University of Mpumalanga (UMP) vice-chancellor Professor Thoko Mayekiso spoke to Leadership’s Ralph Staniforth about the current plight of women in South Africa—and she is once again proving to be the inspiration we need to move forward as a country
Exactly a year ago, Leadership sat down for a chat with University of Mpumalanga (UMP) vice-chancellor Professor Thoko Mayekiso, who, rather alarmingly, admitted that we as a nation “are not doing enough for our women” in the world of work and education.
So, as we celebrate Women’s Month once again, it made perfect sense that we spoke to her to find out if anything has changed over these past 12 months.
Thankfully, Prof. Mayekiso admits that change is taking place, albeit slowly. Proof of this change can be seen in the healthy rise in the number of female students in terms of enrolments and graduation rates, while statistics with regards to women enrolling in masters and doctoral programmes are moving in the right direction.
Female empowerment initiatives in entrepreneurship development such as the Student Women Economic Empowerment Programme (SWEEP) contribute towards the nurturing of women leadership and empowerment, while policies to safeguard equity and equality in the workplace ensure that there is constant monitoring of the transformation agenda.
While all of this is promising and shows an advancement in the last year, Prof. Mayekiso is not resting on the progress being made, as “more still needs to be done”.
“The noble pursuit of advancing equality and equity for women in education and the workplace requires a relentless pursuit,” Prof. Mayekiso insists. The baggage of patriarchy weighs heavy, and the yoke of historically negative vestiges continue to be bugbears, but we should not give up.
“We have made considerable strides already and we have moved far into the journey of equality and equity. Whilst we have a lot to do, developments elsewhere in the world can galvanise our own efforts. For example, Kamala Harris breaking the glass ceiling in the USA and running for President, and our own Justice Mandisa Maya becoming the Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa, should be used as a source of inspiration.
“Whilst we note progress, we should not sit on our laurels. Equality will be reached—the green shoots we have seen give us hope and bolsters our confidence. We should never give up.”
Prof. Mayekiso believes that key to further progress are multi-pronged strategies which work to ensure that the advancement of the equity and equality agenda comes to a head by creating opportunities for women.
These include taking women through empowerment programmes, providing them with mentors and coaches, and making international travel possible in order to broaden horizons and provide experience.
Another strategy which has been mooted in the past is a greater focus being placed on teaching the importance of equality within the foundation phase and beyond in schools.
Prof. Mayekiso believes that such a strategy could work wonders for future generations, as all avenues need to be explored if we are to achieve our goals.
She explains: “Until equality is attained, we cannot speak of enough coverage. In fact, we should be talking about experience rather than coverage. For a matter so much manacled by historical factors, we cannot speak in absolutes i.e. this process will end by this time or this date.
“In point of fact, every strategy we can bring on board, and each technique we can apply to improve the picture, we must go for wholeheartedly.
“Access in the foundation phase should be followed by retention and throughput efforts so that those female students entering the system should not fall by the wayside. When input and outputs are commensurate, this can give us hope that the needle of change is moving in the correct direction.
“In this way, the equality battle will be kept alive and eventually fully won. Liaising and collaborating with business and sharing ideas on how to improve and advance the agenda of women is laudable.”
UMP’s empowerment mission
From a support structure point of view at UMP—led by Prof. Mayekiso herself, women are given the chance to shine and feel empowered to tackle the challenges they still face today.
The human resources division of UMP keeps a close eye on equality and transformation whilst ensuring that the pursuit of equity is done fairly, with redress firmly in the minds of those responsible.
Staff members participate in the HERS-SA Academy, which provides capacity development for women in higher education, while the women of the university have many role models they can look up to within the staff base.
These role models include the university’s chancellor, Justice Maya, Prof. Mayekiso herself, and the plethora of other senior members of staff who are women.
“Students and emerging academic and support staff see many who look like them being recognised and empowered. Most importantly, they see those who look like them lead and advance the vision of the university. The lessons they learn are that it is possible to lead with a great deal of success as women,” Prof. Mayekiso avers.
To build upon their work in the realm of empowerment, UMP has a number of events planned for Women’s Month. One of the bigger events this August will see UMP celebrate Women’s Day through a special Women’s Breakfast on the 13th of August at the Mbombela Campus and on the 16th of August at the Siyabuswa Campus.
The theme for this year’s celebrations is, ‘Woman, Ignite Your Fire’.
“Our goal is to provide women with a safe space to reflect on their achievements as women and be motivated to aspire to achieve more. They receive tips on how to create pools of excellence around themselves,” Prof. Mayekiso explains.
Inspiring the next generation
Many people look up to Prof. Mayekiso as an inspiration, both in terms of her career and through her strength to break down barriers as a woman.
With that in mind, she is perfectly placed to offer advice for those who are looking to make their own mark in their chosen vocation.
“It is not always easy, but it is always worthwhile to be driven by a vision and purpose,” Prof. Mayekiso says. “Equity and equality are bigger than any individual. They are struggles to keep on fighting for so that future generations of women students find the path already paved.
“We need to sacrifice now so that the glass ceilings are shattered forever once and for all. ‘Dip the proverbial bucket where you are and remain persistent’ forms my guiding torch. ‘Lift as you rise’ is another maxim that prompts me to take younger women along and mentor them through their journey.”
While Prof. Mayekiso may be held in very high regard, the reality is that she is also human—and humans are not perfect.
The toughest of the tough still have insecurities and anxieties, while self-doubt has a way of crippling those who maintain a tough exterior.
However, Prof. Mayekiso does not like to use the words ‘insecurities’ and ‘anxieties’, as she believes that they “conjure up negativity when we entertain them”.
Therefore, she prefers to talk of challenges and concerns to keep these feelings real and authentic—and the real challenges and concerns for her are that of the plight of women.
“The issues worth guarding against are complacency and comfort zones. When I am not sure about the action to take, I ask. It is important to understand that asking when you are not sure is not a sign of weakness,” Prof. Mayekiso explains.
“When one sees the struggle of women as bigger than any one person, one’s resolve is galvanised to work hard. Women need to feel safe in this country, they need to enjoy the same privileges as their male counterparts. There should, therefore, be no countenancing of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and femicide.
“Our girl children from young ages should be brought up to cherish the values of mutual respect and equality. Biology should never be destiny.
“We need to keep working hard at ensuring that women in education and business do not get the short end of the stick and are able to pass the torch to the next generation, which is central to progress. I keep using the lever of transformation, and a strong policy regimen to ensure that women students are not short-circuited.
“I remind myself constantly to never abdicate the immense responsibility of ensuring that the war on the oppression of women is won and discharging that responsibility with grace and humility.”
A true visionary
In July 2024, BBQ Magazine—the sister publication of Leadership Magazine—held the 20th edition of the BBQ Awards.
Among the big winners on the night was Prof. Mayekiso, who was awarded the ‘Public Sector Visionary Award’.
Many of you who have followed Prof. Mayekiso’s journey in the pages of this magazine will no doubt agree that there was no better recipient of this award.
But how does it feel for the person receiving the award?
“Being recognised inspires others to follow my example. Furthermore, recognition also serves as affirmation and vindication that one is on the right track. Many others will strive for excellence, having seen the spotlight shone on my efforts. We need to move from ‘the power of one’ to empowering many until a critical mass is attained,” she says with pride.
“Once a critical mass is reached of those striving for excellence, many organisations and the institutions will be provided with optimal leadership and overall improvement. The journey can be tough and exacting the victory remains sweet. By remaining focused, never giving up, and keeping motivation alive even when the temptation is high to give up, that is what leads to victory.
“We need to tell ourselves as women that we shall overcome and victory is certain, as words from struggle songs would urge us.”
Being a visionary within the world of business and education is no mean feat.
To deal with the future and to pioneer are never easy undertakings. The task of the leader is to embody the vision and cement it for others so that they can follow your lead and believe that what lies ahead will be better than what currently exists.
The elements of integrity, diligence, and determination are key to this. Excellent communication skills and engendering trust also play a crucial role in taking others along as a visionary.
This leads to the question of leaving a legacy, which Prof. Mayekiso believes needs to involve leaving an organisation in a better state than you found it.
“To keep a balance between execution of strategy while keeping the vision is never simple. Leading is about inspiring others to follow you. As one management guru observed, if you lead and there is no one following, you might as well have been taking a walk in the park,” Prof. Mayekiso explains.
“Going to where there is no trail and carving a path—to paraphrase a thinker of yore—is not for the faint–hearted. Leaders remain alive and vigilant to the fact that not all those you lead will follow. The courage to part ways with those demolition gangs as opposed to construction teams should remain a constant in the armamentarium of a leader.”
In terms of the decisions Prof. Mayekiso has made during her career which she feels fall in line with the ‘visionary’ tag, she takes us back to the start of her journey at UMP.
When she was headhunted for the position of the founding vice-chancellor of UMP in 2014, Prof. Mayekiso was the deputy vice-chancellor: Research and Engagement at Nelson Mandela University.
While she was occupying a position that brought her a lot of joy and evoked passion, she believes that she took the visionary and calculated move to pack her bags and head to a new environment; literally to start an institution from scratch.
“It was a daunting but extremely satisfying move. The enormity of the task did not escape me and my commitment to the pioneering role was unwavering,” she says.
“Furthermore, all career moves I have made, knowing when to move and strategising about where to move to throughout my career, sufficiently demonstrate the tag of ‘visionary’.
“Making strategic moves, after balancing the pros and cons, made me move at an appropriate time and for reasons that have seen me add value to the next institution that I have joined.”
UMP at a glance
In November 2023, UMP celebrated a decade since the establishment of the university under the theme, ‘A Decade of Excellence and Creating Opportunities’. In February 2024, the institution celebrated a decade since the opening of the doors of learning at UMP on 19 February 2014.
The celebrations provided Prof. Mayekiso and all involved with UMP an opportunity to reflect on the pioneering journey travelled over the past 10 years and to draw lessons from it, as well as derive aspirations for the next 10 years and beyond.
“We have seen phenomenal growth and success in so many areas. Our student numbers have grown from 169 in 2014 to 10 192 in 2024. Our academic programmes have increased from three in 2014 to 75 in 2024, ranging from higher certificate to doctoral degrees,” Prof. Mayekiso states with extreme pride.
“An increase in the number of academic staff members with doctoral degrees from 5% in 2014 to 55% in 2024 has been immensely gratifying and the number of NRF-rated researchers has increased from one in 2014 to 16 in 2024.
“Watching the completion of every facet of what has now become an iconic campus with state-of-the art infrastructure and facilities, proved satisfying beyond measure. Ten consecutive years of clean audits also speak volumes about how well run our institution has been.
“On any evaluation metric that can be used, we have no modicum of doubt that we may be found wanting. Our programme of the Vice- Chancellor’s Scholarship has seen students consistently progress to a point where some of them are now forming our proverbial own timbre.”
To go along with all the sterling work going on behind the scenes at UMP, 2024 has produced yet another success story for the institution.
UMP is a member of the University Incubator Consortium (UNIIC) which comprises 17 universities from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, and South Africa.
UMP students from the Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator participated in the 2024 UNIIC Ideathon competition, jointly hosted by the Palawan State University, Western Philippines University, and the Mindoro State University in Puerto Princesa, Philippines from 27 to 28 May 2024.
The UNIIC Ideathon was attended by Prof. Mayekiso, Prof. Kanayo Ogujuiba, Prof. Estelle Boshoff, and Dr Mazanai Musara.
The UMP team that participated in the competition, which was represented by Ms Masedi Gwashana, Ms Melody Chiume, Ms Bongiwe Nkosi, Ms Innocentia Nkosi, and Ms Kholofelo Makhubupetsi, won the vertical on ‘Health and Wellness’.
The team presented on the idea of converting mangoes to compost and mango chips that would support rural communities in the Mpumalanga Province towards food security and sustainability.
This was a follow-up to the last competition by UNIIC members in 2022 hosted by the Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where the UMP team won the ‘Best Pitch Award’.
The UNIIC 2024 Ideathon, which was attended by 156 students from the member universities, provided UMP students with the unique opportunity to enhance their visibility, expand their networks, engage with potential partners, and forge meaningful relationships with participants from other universities.
“As we approach the end of 2024, I would like the spirit of excellence to continue being embedded into the organisation and in many ways, ultimately, become the DNA of UMP,” Prof. Mayekiso says.
“I would like to see the growth we have been experiencing firmly maintained. Most importantly though, to see innovation, creativity, and the entrepreneurial spirit holding sway and gaining prominence within UMP. This is needed so that the institution can keep on growing in leaps and bounds. We want to continue providing access with success to our students.”
The GNU and education
In closing, it would have been remiss of us not to ask Prof. Mayekiso her thoughts on the Government of National Unity (GNU) in South Africa and how she believes it will benefit the education sector in the country.
While she is upbeat about the future under the GNU, she admits that a lot of issues need to be ironed out before the likes of education can truly flourish.
“The GNU reflects the will of the people in terms of the voting that took place on 29 May 2024 and, therefore, gives our political leaders a fresh chance to craft something new together.
“Something that transcends political differences and focuses on the needs of all South Africans: creation of employment opportunities, adequate supply of electricity, provision of clean and adequate water, poverty eradication, safety and security for all citizens, and the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals. When all these are addressed, the education and business sectors will ipso facto benefit and improve.
“Investors are sensitive to stability and policy certainty and the sooner South Africa can show these, the better for all! History is beckoning and one hopes our leaders will hearken to the call of history,” she concludes.
And we couldn’t agree with you more on that, Prof. Mayekiso.
| The journey of Professor Thoko Mayekiso Professor Thoko Mayekiso is the first vice-chancellor of the University of Mpumalanga, with effect from 1 November 2014. She obtained a BA, BA honours, and MA in psychology from the University of Fort Hare. She furthered her studies at the Free University of Berlin in Germany, where she obtained her D Phil (cum laude) in psychology. She also holds a higher education diploma (PostGraduate) from the University of South Africa. She is a registered clinical psychologist with the Health Professional Council of South Africa (HPCSA). In her sterling academic career, Prof. Mayekiso has held the positions of senior lecturer, associate professor, professor, head of department, and vice–dean at the then University of Transkei. She practiced as Honorary Clinical Fellow at the Greenwood Institute for Child Health, University of Leicester and simultaneously served as clinical psychologist in the Department of Medical Psychology, Leicester General Hospital in the United Kingdom. The South African University Vice–Chancellors’ Association and the American Council on Education awarded her a fellowship which was tenable at the University of Washington, Seattle. She then joined the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in 2001 where she served as head of school, chair of psychology, deputy dean, and then acting dean in the faculty of humanities. She proceeded to Nelson Mandela University in 2007 as an executive dean in the faculty of arts, and then deputy vice-chancellor (research and engagement) in 2009. She is a C3 rated scientist by the National Research Foundation. She has published a number of articles in accredited journals, written book chapters, and supervised 26 masters students and 12 doctoral students. She is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and is also a member of the ASSAf Steering Committee on the establishment of the Forum on Just Transition. She is the chairperson of the USAf Research and Innovation Strategy Group, and is a board member of Higher Health. Prof. Mayekiso was the recipient of the ‘Public Sector Visionary Award’ at the 2024 BBQ Awards. |
| The ‘Public Sector Visionary Award’ and women empowerment “Winning the ‘Public Sector Visionary Award’ has provided me with visibility and credibility. The message of winning should be communicated and coached in such a way that values are important to adhere to. The process and the journey are as important as the destination. Working as a team member pays off. I have benefitted from working with well welded teams. Building trust, resolving conflicts, holding others accountable are messages to disseminate when one is given a platform. I also urge that a balance be kept between the individual, the task, and the group: meaning for leadership to be impactful the dimensions of Group-Individual–Task (GIT) need to be kept in check. There should never be discrepancies between the messenger and the message, leading by example as it were,” Prof. Mayekiso states. “The UMP community voted favourably to a recommendation to name the Library and Information Services Building as the Thoko Mayekiso Library and Information Services Building. This recognition was a unique and rare feat. The whole university community agreed to honour me in such a unique way. This corroboration of recognition literally means that one has been consistent and constant in the pursuit of excellence, and well deserving of accolades received. Women would really like to look up to such a leader. I feel honoured to have such an inspirational role so that others can draw courage and confidence from what they have seen me do. Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending. It is crucial, therefore, never to drop the ball.” |
| Prof Mayekiso’s Timeless Attributes Of A Leader To have the ability to listen and engage To have high levels of empathy To be able to solve problems To have the courage to engage in difficult conversations To be resilient To have an uncanny knack at engendering trust To be comfortable in your own skin To be willing to embrace change To be able to think outside of the box To be innovative and creative |
