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23 July 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Barend Nagel
Dr Musawenkosi Saurombe and Innocensia Mangoato
Dr Musawenkosi Saurombe and Innocensia Mangoato: 2 of 200 Young South Africans honoured by the Mail & Guardian.
The one is Africa’s youngest PhD graduate. The other made waves with her research into cannabis as a cancer treatment. Dr Musawenkosi Saurombe and Innocensia Mangoato are both lecturers at the University of the Free State (UFS). Now they also share the title of 2019 Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans. Dr Saurombe is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Industrial Psychology and Innocensia Mangoato is a lecturer in the Department of Pharmacology.

For the past 13 years the award has been a career launch pad for many leaders. These Kovsies are however already “on course to touch the world with their greatness”, in the words of the Mail & Guardian. 

In Dr Saurombe’s case, this honour comes after being named the 2018/19 Youth Leader of the Year by the Institute of People Management for being Africa’s youngest PhD graduate and contributing significantly to the talent management field. On the other hand, Mangoato earned the 2018 South African Women in Science Award for her research on using cannabis in cancer treatment
 
A mark of distinction

On 27 June 2019 Dr Saurombe’s name lit up the screen as the Education category winner at a gala dinner held in Sandton. Mangoato was recognised as one of the country’s brightest minds in the Science and Technology category.

Mastering science of excelling

Mangoato believes that the science of excelling is taught through living as an example. “The fact that a village girl can be recognised for conducting impactful research that will potentially result in new knowledge production in the area of drug development and using natural products should encourage more young people to achieve greatness regardless of their circumstances.”

The Pharmacology lecturer and researcher remains persistent in pursuit of her PhD and ground-breaking research in cancer-drug resistance. 

Youngest PhD graduate in Africa

At four years old, a young Dr Saurombe started school in Botswana. She was promoted past a few grades due to being more advanced than her peers. This led her to complete high school at 15 and enrol at North-West University as a first-year student the following year.

In 2017, she was celebrated across the continent as being the youngest PhD graduate at 23. “I registered for my PhD without knowing where I’d get the money to fund my studies,” said Dr Saurombe reflecting on how financial constraints encouraged her to complete her PhD in one-and-a-half years. 

Dr Saurombe joined the UFS earlier this year as a senior lecturer in Industrial Psychology and continues her research into the relationship between employer and employee focusing on talent value proposition.


News Archive

Prof Steyn to receive Jan H Marais Prize in Stellenbosch
2017-05-09

Description: Prof Jaap Steyn Tags: Prof Jaap Steyn

Prof Jaap Steyn, who started his career as
journalist at Volksblad, later entered the academy,
and was a professor at the University of the
Free State for many years.
Photo: Marthie Kemp

Although Prof Jaap Steyn will be honoured officially for his contribution to Afrikaans as an academic language at the end of this month, he only became aware of his nomination after he had won the award.

According to this research fellow in the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French at the University of the Free State (UFS), he is grateful for the recognition. He has recently been awarded the Jan H Marais Prize for his outstanding contribution to Afrikaans.

Former Kovsie honoured together with Prof Jan van der Watt
According to a statement by the South African Academy for Science and Arts, the award was jointly made to Prof Steyn, who is probably the best-known South African language historian, and Prof Jan van der Watt van Nijmegen from the Netherlands. The prize money of R500 000, which they will share, will be presented in Stellenbosch on 30 May 2017.

Prof Steyn is a former Kovsie, who was a research professor at the UFS from 1985 to 1997, and at the age of 78 is still a research fellow. “After the announcement of the prize, I learnt that I was nominated by two of my colleagues,” he says.

His most difficult work was probably also his best
Over the past 50 years several of his publications, biographies, and books have seen the light. He believes that nothing one does is perfect. His most difficult work was the biography of NP van Wyk Louw. “It was probably also my best work,” he says. “The book I enjoyed working on most, was the biography of the author MER, or ME Rothmann.”

Prof Steyn has also received awards such as the Stals Prize, the Louis Hiemstra Prize, the NP van Wyk Louw medal, and honorary membership from the South African Academy for Science and Arts.

He says the staff in the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French are very friendly and helpful to still render him assistance as a research fellow.


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