“VUT Executive Director for Marketing and Communications Ms Yonela Tukwayo reflects on breaking barriers, building institutional pride and leading authentically.”
19 August 2026 | Story by: Nontobeko Moimane | Picture: Multimedia Team
4 minutes read time.
Being the only woman on an eight-member management committee taught Ms Yonela Tukwayo an enduring lesson about leadership: earning a seat at the table is sometimes only the beginning. Being heard, respected and regarded as an equal can demand even greater courage.
Now serving as Executive Director: Marketing and Communications at Vaal University of Technology (VUT), Ms Tukwayo brings that experience to a new chapter in her career. Her leadership philosophy is rooted in hard work, authenticity and a willingness to challenge established norms.
As VUT marks Women’s Month, her journey offers a candid reflection on what it can take for women to establish themselves in leadership environments where they remain underrepresented.
“I quickly realised that women have to work harder to earn their place in management,” she says.
Rather than allowing that reality to discourage her, Ms Tukwayo used it to strengthen her resolve and develop the work ethic that has shaped her professional journey.
“When I work, I give it my all, and that is how you can prove that you can stand head and shoulders amongst your male peers,” she explains.
One of the defining periods of her career came while working in the banking industry. As the only woman serving on an eight-member management committee, she found herself navigating a space in which her male colleagues did not immediately regard her as an equal.
“The greatest challenge of my leadership journey, without a doubt, I would say, is a patriarchal management committee,” she reflects.
Earning the recognition of her colleagues took time, persistence and the confidence to hold her ground.
“Getting my male colleagues to see me as their equal took a lot of time, but I stood my ground, and I challenged the status quo,” she says.
The experience reinforced her belief that women should not have to diminish or reshape themselves to fit established ideas of what a leader should look or sound like. For Ms Tukwayo, authenticity is not separate from effective leadership. It is central to it.
Although she has only recently joined VUT, she already has a clear sense of the contribution she would like to make.
“I see myself contributing towards an improved institutional culture, getting people to be proud of the University and elevating the VUT brand,” she says.
Her vision extends beyond how VUT presents itself to the outside world. She believes that a strong institutional reputation must also be built from within, through a culture in which staff and students feel connected to the University and proud to be associated with it.
This approach places people at the heart of the VUT brand. It recognises that an institution’s reputation is shaped not only by its visual identity or public messaging, but also by the everyday experiences of the people who study and work there.
Ms Tukwayo also challenges the belief that women must imitate traditionally masculine leadership styles to be taken seriously.
“Do not adopt male tendencies in the workplace. Bring your authentic feminine touch to reduce masculinity in the workplace,” she advises aspiring women leaders.
Her message is ultimately about having the confidence to lead without surrendering one’s identity. She encourages women to regard their perspectives, experiences and individual strengths as leadership assets, rather than qualities they must suppress to succeed.
As VUT celebrates its 60th anniversary, Ms Tukwayo’s arrival comes at a significant moment in the University’s history. Her task is not merely to communicate the VUT story, but to help cultivate the pride, trust and sense of belonging from which that story must grow.
Her journey carries a clear message for the next generation of women: leadership has no single mould. Progress begins when women enter spaces that once excluded them, stand their ground and lead as themselves.