Last week the Higher Education Resources Service-South Africa, a non-profit organisation (NPO), which was founded in September 2003, dedicated to women’s advancement and leadership development in the Higher Education sector held its inaugural High Education Women Leaders Awards (HEWLA) at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Cape Town.
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 to inspire and attract new leadership talent to the sector, thus creating role models, advancing gender transformation, and creating visibility for higher education women leaders in South Africa.
WOMEN IN HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Prof Nicolette Roman (University of the Western Cape)
WOMEN IN STEM
Prof Nosisi Feza, Deputy-Vice Chancellor (University of Venda)
EMERGING YOUNG WOMEN LEADERS
Dr Sisanda Nkoala, Senior Lecturer (Cape Peninsula University of Technology)
LIFETIME ACHIEVER
Prof Heidi Abrahamse, Professor (University of Johannesburg)
HUMANITARIAN
Prof Tembisa Ngqondi, Dean (Cape Peninsula University of Technology)
TRAILBLAZER
Prof Beatrice Opeolu, Professor (Cape Peninsula University of Technology)
WOMEN IN ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATION
Prof Jose Frantz, Deputy-Vice Chancellor (University of the Western Cape)
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. Slowly we are seeing the wings of change. We are thankful to all our judges and sponsors the MTN SA Foundation as our esteemed Gold Sponsor and FUNDI as the sponsor for the Humanitarian Category. Additionally, we extend our appreciation to Cape Peninsula University of Technology, KPRM Media Solutions, Loreal South Africa, McDonald’s South Africa, SA Home Owner Magazine, and Oxford University Press for their generous in-kind sponsorships.
We look forward to welcoming more sponsors who are interested in advancing gender transformation.