Womanity - Women in Unity

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Dr Helené Basson , an orthopaedic surgeon in private practice at Life Eugene Marais Hospital in Pretoria, founder and CEO of Operation Healing Hands, and the driving force behind the Amici community choir. From restoring movement through surgery to opening doors to healthcare and bringing people together through music, her story reveals...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Dr Naadiyah Sterianos , a specialist trauma surgeon, academic and healthcare leader.  She serves as Trauma Director and Surgeon at Life Wilgeheuwel Hospital , having previously worked at Netcare Alberton’s Level I Trauma Unit , Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital , and Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital . Lecture...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Dr Stephanie Eichstadt , a psychiatrist who works with adolescents and adults and has a special interest in women’s mental health. Coming shortly after World Mental Health Day, commemorated annually on 10 October, the conversation looks at how biology, social pressures and life stage shape women’s mental wellbeing, from puberty and the...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Professor Mercy Kazima , Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Malawi . From a lifelong fascination with mathematical logic to a career devoted to helping others experience the breakthrough of “now I understand”, Professor Kazima’s journey shows how education can build confidence, widen opportunity and contribute to na...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Dr Malini Bhana , a specialist general surgeon focused on hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery, one of medicine’s most intricate and demanding fields. From an early interest in research to discovering the practical, problem-solving power of surgery, Dr Bhana’s journey reflects curiosity, discipline and a commitment to helping patients t...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with neurosurgeon Dr Lauren Ford , whose work spans traumatic brain injury, neurosurgical oncology and spinal surgery. From a childhood fascination with medicine to a career operating at millimetre-level precision, Dr Ford shares the experiences, relationships and determination that shaped her path. The conversation moves beyond the operatin...

This week on  Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Dr Madinatu Bello , a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Theatre and Film Studies at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana . Her work explores indigenous cultural traditions, gender dynamics, theatre, performance, heritage, peacebuilding and sustainability, revealing how the arts can preserve memory, challenge exclusion and he...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Emeritus Professor Jill Adler from Wits University , an internationally acclaimed mathematics education scholar whose career has been shaped by teaching, research, activism and a deep commitment to social justice. From studying mathematics and psychology at Wits and seeing herself first as a teacher, to becoming an A-rated researcher, a...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Dr Melody Sun , a general ophthalmologist and refractive surgeon in private practice. Dr Sun’s career brings together medicine, technology and the precision of delicate surgery, driven by a deep interest in the human body, a commitment to problem-solving and a passion for restoring vision. Her path into medicine began with curiosity and...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Judge Khosi Hadebe from the KwaZulu-Natal High Court .  Judge Hadebe’s legal career spans decades, tracing a path of perseverance and public service that began in 1979 as a court clerk and interpreter before progressing to prosecutor, legal planner, magistrate, and ultimately High Court judge. The Spark That Lit the Journey Her passion...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Judge Fayeeza Kathree-Setiloane from the Supreme Court of Appeal . Judge Fayeeza Kathree-Setiloane’s career mirrors South Africa’s own journey of transformation. From growing up under apartheid and becoming involved in student and workers’ rights activism, to studying human rights law as a Fulbright Scholar in the United States, her pat...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Judge Sandiswa (Mickey) Mfenyana from the North West Division of the High Court .  For Judge Sandiswa Mfenyana, the journey into law began unexpectedly at just 12 years old, when her father, an English teacher, took her to watch The Merchant of Venice . Fascinated by Portia’s ability to use the law to resolve a seemingly impossible situ...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Professor Linda du Plessis , Vice Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning at North-West University . She reflects on the enormous responsibility of preparing students not simply to earn degrees, but to become the people who will shape society. Her portfolio spans academic and curriculum development, student suppor...

This episode of Womanity celebrates Africa’s Women’s Day, which is commemorated annually on 31 July. This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Dr. Olivia Matshabane is a Neuroethicist and the Principal Investigator of the Africa Neuroethics Research Group in the SAMRC/SU Genomics of Brain Disorders Unit within the Department of Psychiatry at Stellenbosch University ,...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Professor Pumla Dineo Gqola , an award-winning author , literary and cultural scholar, and the NRF SARChI Chair in African Feminist Imaginations at Nelson Mandela University . This conversation explores the power of imagination, the evolution of African feminism, and the importance of creating communities that enable women to thrive pro...

This week on Womanity, Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim, one of the world's foremost infectious disease epidemiologists, whose pioneering work has transformed HIV prevention for women and shaped global public health. She is the Co-founder and Associate Scientific Director of CAPRISA, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Columbia University in New York, and Pro...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Dr Nontobeko Ntombela , curator, scholar, educator, champion of African Art and Co-Deputy Head of the Wits School of Arts at Wits University. A Journey Shaped by Curiosity Dr Ntombela reflects on her unexpected path into the art world, describing how a love for creativity, inspired by her father’s sketches and her aunt’s bas...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Dr Refiloe Lepere , an award-winning gender scholar, storyteller, performer, community-accountable theatre maker, and lecturer at the Wits School of Education . Dr. Lepere uses storytelling and performance to explore Black feminist aesthetics, racial justice, identity, and joy. Growing Up in a Community that Created Artists Dr Lepere re...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Felicia Msiza , CEO of the Raubex Group , a JSE-listed company, to explore aspects of her leadership journey, the impact of infrastructure development on communities, and her passion for empowering future generations. From Governance Expert to CEO Ms Msiza reflects on her journey from serving as a non-executive director on the Raubex bo...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Prof. Sharlene Khan , an acclaimed South African visual artist, writer, researcher and Associate Professor from the Wits School of the Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand . Through a deeply personal and inspiring conversation, Prof. Khan shares how creativity, storytelling and critical thinking have shaped her journey from a chi...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Professor Sophie Von Der Heyden from the Department of Botany and Zoology at Stellenbosch University and the Von Der Heyden Laboratory . She is a leading marine molecular ecologist, renowned for her pioneering work in aquatic biodiversity, conservation genomics, and climate change research. From East Berlin to the Oceans of Africa Profes...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Professor Mashiko Setshedi , Head of the Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital , she is a leading gastroenterologist, educator, and researcher shaping the future of healthcare in South Africa and developing the next generation of healthcare professionals. From Aspiring Lawyer to Medical Leader...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Professor Stephanie Cawood , an interdisciplinary scholar and former Director of the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the University of the Free State . This conversation journeys into the intersections of African identity, feminism, education, leadership, memory, and social transformation Drawing from her experiences as a foundi...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Professor Tracy-Lynn Field , who is a leading environmental law scholar and the Claude Leon Foundation Chair in Earth Justice and Stewardship held by the University of the Witwatersrand , with over two decades of experience in climate, water, and environmental justice. She serves on several advisory boards, including the Presidential Cl...

This week on Womanity ,  Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka  speaks with Associate Professor Jane Battersby from the Department of Environmental and Geographical Sciences at the University of Cape Town , whose pioneering work bridges geography, food security, urban development, and social justice. Drawing from decades of academic research, policy engagement, and grassroots collaboration, Associate Professor...