacts with staff, students, management, parents and community. To keep my sanity, I have to understand my mandate and my calling and always be informed about the system and what is happening around me. Understanding my mandate is key because it helps me to deliver in and out of season. As we stand on the shoulders of women who walked before me…”

Ncube expressed her gratitude to HERS-SA for bringing visibility to women, including those who often go unrecognised. She also thanked her colleagues from CPUT, including Prof Marshall Sheldon, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, and Prof Suresh Ramsuroop, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, among others. Ncube also acknowledged her students and the farmers that she works with, describing them as “greater winners”. “I would like to thank the farmers, the women in the farms that I work with…most of our work is done there under the tree. What makes me do the work that I do is listening to their stories about access to water and how things were still difficult.

“The reason why this work is such a passionate place for me is because it is work that deals with access for previously disadvantaged communities, access for children…”

Ngqondi added: “As leaders, we must forget about ourselves and think about empowering those who will come after us. Mentorship is about building the caliber of women who will take over from us and continue printing women's footprints for the generation to come; this must not end. 

“As women, we must refuse to act as victims; we must not be victims of anyone but stand bold in the boardroom while coming prepared and understanding the system. I always advise young women to make sure that they prepare themselves for the opportunity, let the opportunity find them ready.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Three outstanding CPUT women have been named as finalists in the prestigious Higher Education Women Leaders Awards (HEWLA).

Hosted by Higher Education Resources Services South Africa (HERS-SA), the awards recognise remarkable contributions to teaching, research, leadership and social impact.

The CPUT finalists are:

Andiswa Mrasi – Women in Support Services category

Mrasi is a higher education professional with over 15 years of experience in the private sector and academia, including a decade at CPUT, where she serves as Manager: Strategic Initiatives and Projects in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences.

Prof Tembisa Ngqondi - Women in Academic Administration category

Ngqondi is an Associate Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Design.  Her research interests are in Information and Communication Technology, with a specific focus on Information and Communication Technology for Development and Information Technology Governance.

Prof Bongani Ncube – Trailblazer category

Ncube has over 30 years of experience in water, agriculture and the environment. She is a Chair under the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI), established by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) in 2006.

The awards ceremony will be held at the Lagoon Beach Hotel and Spa in Milnerton on 28 August 2025.

Dr Soraya Beukes, chairperson of the HERS-SA Board said: “We’re proud to be honouring women leaders through these awards that celebrate groundbreaking achievements and pave the way for future generations in higher education. For us, the awards are more than accolades - they are a symbol of progress and a catalyst for transforming the future of higher education.”

Written by CPUT News
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A pioneering mentoring programme at CPUT is making strides with the first mentor and mentee meeting recently held at the Bellville Campus.

Sixteen CPUT staff members have volunteered as mentors and 32 students have been selected as mentees for the pilot phase of the programme.

Among other things, the mentors will offer guidance and support the students’ academic/career goals and assist the students to grow both professionally and personally.

The programme has roots in the EmpowHer and Amajita’s Men’s Programme initiatives at CPUT.

EmpowHer SA-CPUT was launched in 2022 and is aimed at empowering young women in terms of leadership, personal development and entrepreneurship.

The Amjita’s Men’s Programme serves as a platform to bring young men of CPUT together to work on solutions and to take ownership of pertinent psycho-social issues on campus by addressing men’s involvement in health-seeking activities, encouraging men to reduce risky behaviour, and challenging gender inequalities that are driving the rapid spread of HIV and AIDS.

Orientation for the mentorship project started in February and was followed by a mentoring retreat held in April, which provided valuable training for the 16 mentors to upskill and cement their mentoring attributes.

The mentors and mentees had their first mentoring session during the meet and greet presented by the Division of Student Affairs, the Human Capital Department and HERS-SA.

“Today they signed their mentoring agreements and they started their first sessions, and for that we are grateful because it has now evolved into what we want, meaning they have started to mentor,” said Dr Soraya Beukes, Chairperson of HERS-SA.

“This is the first cohort and we’re hoping that it spreads like wildfire and that we get more and more mentors and more and more mentees.”

The plan is for the students to have regular meetings with their mentors and Beukes told them that there would be regular check-ins.

“This is your road to success.”

The event also included a coaching session with Dr Jean Hazlitt.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Empowering young women was at the centre of the recent Afrocentric International Student Affairs pre-conference, recently held at the Bellville Campus.

The event, presented by EmpowHer-SA-CPUT, was dedicated to celebrating and advancing women in leadership, growth and resilience and included displays of arts and culture and thought-provoking panel discussions.

Dean of Student Affairs, Nonkosi Tyolwana, welcomed the audience with a message of encouragement.

“You are not vulnerable. You are in charge of this society… you can lead and you have all the potential to lead.”

Zimasa Dumbisa from the Mowbray Local Student Representative Council delivered a message of support.

“As we gather here today, let us acknowledge the women who paved the way for us. Let us celebrate their achievements, their courage and their commitment to excellence, but let us also recognise that there is still a lot of work to be done. Let us continue to empower each other as women in leadership.”

Brightness Mangolothi, Director of the Centre for Diversity, Inclusivity and Social Change, spoke on the topic of Advancing Equality and Access for Young Women in Education and Leadership.

“I just want to say to you when we talk about participation, we are the ones that we've been waiting for. You are the leader that you desire. In most cases, we think we have to wait for someone to make the change in our lives. We are the change that we want to see.”

Prof Dionne Rosser-Mims, Vice-Chancellor of Troy University in the United States of America, said it was a “profound honour” for her to attend the event.

“To the students in this room, your voice matters. Your presence is powerful. You are not the leaders of tomorrow; you are the leaders of today. To the allies who are in this room – your role is not to speak for but to stand with. Use your privilege to amplify and not overshadow,” she said.

Other speakers included HERS-SA chairperson, Dr Soraya Beukes, the Division of Student Affairs’ Melani-Ann Hara, who provided an overview of the EmpowHer Programme and entrepreneur, Itumeleng Maganedisa.

Dr Melanie Swanson, Head of the HIV/Aids at CPUT, said the event “created a platform for empowered voices that echoed growth, addressed barriers and for seeing a new generation of bold, brilliant young women”.

She said the event was a launchpad for future women leaders, leading in their spaces.

“This type of platform reinforces our commitment towards passing the baton to them to lead as young minds.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Faculty of Business and Management Sciences kicked off the Women’s month celebrations at CPUT with an exciting webinar under the theme: Choose to Challenge.

The event featured a number of trailblazing women including HERS-SA director Brightness Mangolothi, Attorney Rehana Parker, PhD candidate and founder of cultural education brand KroesRocks, Simone Thomas and Ortem Callaghan, a spoken word artist.

Choose to Challenge was the theme for International Women’s Day 2021 and resonated with the Faculty.

In her opening remarks, Nonkosi Tyolwana, Director of CPUT’s Centre for Diversity, Inclusivity and Social Change, said that while there have been important strides in promoting gender equality and women empowerment, “our work is far from finished”.

“That is why today the faculty is working towards a better day for women and girls. And yet this mission of gender equality and women empowerment needs constant nourishing and multi-stakeholder engagement as well as active support both physically, mentally, morally and materially.”

Mangolothi quoted from the Global Gender Gap Report 2020 which showed that it would take almost a century to attain gender parity.

She said the rise of women was not about the fall of men.

“I want you to apply for those positions, I want you to apply for those awards and I want you to mentor women and that’s how we can actually take up spaces.”

Dr Desiree Scholtz, the Faculty’s Assistant Dean: Teaching & Learning and chair of the planning team for the event, said it was hoped that the take-away from the event would be how different women from different backgrounds have chosen to own their space, to share their stories “about how each of us can make a difference to others’ lives in one way or another”.

Senior lecturer, Mandie Richards said the webinar allowed an opportunity for women to reflect on the progressions as well as the limitations, and to share their experiences and power of influence so as to uplift and inspire women.

“The platform is also a reminder that there is a great deal of work which still has to be done so as to challenge the status quo and social injustices, and that as women we need to continue to pay it forward so that we create a future which is inclusive, thereby creating a positive, more diverse future for current and future generations.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Three outstanding CPUT academics have been named as finalists in the 2023 inaugural Higher Education Women Leaders Awards (HEWLA).

They are:

Prof Tembisa Ngqondi, Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Design (Humanitarian category)

Prof Beatrice Opeolu, Faculty of Applied Sciences (Trailblazer category)

Dr Sisanda Nkoala, Faculty of Informatics and Design (Emerging Young Women Leaders category)

Higher Education Resource Service – South Africa (HERS-SA) announced the finalists this week and the Awards Ceremony will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Woodstock, Cape Town, on 7 September.

The awards recognise the achievements of South African women in Higher Education who lead, inspire and motivate those in and outside their institutions to be more and do more. It is aimed at inspiring and attracting new leadership talent to the sector, thus creating role models, advancing gender transformation and creating visibility for higher education women leaders in South Africa.

According to HERS-SA Director, Brightness Mangolothi, this year marks HERS-SA's 20th anniversary. "We believe that this is the best way to celebrate what has been achieved to steer gender transformation in higher education. We received 218 nominations, which is a huge number for an inaugural award. The calibre of women nominated is a testament to the fact that we have women who can hold the reins of power."

Written by CPUT News

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Accelerating Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality was at the centre of a recent Women’s Month commemoration at CPUT, which also celebrated “SmartCPUTWomen”.

The event, one of many Women’s Month celebrations that will be held at CPUT this August, was presented by the Centre for Diversity, Inclusivity and Social Change, in collaboration with Human Capital and the Advancement Department.

In her welcoming address, Prof Driekie Hay-Swemmer, Executive Director in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, said that beyond serving as a commemorative event, “days like today should also serve as an occasion for introspection into the progress made since the march of 1956”.

Hay-Swemmer said while progress in terms of empowerment and gender equality had been made in some realms, there was still a journey ahead to eradicate gender-based violence (GBV), to ensure that women receive fair compensation in the workplace and are recognised and acknowledged in all facets of society.

“Though women in Africa are often the backbone of their families and communities, they still face systemic barriers that hinder economic participation, from unequal pay to limited access to resources.”

She said: “We must strive for a world where every woman can live free from fear and can pursue their dreams without hindrance.

“My prayer for all of us is to stand in solidarity, supporting initiatives that empower women, advocating for policies that promote gender equality, review them, time and time, asking ourselves: are these policies doing what they should be doing?”

Brightness Mangolothi, Director of HERS-SA spoke, on the topic of coaching and mentoring as a tool for empowerment.

Mangolothi said coaching and mentorship inspire inclusion and belonging.

“If we can catch that we will take our institution to greater heights. We need more coaching and mentorship intervention that factors an intersectional lens.”

Vuyokazi Dwane, Senior Director: Human Capital, spoke on the topic of A Culture of Inclusiveness for Neurodivergent Women, while Sixolile Ngcobo, Director: National Strategic Plan - Gender Based Violence and Femicide Localisation Lab, spoke about Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality in Higher Education.

Dean of Students, Nonkosi Tyolwana said GBV is one of the critical issues that impede the progress of women.

Tyolwana presented the findings of the Report of the Ministerial Task Team on Matters of Sexual Harassment and Gender-Based Violence and Harm in South African Universities.

Other speakers included Xoli Fuyani, Director: Black Girls Rising, Lynn Hendricks from the Advancement Office and the Bellville Local SRC’s Anelisa Frieste.

The event also presented opportunities for engagement, a session on finance, presented by Sanlam. as well as fun activities.

Written by Ilse Fredericks

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.