“As Women’s Month 2025 ends, VUT honours Prof. Thokozani Xaba, first woman with an NRF C2 rating, for 16 years of service and advancing gender equality.”
26 August 2025 | Story By: Ntebogeleng Digaso | Picture: Supplied
3 minutes read time.
As Women’s Month 2025 ends, the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) proudly celebrates one of its trailblazers, Professor Thokozani Xaba. An Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Sciences, Prof Xaba has dedicated 16 years of her career to the institution. She recently made history by becoming the first woman at VUT to be awarded a prestigious NRF C2 rating, a milestone that honours her scholarly excellence and inspires the next generation of women in academia.
For Prof Xaba, the question of equality is both personal and professional. While women in higher education have made strides, she acknowledges the pace of transformation remains slow. “It is still a big challenge that most of the staff occupying high positions in academic institutions are men. This shows that a lot still needs to be done and implemented.”
Reflecting on VUT’s Women’s Month theme, She Shapes Tomorrow, Prof Xaba highlights the resilience and leadership of women who continue to make an impact despite barriers. “Women are the pillars of this world. They are planners, achievers, and leaders who shape our tomorrow when things seem impossible and slowly fading.”
Her journey has exposed her to both the opportunities and obstacles facing women in academia. Although more women are assuming leadership roles, systemic challenges persist: limited access to research funding for young academics, leadership structures that favour men, and the ongoing struggle to balance professional and personal responsibilities.
Prof Xaba is firm in her belief that institutions must take an active role in redressing these inequalities. “Institutions must secure research funding for young women academics. More mentorship and leadership programmes are needed to encourage women to participate in academia and research.” She also advocates for curriculum reform that challenges stereotypes and insists that men must be part of the solution: “Women cannot push this agenda alone. Men should support gender equality programmes, sponsor women in research, and collaborate with them as co-supervisors.”
Speaking to young women aspiring to succeed in academia, Prof Xaba emphasises the importance of perseverance and collaboration. “Build strong relationships and networks with other researchers. Share knowledge, believe in your dreams, and dedicate yourself to hard work, because success requires effort and resilience.”
While she acknowledges the many mentors who have shaped her career, she attributes much of her success to determination and self-belief: “Nobody can plan or shape your future. You decide who you want to be. Momentous achievements require great effort and dedication.”
Marking her historic NRF achievement, Prof Xaba stresses that recognition must translate into sustainable empowerment. She calls on universities to move beyond symbolic gestures by introducing structured programmes, supporting community outreach initiatives such as sanitary pad drives, and continuously reviewing policies on equality to ensure relevance and impact.
Her vision is an academic environment where merit defines opportunity, salaries reflect roles and responsibilities rather than gender, leadership is shared equally between men and women, and a supportive work-life balance is embedded in university culture.
Prof Xaba concludes with a call to action: “We must revisit policies on gender equality to ensure they are still being followed. Progress must translate into sustainable empowerment for women in education and research.”