Shaped by witnessing the inequalities and inefficiencies in rural communities, Unathi Thango pursued education as a way out and a remedy.
Today, the young scientist is returning from Lindau, Germany, where she represented South Africa at the 8th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting on Economic Sciences that ended on Saturday.
To this annual four-day colloquium, the Academy of Science of South Africa sends its exceptional scientific talent, together with about 400 other “carefully selected young scientists from across the globe to engage in dialogue with Nobel laureates”.
The Eastern Cape, Mdantsane-born girl was there rubbing shoulders with the super elites of economic scientists.
Growing up in such humble beginnings, what has brought Unathi Thango here?
“I was drawn to finding ways in which public sector organisations, as organs of state, could contribute meaningfully to the economic growth of South Africa while still delivering the value they were created for.
“I was concerned about the issue of waste – waste, in my perspective, being anything that does not deliver value, whether from a fiscal position or through inefficient operational processes,” Thango says.
“This led me to become deeply interested in frameworks that can help us define what true value is in the public sector and then explore strategies to effectively deliver that value.
“I became determined to use education, research, and economics management studies as tools to contribute to solutions that can improve lives and strengthen state-owned entities.”
Thango made it through a rigorous evaluation by the academy, the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, and the Council for the Lindau Nobel laureate meetings.
Thango earned her place at the table to mingle with 20 Nobel laureates in economic sciences for panel discussions, including on the stability of financial systems, climate change, and the role of institutions in economic development, with a presentation by the young scientists rounding the meetings off.
The academy says the Lindau meetings provide a unique platform for young scientists to interact with Nobel laureates, exchange ideas on frontier research, explore career development opportunities, and tackle the world’s most pressing economic challenges.
The PhD Unisa management studies graduate is an early-career researcher with a focus on lean manufacturing, quality management, and organisational efficiency in the public sector.
Born to a teacher, Wezile Lennox Baliso, and nurse Lucy Nokulunga, who could scarcely afford the fees, “I constantly sought ways to overcome these financial constraints”.
Thango secured scholarships, including from the National Research Foundation, to pursue her undergraduate studies in chemistry.
“Later, I was selected for prestigious opportunities such as the AfricaLics (African Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems), Globelics, and NaclicsnPhD academies, as well as an exchange programme at the University of Basel in Switzerland, which broadened my academic exposure and allowed me to push beyond the limitations I once faced,” she says.
The winner of the Three Minute Thesis Competition 2023 and the Unisa Innovation Showcase 2022 hopes to one day have the time between research and publishing to mentor young scholars, especially from rural and disadvantaged communities.
In 2023, she produced her academic papers “Understanding value creation in the public sector through the application of lean” and “The challenges of adopting lean manufacturing frameworks in state-owned entities – a literature review” with powerhouse women Marcia Mkansi and Anthea Amadi-Echendu.
Pity her mother is no longer around to see her spread her wings to international shores.
