, it emerged that since 2015 there have been 20 vacancies for vice-chancellors and that only four women filled those positions.
“The argument that we cannot find women to lead universities is a blue lie, and it must be debunked. There are more women than men in higher education. They are at deputy vice-chancellor, dean as well as head of department [level]. So there is sufficient capacity and talent that resides within our 26 public universities.
Mtose added that it was not surprising that “in a country built on the bedrock of racism and patriarchy there are only four women vice-chancellors”. She said silencing women in the education space by, for instance, not valuing their input was a concern. Mangolothi said in the past the excuse was that women are not prepared for leadership positions or are not qualified. Yet she said she engages with many women who are qualified but find the politics of the system were not enabling them to lead. These women are instead focusing on establishing their research output instead of taking leadership positions.