Seven emerging and established women researchers have been awarded the Professor Keolebogile Shirley Motaung Fellowships at the 2026 South African Women in Science Awards, recognising research spanning marine biodiversity, tax justice, honeybee health, infectious disease diagnostics, forestry, agricultural genetics and astronomy.
The doctoral fellowship recipients are pursuing research with the potential to address some of South Africa’s pressing social, economic, environmental and scientific challenges, while also demonstrating a strong commitment to mentorship, innovation and science communication.
Celebrated annually during Women's Month, the South African Women in Science Awards recognises and rewards excellence in science, technology and innovation (ST&I) by South African women.
The awards also celebrate outstanding researchers and scientists, whose achievements inspire the next generation of women and girls to pursue careers in ST&I.
The DSTI Fellowships have been renamed in honour of the late Professor Shirley Keolebogile Motaung, one of South Africa's most distinguished black women scientists and academics.
The DSTI-Prof. Keolebogile Motaung Fellowships are awarded to young women pursuing their master's and doctoral degrees in recognition of their academic excellence and research potential.
Among the recipients on Thursday night was Makwena Melita Sebone, who is pursuing a PhD in Genetics, specialising in Marine Molecular Ecology, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), in collaboration with the Oceanographic Research Institute of the South African Association for Marine Biological Research.
Sebone’s research uses DNA metabarcoding of zooplankton communities to map and understand marine pelagic ecosystems along the South African coastline. By combining molecular ecology, bioinformatics and oceanographic data, she is investigating biodiversity patterns and the connectivity and structure of pelagic ecosystems across different oceanographic regions.
Her work could contribute to improved marine conservation, spatial planning and sustainable management of marine resources, particularly as ocean ecosystems face environmental and climate-related pressures. Sebone has already published five peer-reviewed scientific papers and presented her research at national and international conferences.
Associate Professor Jane Ndlovu, an Associate Professor and PhD candidate in Law at Wits University, is examining the intersection of taxation, constitutional law and feminist theory through her research into what she describes as the “care penalty” in South Africa’s tax system.
Ndlovu’s research investigates how apparently gender- and race-neutral tax rules, including the denial of childcare deductions, can create financial barriers for caregivers. She argues that these barriers have a particularly significant intersectional impact on black African women, including women heading households.
Her research seeks to demonstrate how tax policy could instead become a tool for economic protection and empowerment. She hopes the work can help women build the financial security needed to leave abusive environments and contribute to the broader fight against gender-based violence.
At North-West University, Nolwandle Nolen Khumalo is pursuing a PhD in Environmental Sciences focused on the relationship between honeybees, pollen and microorganisms.
Her research investigates how pollen and honeybee-associated microbes are exchanged during sunflower pollination by Apis mellifera colonies, and how these microbial communities influence honeybee health and ecosystem functioning.
Khumalo hopes the research will contribute to the development of probiotics that can help honeybees resist pathogens, improve pollination efficiency and ultimately support agricultural productivity.
Nondumiso Nkosi, a PhD candidate and Junior Lecturer in Medical Virology at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, is working at the intersection of infectious disease research, diagnostics and innovation.
Her research focuses on viral hepatitis and HIV, with particular attention to hepatitis B virus diagnostics and the detection of occult hepatitis B infection. She is optimising and validating a novel diagnostic assay, HepaSure Diagnostics, designed to enable rapid, decentralised and cost-effective disease detection, including in resource-limited settings.
Nkosi’s research aims to address shortcomings in existing hepatitis B screening approaches and improve access to inclusive diagnostic technologies. She believes the work could help strengthen early disease detection, reduce healthcare inequalities and support locally developed biotechnology innovations.
A patent holder for the novel diagnostic assay, Nkosi has received numerous innovation and scientific awards, including the 2026 Women Shaping IP Award at the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission IP Youth Awards. She also received the Innovation Hub Gauteng Accelerator Programme Medical Award and the Breakthrough Innovation Award at the Vice-Chancellor’s Research and Innovation Awards in 2025.
Vhuhwavho Tshavhungwe, a Lecturer at the University of Venda, is investigating the competitiveness of South Africa’s sawmilling industry as part of her PhD in Engineering Management at the University of Pretoria.
With a Master’s Degree in Forestry and Wood Science, Tshavhungwe has published 10 academic papers across journal articles, conference proceedings and a book chapter. Her research examines how the South African sawmilling industry compares with international competitors and how its competitiveness can be strengthened.
She hopes her findings will support the growth of the sector, benefiting communities located around sawmills while contributing to economic development.
The fellowship recipients also include Victoria Rankotsane Hlokoe, a PhD candidate in Agriculture specialising in Animal Breeding and Genetics at the University of Limpopo.
Hlokoe’s research investigates genetic variations in the GREM1 gene in chickens and their relationship with important egg-production traits, including yolk, albumen, shell and overall egg weight. She is comparing indigenous Potchefstroom Koekoek chickens with commercial Lohmann Brown layers.
The research has a strong rural development focus. Hlokoe aims to help smallholder farmers, many of whom are women, improve egg quality and market value, strengthening household food security and income while increasing access to affordable protein.
Rounding out the doctoral fellowship recipients is Annarien Headley, who is pursuing a PhD in Astronomy at the University of South Africa (Unisa).
Headley’s research explores the physical properties of stars forming in molecular clouds across the Milky Way. Her project examines more than 50 star-forming regions across the galaxy, investigating young stellar objects and how their distribution changes according to their location within the Milky Way.
Preliminary findings from nine regions suggest that the galactic environment may influence the formation of transition disks, with an increase in younger stars and a decrease in older stars with increasing distance from the galactic centre. Headley is now extending the investigation using a larger dataset.
She published a pilot study on star formation scenarios in the Milky Way in New Astronomy in 2026 and presented her research at the 2024 International Astronomical Union General Assembly.
Together, the seven fellowship recipients demonstrate the breadth of research being undertaken by women scientists in South Africa. – SAnews.gov.za
