Prof. Musawenkosi Donia Saurombe is a remarkable academic trailblazer, making waves in the academic sphere.
In 2017, at age 23, she obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Psychology from the North-West University, Mafikeng, breaking an astounding academic record of becoming the Youngest Female Ph.D graduate in Africa.
Prof. Saurombe worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the North-West University Mafikeng from 2017 and later got appointed as a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein in 2019.
She later got appointed, also as a Senior Lecturer, at the University of Johannesburg in 2021 and was recently promoted to Associate Professor at the UJ in 2022.
Prof. Saurombe lectures courses in Human Resource Management and Industrial Psychology and supervises postgraduate research. She is also known for the work she does as a civic innovator, particularly concerning women and youth.
In 2017, Prof. Saurombe received the best Doctoral student in SA award for 2016 from the SABPP (South African Board for People’s Practices) and the Emerging Psychologist of the Year award from SIOPSA (Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology of South Africa).
She was featured in the 2018 List of Top 100 Most Influential Young Africans by the Africa Youth Awards and was subsequently endowed by the Institute of People Management (IPM) with the CEO’s Special Award for being the 2018 Young Leader of the Year through her various distinguishable contributions in her respective field. She was also acknowledged by the SADC Top 100 of 2018, TYI (The Young Independents).
In 2019, Prof. Saurombe was honoured by the Mail & Guardian as one of the 200 Young South Africans. She also received an honourary award from the Golden Key International Honour Society in 2020 for her continuous contributions in the education sector and society at large. With several other feats and accolades under her belt, the future looks luminous for the young rising powerhouse.
“As young people, it is very important to accrue the right character traits, don’t let anyone tell you are substandard, under par or unworthy of having a dream, so be daring, be bold and be aggressive in your pursuit of success.” – Prof. Musawenkosi Donia Saurombe
