Dr Mathoto Thaoge and SAWiSA recipient, Nompumelelo Mtsweni.
Hosted by the newly renamed Department of Science and Innovation (formerly the Department of Science and Technology), this year’s theme was ‘Making the Fourth Industrial Revolution Work for Women’. The awards celebrated the key role that women in the Natural and Engineering Sciences as well as Humanities and Social Sciences have to play in the 4IR.
Dr Blade Nzimande MP, the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, addressed the SAWiSA attendants and handed out a number of awards.
Mtsweni was recognised for her research in partnership with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), which looked at the Characterisation and pathology of Colletotrichum on papaya fruit in South Africa. The research was conducted under the supervision of Dr Mathoto Thaoge, Prof Thierry Regnier (TUT, Biotechnology and Food Technology Department) and Dr Elna van Der Linde (ARC).
“It is an honour to receive this award in recognition of my academic performance and ability. I would like to thank my supervisors for their continued support and leadership,” said Mtsweni.
Dr Thaoge was beyond proud of her student. “Prudence deserves the award. She is a hardworking and dedicated student. This award also recognises our department’s collaborative work. This is the second SAWISA award we have won in a row,” she concluded.