“VUT PhD candidate Phindile Mashinini honors Women’s Month 2025, urging gender equality in academia and inspiring young women to lead in science and research.”
3 minutes read time.
As South Africa reflects on 30 years of democracy, voices like that of Ms Phindile Mashinini, a PhD candidate in the Department of Natural Sciences at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT), remind us that true progress is measured by how democracy translates into lasting empowerment for women.
Her doctoral research, Identification of Bioactive Compounds from Bidens pilosa Using Metabolomic Fingerprinting and Elucidation of Their Mechanism of Action Against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB), places her at the forefront of scientific innovation. Yet for Ms Mashinini, science is about more than groundbreaking research; it is about opening doors for the next generation.
Reflecting on this year’s national theme, Accelerate Action: Speeding Up Gender Equality, she notes: “To me, it is more than a theme, it is a call to push against barriers, to open spaces that were once closed, and to create a future where women in science and academia no longer have to fight to be seen or heard.”
At VUT, the institutional theme, She Shapes Tomorrow, resonates deeply with her vision. Coming from a background where opportunities were not guaranteed, she hopes her journey proves to young women, especially those from under-resourced communities, that their dreams are valid and their voices belong in lecture halls, laboratories, and leadership spaces.
While she welcomes the progress of more women becoming professors, deans and doctoral candidates, Ms Mashinini is clear about the challenges that remain: unequal access to funding, leadership positions and systemic barriers that make academia difficult for women.
For her, mentorship and institutional support are crucial: “Universities must create strong mentorship networks, provide leadership training for young women academics, and actively address gender gaps in pay, recognition, and opportunities.”
She stresses that men, too, have a role to play as allies, challenging bias and creating inclusive spaces.
Inspired by her mother, Mrs Lillian Mashinini, and mentors such as Dr Samkeliso Takaidza and Dr Unisa Terblanche, she has learned the value of strength, sacrifice and grounded leadership. Their influence fuels her determination to succeed while uplifting others.
Her message to young women is simple yet powerful: “Never doubt your place in this space. You don’t need to shrink to fit the moulds society offers you. Instead, expand them. Redefine them. Let your brilliance and determination make the room bigger for others after you.”
For Ms Mashinini, Women’s Month must go beyond symbolism. Real transformation, she insists, lies in scholarships, mentorship, research funding and leadership opportunities that sustain women long after August ends.
Her vision of a gender-equal future is one where women are not outnumbered at leadership tables, where young women see role models who look like them, and where merit, not gender, defines academic and scientific spaces.
Ultimately, she believes that when one woman rises, she carries many others. Her journey is proof to young girls across South Africa that they, too, can step confidently into science, leadership and academia.