Aphiwe Hotele

After falling pregnant in the middle of her tertiary studies and being abandoned by her partner, Aphiwe Hotele, 27, knew she still wanted to see her dream of becoming a scientist come true.  So she continued with her studies, despite the circumstances, and graduated Cum Laude in Computer Science and Biochemistry.

She later joined the Square Kilometre Programme (SKA) where she worked her way up, joining a team working on designing and building the multi-sensory monitoring system for the MeerKAT telescope which is based in the Northern Cape’s Karoo. She rose up the ranks to become a Technology Commercialization Specialist at the SKA.

Besides working on the world's largest radio telescope to explore the Universe, Aphiwe is always aiming to inspire young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds similar to the one she came from in the Eastern Cape.

She is also an advocate for women, working to get more of them involved in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) industries.

She founded the IMBASA program, which helps high school learners from the Eastern Cape find resources and guidance with the hopes of them eventually studying STEM-related subjects in tertiary institutions. The program also works with those already in tertiary, to ensure that they find employment after graduation. Aphiwe also founded Enlighten, a tutoring app that helps students in low-resourced schools gain access to one-one-one mentoring in a bid to increase their chances of passing their high school studies.

Get in touch with Aphiwe on LinkedIn.