By Mateboho Green
The morning session of the University of Pretoria’s 7th Women in Science Event ignited a lively debate, frequently punctuated by roaring laughter from the audience in the Future Africa auditorium on 8 August 2025.
During the Q&A segment following the panel discussion themed ‘Closing the Gender Gap in STEM’, an individual in the audience posed a question to Dr Phethiwe Matutu, CEO of Universities South Africa.
Question: When it comes to diversity in STEM disciplines, it is vital to see people who look like us—women we can look up to, especially black women if we, ourselves, are black. If we want more women to pursue science, we must encourage girls to be themselves in the field, rather than model themselves after the males who dominate it. So, how do we create spaces for women to be authentic and still succeed at the same rate? And how do we take intersectionality further?
Dr Matutu: That’s an important question, which one could explore at great length. I’ve heard young black women engineers say they started drinking beer and watching rugby—(laughter), just to have something in common to discuss with their peers. I thought the beer was a bit much [laughter] until I found myself drinking wine while teaching at Stellenbosch University [located in the heart of South Africa’s winelands] many years ago, for six years. Everyone frowned upon my not drinking wine. It wasn’t a negative influence but a genuine attempt by my colleagues to embrace me and assimilate me into their culture.
In another personal example, my daughter recently completed her degree in mechatronics and is now pursuing her master’s. She has started saying things like, ‘I’m sweating my balls off’—[laughter]—and I thought, ‘What balls is she talking about?’ That’s what happens when a woman is immersed in a male-dominated environment. It’s a reflection of how dominant male culture can influence the behaviour of a lone woman in their midst.
Speaking of women feeling the need to emulate men in male-dominated environments—I’m a mathematician by profession. I was the first woman from a South African university to earn a PhD in pure mathematics [wide applause].
Throughout university, I never had a female mathematics lecturer. I was taught exclusively by men until I obtained my PhD. So, I did not quite have mentors like me to emulate. Recently, at Rhodes University, a 23-year-old female Master’s student was being celebrated for earning a distinction at the master’s level in mathematics. Everyone assumed she was the first—until I pointed out that I had achieved the same 33 years ago. It’s just that no one knew.
In the STEM disciplines, it is easy to be perceived as a rarity—because women mathematicians are few and far between.
On a lighter note, however, I’ve never felt compelled to look like a man [applause], despite that I still proudly sport my natural hair — much against some of my close associates’ nudges to switch to weaves, supposedly to look more “feminine.”
Ms Thato Semono, Head Girl at Tuks Sports High School: “For me, being authentic is about girls understanding their roots—recognising the sacrifices others have made to help them reach their goals. We need more campaigns to ensure information is accessible to everyone. Girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, in particular, often lack exposure to existing opportunities. It’s equally important to instil in them a sense of contentment with who they are.”
Ms Susan Byakika, Coordinator of the Women in Hydrogen programme at the German Development Agency (GIZ) in South Africa, also directed a question to Dr Matutu.
Question: After engaging with several university researchers and lecturers, I’ve noticed a recurring challenge: many conduct research in isolation, with little to no industry exposure. Yet they’re expected to publish academic papers to progress in their careers. The absence of industry partners who could otherwise enhance the relevance of their research often hinders their advancement. What opportunities exist within USAf to bridge these gaps and address the challenges holding researchers back? If entities like the GIZ, where I work, support academia-industry platforms, how can we connect with them, particularly through USAf?”
Dr Matutu: Applied research is important. The Department of Science, Technology and Innovation previously ran a programme focused on linking universities to industry. This was later transferred to the Department of Trade and Industry to foster university–private sector collaboration. The facility is called the Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme (THRIP). That might well be your solution.
Otherwise, individual universities do seek, develop and maintain bilateral partnerships with industry for research and many other purposes.
Dr Leno Seboka, Medical Physicist at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital and Lecturer at UP, channelled her question, on the PregiDose Mobile App, to Dr Essop: I agree that therapists often forget their dosimeters. I also acknowledge that radiography remains a male-dominated field, and many women feel hesitant to approach us for dosimeters. I’m curious: does your application cater to physicians as well? We once had an intern who became pregnant but withheld the information, fearing it would delay her graduation. If your app is accessible to medical physicists, it could be a valuable resource for women in our field.”
Dr Essop: I’m venturing into uncharted territory now. I’m in the process of commercialising my product and have applied to the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), whose process is quite rigorous—they want a clear understanding of the target market. What’s fascinating is that radiation exposure isn’t confined to X-ray departments; it’s present in theatres, orthopaedic theatres, and diagnostic procedures for kidney and gallstones—we’re everywhere.
The app is not just for radiographers; it’s relevant to orthopaedic surgeons, medical physicists, and anyone involved in therapeutic or diagnostic radiography. So yes, it has broader applicability. If we secure funding, we intend to expand access to the wider market that needs it.
At my last count, there were around 6,000 female radiographers in the field. Realistically speaking, only 6% are likely to be pregnant at any given time, so this underscores the need to broaden the app’s reach.
The audience’s other questions – based on the morning’s presentations, were directed at the UP Director of Internationalisation and Strategic Partnerships, Dr Rakeshnie Ramoutar-Priesch (middle, above), who had welcomed the guests to the event; the keynote speaker for the day, the Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ms Nomalungelo Gina (right); and the Vice Principal: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Education, Professor Sunil Maharaj (left), who stood in for the University’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Francis Petersen.
We share edited versions of some of those questions below.
A Medical Biological Scientist and an aspiring doctoral candidate, Ms Mmapulane Setumo, inquired about alternative funding instruments suitable for women above the age of 35, beyond which they no longer qualify for funding by the National Research Foundation.
Question: What funding opportunities are there for women in employment to pursue doctoral studies, to augment what one is likely to get from their department, which is usually inadequate, and in addition to what one might have saved for PhD study purposes?
Dr Rakeshnie Ramoutar-Prieschl: At UP, funds are available for part-time assistants through the University’s Department of Research and Innovation. Even within your department, you can inquire about other opportunities from your Dean. Another prospect is the Department of Higher Education and Training, which funds universities’ doctoral programmes through the Universities’ Capacity Development Programme grants.
“We therefore want to collaborate with UP to encourage our researchers and innovators, and to reinforce the notion that there is life in science, and that science is cool.”
So, Ms Anele Msomi, from the GIZ, asked: Deputy Minister, is that invitation open to other institutions, like ourselves? We’re currently working on a technology programme that we want to filter down to the grassroots to ensure we help everybody. How can we tap into this opportunity?
Deputy Minister: This opportunity is not limited to UP. All universities and civil society organisations may submit proposals to our Grassroots Innovators through the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), our seed funding instrument. Go to their website for details
Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ms Nomalungelo Gina (left): Don’t rule out industry role players – I know a few PhD scholars who have accessed private companies’ research funds. Private companies fund doctoral research, incentivised by the tax rebates they get in return.
As part of her keynote address earlier, Deputy Minister Gina had congratulated the University of Pretoria for their Sci-Enza programme that teaches science to school learners of all ages in a fun way and, in the process, also instils teachers’ interest in the subject.
She had also mentioned Grassroot Innovators, a facility of her department, which works closely with higher education institutions, schools and communities to promote innovation. “We protect your intellectual property; ensure that your innovation ideas come to fruition, through funding, and we also help you scale up your idea.
Reducing maths teaching to maths literacy is a major problem
Question by an audience member from UP’s Department of Health Sciences to Deputy Minister and Professor Maharaj: Most of us have identified the issue of STEM in high school, with many schools opting to offer mathematics literacy over pure maths. Even the quality of maths lit is not that great. Have you discussed this with DBE? We tend to celebrate a mediocre 100% pass rate. As universities, we assume, when we receive school leavers with 7 As, that they are the best students we could attract. Yet we see such learners struggling a lot. Basic education is seriously lacking. We seem to be going backwards – not as women, but as a country in STEM education.
Deputy Minister: We just started a tripartite alliance of three departments: DSTI, DHET and DBE. What you are raising is one of our joint focus areas, addressing STEM subjects in the context of teacher training and education. We are not yet there, but through the pipeline of teachers we’re trying to produce, we should begin to see better results, over time. This also touches on the curriculum – what are universities teaching student teachers?
Professor Sunil Maharaj, Vice-Principal: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Education at UP (right): This is a perennial problem. It is regrettable that 30 years into our democracy, we still see maths performance declining. If you look at Grade 12 results, the number of maths and science students has not increased – in fact, it has gone down. Whether they are male or female is immaterial – it is the culture of mediocrity that we must learn to curtail. The day we change the 30% pass rate is the day we will begin to move forward. Because of that 30% pass requirement, schools are attaining a 100 % pass rate, which looks very nice in newspapers. The ‘high performers’ go on a stage at the end of every year, attracting corporate awards. But if South Africa is to build a strong economy and become globally competitive, we need scientists, and good mathematics is important in their development. I look forward to the day the government decides ‘we don’t offer maths lit anymore’ — a difficult political decision it will be to make.
This is a national problem
“But we, as collective universities, cannot see this as a sole Basic Education problem,” Professor Maharaj continued. “We must work together. We inherited many of these issues and need to play our role. As part of our corporate social investment (CSI) programmes, universities must put more interventions in place to support students through the use of tutors and the many bridging programmes. That must be the solution until such time as the system changes.
“On a positive note, it’s interesting to see the extent to which the students who did not come in with impressive high school results go on to excel, downstream, when given appropriate support. Many had no access to good maths teachers, or got a good teacher for only three out of the 10 months of schooling in a year. So, they come in with low marks, not because they are not bright, but because they were not given a firm maths foundation. We must continue to support such learners.”
Dr Matutu: Should we be concerned by the absence of diversity in our STEM fields? If 60% of graduates from our undergraduate degrees are women, should we be concerned by the under-representation of men, and about what kind of society are we creating? If women are more represented in Human, Social and Life Sciences, should we not be promoting inclusion across disciplines such as Engineering, Physics and Mathematics for a more equitable society?
Professor Maharaj: I agree — 60% of our graduates are women, and yes, we are concerned about what happens to men. At UP, a fair number of women in engineering are in Mechanical or Chemical Engineering. We must also undertake a granular assessment of all our programmes to see what is happening. Male numbers at the postgraduate level are concerning, even though the numbers differ between programmes. It is incumbent upon us to put interventions in place to address these issues on a departmental or programmatic level.
Dr Ramoutar-Prieschl (left): Gender dominance in specific disciplines is an issue for the gender equal future we are trying to create. We cannot disenfranchise one gender in favour of the other.
Deputy Minister: You are pointing to social disorders in our society. We solve one problem and create another – and need to strike a good balance in our programmes. The focus on the girl child tends to lead to an unintended consequence of disadvantaging the male child. We need to address that challenge by examining practices at our institutions, in civil society and in our youth. Unless we address it, it will create a major problem for our country.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
