5 Women Leaders in Higher Education

Women Transforming The Tertiary Education Sector

By Jessie Taylor

Women are increasingly being recognised as leaders in the Higher Education sector, as efforts are made to improve gender equality at our countries teritary education facilities. According to the Gender Commission's Report On Gender Transformation In Tertiary Institutions although some institutions of higher learning have improved the recruitment of female candidates in academic, top and senior management positions, progress on transformation is still slow.

Professor Advocate Thuli Madonsela

Professor Advocate Madonsela was one of the people who drafted the final Constitution of South Africa, and she has also served as a full-time member of the South African Law Reform Commission. Among laws she helped draft, are the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, the Employment Equity Act and the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act. She also co-founded and one of the inaugural leaders of the South African Women Lawyers Association.

One of her most notable positions was as the Public Protector, an office she held for seven years. In this capacity, she investigated State of Capture. Thuli Madonsela is an advocate and professor of law, holding a Chair in Social Justice at Stellenbosch University. She conducts and coordinates Social Justice research and teaches constitutional and administrative law. She is also the founder of the Thuma Foundation, an independent democracy leadership and literacy social enterprise. Professor Madonsela has been named one of TIME100’s most influential people in the world and Forbes Africa Person of the Year.

Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe

Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, Chancellor of the University of Cape Town is a businesswoman and philanthropist who started her career in medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand. She worked in various public hospitals in South Africa as well as at the Medical College of Virginia in the United States. Together with her husband, Dr Patrice Motsepe, she founded the Motsepe Foundation in 1999, and in 2013 they became the first couple from Africa to join The Giving Pledge.

Her professional associations include the Harvard Kennedy School’s Women’s Leadership Board and Centre for Public Leadership Council, the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council, and the Cancer Association of South Africa (past president).

Dr. Judy Dlamini

Dr. Judy Dlamini, Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand is a medical and academic doctor, business woman, author, and philanthropist. She is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Mbekani Group, which has been in business for 25years, co-founder, sponsor and trustee of Mkhiwa Trust - her family’s PBO used for social upliftment, focusing in rural development, health and education; and founder of Female Academic Leaders Fellowship NPC, a PBO for developing a pipeline of black women leaders in academia.

She chairs the board of Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, GBVF Response Fund and is a director of SA SME Fund.

Professor Nokuthula Sibiya

Professor Sibiya has been appointed the first black female vice chancellor of Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT). Her appointment comes as the university marks its 45th anniversary, in what the institution says showcases its advancements in gender equality and increasing female representation in top roles in higher education.

As she takes on the new role, Professor Sibiya said she aims to address high incidents of gender based violence at the university, ensuring all staff and students are safe and secure. She added that she hopes to ensure the university continues to thrive as a centre of excellence and a pillar of the community.

“This moment represents not just a personal milestone but a significant step forward in the broader journey toward equality and representation in higher education. I am committed to being a beacon of hope and inspiration for future generations, particularly young women of color who aspire to break barriers and lead with purpose,” she said. Professor Sibiya has a background in nursing and healthcare administration, prior to moving to the academic field. She previously served as MUT’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning.

Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim

Professor Karim is a world-leading AIDS researcher working at Columbia University and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is the first women to head The World Academy of Sciences (UNESCO-TWAS) for the advancement of science in developing countries.

Her main research interests are in understanding the evolving HIV epidemic in South Africa, including the factors influencing the acquisition of HIV by adolescent girls, and sustainable strategies to introduce antiretroviral therapy in resource-constrained settings.

Professor Karim is a UNAIDS Special Ambassador, a member of the UNAIDS Scientific Expert Panel and Scientific Adviser to the Executive Director of UNAIDS. "Interestingly in health, from medical school and from university, we have more and more women coming into the space. But the difference, I think, is in leadership positions… Women still feel like they are imposters," she said.

"If you have earned your place, especially if you’ve got your degrees or you’ve earned whatever position you have, you shouldn’t feel like imposters, this is your space, so occupy it with the passion that brought you to this point. And do not let glass ceilings over your peers or others shape and undermine your ownership of that space."