Feroza Adam Gender Activism: Advocacy and Promotion of Women’s Rights and overall Woman of the Year award

Rachel Prinsloo has held a number of positions in the university—from HR to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor’s office where, as the academic transformation specialist, she was tasked with the enormous job of transforming Unisa’s curriculum for an online learning environment.

She holds a PhD in Psychology and served for two terms as the HoD of Psychology at UWC, during which time she managed to turn the department around completely. But over and above these hallmarks of a successful career in higher education, she has spent years working for the empowerment of women and has mentored many of the younger women in the Unisa community. She has always taken the part of women and has striven tirelessly to uplift them.

“Rachel Prinsloo, the Unisa Women’s Forum has benefited enormously from your excellent quality contributions and from the mentoring role you played in building the leaders of today and tomorrow.”

Customer Service (Batho Pele)

Krishnee Kissoonduth, the Director of Remuneration and Administration in the Human Resources Directorate emerged from humble beginnings and started off her employment career as a secondary school teacher in Computer Science and Mathematics after completing a four-year post-graduate Higher Education Diploma.

Having a firm appreciation for the value of education, she continued to pursue her studies despite challenges and achieved her BSc degree in Mathematics and Computer Science, her honours degree and her master’s degree. She is currently working towards the finalisation of her doctoral degree through Unisa.

The UWF recognised her professional work ethic and drive to provide an excellent standard of service to all clients, internal and external to the Department of Human Resources. Her nominees for the UWF award lauded her for the personal investment she makes in her colleagues through her motivational talks and caring nature, regardless of their post level in the institution.

Her motto in life is that “One person can make a difference!”.

Nomsa Lediga, the Senior Administrative Officer in the Department of African Languages, has, in the past, carried the entire Department of African Languages when it was in the red and some administrative officers were redeployed to other positions. She was left alone in the administrative section and voluntarily offered her spare time during evenings and weekends to attend to departmental due dates and tasks.

In 2010, when the department decided to translate the study guides into African languages, she was responsible for formatting and uploading all the study guides in the department. Again, she took on this task and sacrificed her own time outside of office hours to make sure the task was completed.

“It is clear to us that she is a person who goes the extra mile, willingly, in service to the university, and does so as a single mother. Furthermore, she does all this without complaining, indeed, with a willingness to bring other women together and mentor them. This is the kind of self-sacrifice for the greater good that we want to honour.”

Thandiwe Mchunu, a Technical Officer in the Department of Chemical Engineering, has worked as a technician with SASOL, where she was promoted from Process Controller to Candidate Technician within the space of five years. During this period she gained valuable skills, including knowledge of reactor technology and functioning, and honed her skills as a technician.

Her next position was in community engagement, where she grew food for the community, sourced basic commodities, liaised with supermarkets, and supplied the community with goods at reasonable prices.

Finally, she took up a position at Unisa as a technical officer, where she is responsible for laboratory equipment and safety, and for ensuring that students who visit the Science Campus to gain experience in laboratories are safe. Her nomination explains that, in dangerous situations, she has taken it upon herself to alert safety and security services and to ensure the safety of staff and students.

Her work has been recognised by her appointment as the Aquatronics Deputy Chief expert, where she works with various steering committees of World Skills South Africa.

Community Service

Julia Bopape is one of the administrative officers in the Department of Health Studies.

What makes her stand out from the other women around her is that she has gone the extra mile to donate sanitary items to school girls. A lack of funds to buy sanitary items is a major cause of absenteeism from school among adolescent girls. An adolescent girl may miss up to 40 days a year of school because she cannot attend during menstruation.

She has worked tirelessly to take these items to young girls in rural areas so that they may attend school and has also mentored several of these girls to the point where they can graduate from school as empowered young adults.

She was honoured in 2015 by receiving the Gauteng Givers Award, which is bestowed by the national Department of Social Development and MEC Faith Mazibuko.

Adèle Blacker from the Western Cape Regional Office was nominated for her work with under-served communities in the Western Cape, where she has started various initiatives to help these women empower themselves, including baking bread and sewing to raise money.

She has done all this in her spare time, often giving up weekends and evenings to help the communities she serves, despite health challenges and suffering from cancer.