Rhendani Mashila’s leadership journey defies convention. A Chartered Accountant [CA(SA)] who built her career in auditing and governance, she now leads transformation in higher education, not through policy or advocacy, but through finance itself.
As the Head of Financial Aid at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU), Mashila represents a new generation of women who are using their expertise to break down structural barriers and redefine access. In an industry where financial leadership has long been male-dominated, her role signals both personal achievement and institutional progress. At SMU, she is part of a growing cohort of women stepping into executive roles that shape the university’s future.
Her professional grounding was shaped at the Office of the Auditor-General of South Africa, where she completed her articles and rose to become Audit Manager and Technical Manager. That experience, focused on accountability, governance, and public sector ethics, continues to shape her leadership.
“My time at the Auditor-General’s office shaped my understanding of finance as a powerful tool for public good,” she reflects. “It taught me that robust controls, ethical systems, and a commitment to transformation can truly improve people’s lives.” She adds, “That foundation, coupled with my passion for helping others, inspired me to pursue a career where finance serves a greater social purpose.”
For Mashila, finance is no longer a back-office operation. It’s a strategic instrument that can widen access, remove barriers, and empower students from marginalised communities. At SMU, her mandate is clear: build student-centred financial systems that are accountable, efficient, and transformative. Financial aid should do more than pay tuition fees,” Mashila says. “It must inspire hope, restore dignity, and create equal opportunities for students to thrive.”
Her vision centres on four key priorities: strengthening internal systems and controls for transparency and efficiency; digitising the student financial aid experience; expanding partnerships with funders; and developing a data-driven model to inform equitable, sustainable funding decisions. But for Mashila, the real goal is human: ensuring that no student is excluded from higher education because of financial barriers.
“Academic success starts long before a student steps into a lecture hall,” she notes. “Financial security is foundational.” Her appointment also speaks to the transformation of leadership spaces. In a profession where black women remain underrepresented, Mashila’s presence is both symbolic and practical, proof that women can and should lead in financial governance roles traditionally closed to them. “Women don’t need permission to lead in financial spaces,” she says. “We step forward, we deliver, and we change systems.”
At SMU, finance leadership is no longer solely the domain of systems and spreadsheets. Under Mashila’s guidance, it is becoming a catalyst for student success and institutional transformation. Her work affirms a simple but profound truth: access to education is not a side issue; it is the mission, and at SMU, a woman is leading the way.
By Tumelo Moila
