Unisa’s women student leaders attend leadership conference

The office of Unisa’s Dean of Students joined the nation in celebrating Women’s Day with the women members of its Student Representative Council (SRC) for the term 2023–2025. Taking from the Womandla niche developed in 2023, the Directorate Student Development, under the office of the Dean of Students, marked its Women's Day in September 2024. The event was hosted at the Kopanong Hotel and Conference Centre from 11–12 September 2024. 

Conference attendees

The conference was attended by women SRC members from the national and eight regional offices. The theme of the conference was “Leading her journey: contributing to her success holistically.” With the theme, the conference sought to establish a discussion for cooperation and creativity so that student leaders may contribute to South Africa's economy and demonstrate how female students can effectively serve as the compass that society needs.

The conference was officially opened by Lizette le Roux, the acting Deputy Director: Student Development. She highlighted that women student leaders should own their voices, reflect on their own growth, identify their strengths, lead with confidence, identify barriers as women, and network with and support each other.  Speaking on the theme, the speaker gave presentations that were both informative and applicable to the contemporary issues with mental health and employment that affect us as people.

Former NSRC Deputy President, Qhama Mati, encouraged the SRC members to take their roles seriously, embracing a professional image and demeanour. When describing her personal story during her term of office, she provided a stunning picture of resilience and transformative growth.

Seipati Motlopye of the Division: Community Engagement and Outreach urged the student leaders to put their business plan in writing, register the business, approach banks, the National Empowerment Fund, the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), and the Small Enterprise Development Agency, and enhance their entrepreneurial skills to increase their earning potential outside of the traditional workforce to achieve financial independence.

Nomonde Gxilishe from the Unisa Law Clinic began her session by explaining that the phrase ‘invest’ refers not only to investing money, but also to devoting one's time, effort, or energy to a specific endeavour with the expectation of a positive outcome. She concluded the session with an open-ended exercise in which selected individuals from the NSRC and the eight regional offices stated their goals, with the participants on the floor contributing suggestions on how to attain those goals.

Professor Zethu Cakatha from Unisa’s Department of Psychology urged the audience to recognise that student politics play a significant role in moulding their personalities and advised them to watch what they consume since it would eventually take hold. In her presentation,  Cakatha also discussed how leading in a higher education institution can be emotionally taxing due to its politicised nature. As such, leaders must establish a safe environment where they can express their frustrations and difficulties.

Compliance and Risk Officer Tshiamo Moabelo, as the last speaker, sealed the conference with the presentation, urging the SRC members to realise their powers and use them wisely.

Women’s Day offers an opportunity for reflection on the strides made by South African women in the fight for gender parity and the deconstruction of the power imbalance between them and men. The conference aimed to do more than just commemorate and recognise the progress made by women. The conference enabled women student leaders to reconsider their skills and self-perceptions. The two days addressed a variety of themes related to intellectual, financial, social, emotional, physical, and environmental wellness. Through a variety of activities, the conference centred on these areas.

* By Mmangakane Yvonne Mmako, Training, Research and Capacity Development Specialist (acting), Student Development Directorate