“Twenty VUT women have graduated from the Women in Leadership Programme presented through Wits Business School, equipping them with the confidence, skills and networks to lead with impact.”
17 September 2026 | Story by: Tshepiso Kaibe | Picture: Supplied
6 minutes read time.
At a time when women continue to face barriers to leadership worldwide, 20 women from the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) have taken a significant step towards shaping the future of higher education and society by successfully completing the Women in Leadership Programme offered through Wits Business School (WBS).
Their achievement was celebrated during a graduation ceremony held on 10 September 2026, marking the culmination of a seven-month leadership journey designed to strengthen confidence, build leadership capacity and empower women to lead with purpose. The programme, funded by the Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP SETA), began with an induction in November 2025 and brought together women from across the University who were committed to advancing their personal and professional leadership development.
The graduation comes against a global backdrop that highlights both progress and ongoing challenges for women in leadership. According to the 2025 Grant Thornton Women in Business Report, women occupy just 34% of senior leadership positions globally. South Africa, however, leads the world, with women holding 47.2% of senior management roles, demonstrating the impact of sustained investment in female leadership development.
Addressing the graduates, Master of Ceremonies Ms Michaela Meyers, Quality Assurance and Coaching Manager at WBS, situated the programme within the broader pursuit of gender equality and women’s empowerment. She commended VUT for investing in women leaders who will help shape the future of their institutions, communities and the country.
“I just want to give a big shout-out to VUT for investing in women in leadership who are going to take this country forward,” said Meyers.
WBS Executive Education Director and Acting Operations Director Ms Leoni Grobler said the ceremony was about far more than completing coursework. It was a celebration of growth, courage and the confidence developed throughout the seven-month journey.
“Today is so much more than just the completion of this programme. It is about celebrating your growth, your courage, your confidence and possibility,” she said.
Grobler encouraged the graduates to continue leading with conviction and purpose, adding that she hoped they would leave the programme not only with new knowledge and skills, but also with a
stronger sense of their own voice and the impact they can make in their workplaces and communities.
VUT Executive Director for Human Resources Ms Khanyisa Hanisi said the programme reflects the University’s commitment to investing in its people and developing future leaders from within. She emphasised that while policies and strategies provide direction, it is people who ultimately drive institutional success.
“We can always have everything on paper. We can have everything on the website. The people are the ones who can make things work,” said Hanisi.
She added that leadership development initiatives play an important role in nurturing talent, strengthening organisational capacity and ensuring the long-term sustainability of institutions.
ETDP SETA Provincial Skills Advisor Ms Sharlene Jacobs encouraged graduates to view the programme as the beginning rather than the end of their development journey. She urged them to embrace opportunities for growth, challenge conventional thinking and continue innovating in their respective fields.
“Embrace the opportunity that you have wholeheartedly. Use this space to learn as well, challenge, question and innovate,” she said.
Delivering the keynote address, entrepreneur, strategist and practitioner-scholar Mr Daki Nkanyane challenged the graduates to rethink traditional notions of leadership, arguing that leadership begins long before a formal title is awarded. Encouraging participants to recognise their own influence and potential, he reminded them that their voices belong in decision-making spaces and urged them to create opportunities for other women as they advance in their careers.
“Do not wait for a title before recognising the leader you already are,” he said.
Nkanyane further challenged the graduates to ensure that their personal success becomes a pathway for others.
“Your voice belongs in that room,” he said. “Do not shut the door once you get in.”
The impact of the programme was evident in the experiences of the graduates, particularly Ms Carmen Titus-Tjotjo, Human Resource Practitioner, who received the Top Student Award in recognition of her outstanding academic performance and commitment throughout the programme.
“Being recognised as the top student in the Women in Leadership Programme was both humbling and rewarding. For me, this accolade represents more than a personal achievement; it reflects the value of continuous learning, resilience and embracing opportunities for growth,” said Ms Titus-Tjotjo.
Her achievement reflected the programme’s emphasis on excellence, personal growth and purposeful leadership. Similar sentiments were shared by fellow graduate Ms Saneliso Mavuka, Acting Station Manager at VUTFM, who described the programme as transformative and instrumental in strengthening her confidence as a leader.
Soon after completing the programme, Mavuka stepped into an acting leadership role, providing an opportunity to apply the skills and insights she had gained throughout the course. Reflecting on her experience, she said the programme pushed her beyond her comfort zone and helped her translate theory into practice.
“It really pushed me and really made all the skills that I actually learned from the course try to really practice them,” she said.
According to Mavuka, the most significant outcome was not the knowledge she acquired, but the personal growth that accompanied the journey and the confidence to show up differently in professional spaces.
“It is not really about what I have learned but how I then show up as a better person after having accumulated these skills from Business School,” she said.
She added that the programme has influenced the way she leads, interacts with colleagues and mentors others, while encouraging her to continue pursuing opportunities for growth and development.
As delegates received their certificates, Grobler reflected on the powerful network that had been created during the seven-month journey. She noted that the programme had fostered a strong sense of sisterhood among the participants, creating relationships that would continue long after the graduation ceremony.
“There is a sisterhood that is here that you have developed, a sisterhood that you have formed during the journey that you undertook on this programme,” she said.
She concluded with a message that resonated throughout the ceremony and captured the spirit of the programme.
“Take your place. You have earned it, and you deserve it.”
For the 20 graduates, the ceremony marked more than the completion of a leadership programme. It signalled the emergence of a new cohort of women leaders equipped with the confidence, skills and networks to influence decisions, inspire others and help shape a more inclusive future for VUT and South Africa.