At Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU), every young woman in a lab coat or scrubs carries more than textbooks and ambition; she carries legacy in the making. From lecture halls to clinical spaces, young women at SMU are building futures that will shape healthcare across South Africa and the continent. Each has a reason for choosing this path, a role model who inspired her, and a vision for the professional—and the woman—she is becoming.
Together, they are more than students. They are future doctors, scientists, and healthcare leaders. Each one: a name worth remembering.
SMU, as South Africa’s leading dedicated health sciences university, is where these women step onto a path of purpose. Here, education is more than lectures; it is a commitment to community, to excellence, and to producing healthcare professionals who will shape the systems of tomorrow.
For Mbali Ndamase, a second-year Bachelor of Science in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology student, her calling began with the simplest human need: communication. “I’ve seen how communication and hearing disorders can isolate people,” she says. “At SMU, I’m being shaped into a healthcare professional who not only treats but empowers people to reconnect with the world.”
Bonolo Malema, a third-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery student, describes her journey into medicine as both a personal mission and a shared responsibility. “Becoming a doctor isn’t about the title—it’s about healing, about making people’s lives better. SMU gives me the skills, but also the sisterhood and the inspiration to believe I can make a difference.”
Bonolo believes SMU’s women are rewriting the future of medicine. “Here, we’re not just learning how to treat illnesses, we’re learning how to lead.”
Tsakane Pearl Nghonyama, a third-year BSc Mathematical Sciences student, is proof that healthcare’s future depends not only on clinicians but also on data scientists. “At SMU, I don’t have to choose between logic and compassion. I’m training to be both a Data Analyst and a Paediatrician. One saves lives now; the other shapes the systems that will save lives tomorrow.”
Their stories and ambitions reflect SMU’s mission to educate and empower African women who will lead health innovation, drive community care, and transform systems that for too long have left women’s voices unheard. “We are part of a sisterhood here,” says Bonolo. “A sisterhood that believes in service, in leadership, and in changing lives.”
At SMU, these young women’s stories begin—but their impact will be felt far beyond its gates. They are not just studying for degrees. They are preparing for legacies built on service, strength, and the unstoppable power of a woman’s voice in African healthcare. Mark their names. Their futures are just beginning.
By Dimakatso Modise
