South Africa’s youngest recipient of the Order of Mapungubwe, Prof Patience Mthunzi-Kufa, was recognised for her pioneering work in the field of biophotonics at the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) Awards.
Mthunzi-Kufa is a physicist and the research group leader at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s (CSIR) biophotonics centre, which is a mixture of disciplines including biology, chemistry, biochemistry, virology, physics, optics and photonics, which is the physical science of light waves.
Mthunzi-Kufa, 48, walked away with the TW Kambule NSTF Award: Researcher, for her work in the construction and application of revolutionary diagnostic devices, which dramatically reduce the turnaround time for detecting diseases, especially in poorly resourced, far-flung and under-serviced communities.
The NSTF Awards celebrate the outstanding science, engineering, technology and innovation in South Africa by individuals, teams and organisations.
Mthunzi-Kufa is at the forefront of the development of a smartphone-based tool for screening communicable diseases such as Covid-19, HIV and tuberculosis, and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. She leads an interdisciplinary team of scientists from previously disadvantaged backgrounds at the CSIR’s biophotonics centre. Mthunzi-Kufa is the 2012 recipient of the Order of Mapungubwe in bronze, the youngest recipient of such an honour.
Last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed her as the deputy chairperson of the new Advisory Council on National Orders in April.
At the NSTF Awards, she was nominated in three categories including the Management Award and Engineering Research Capacity Development Award.
Dedicating her award to the young researchers in her team, she hailed them for helping her in “pioneering an untapped territory drenched with a plethora of opportunities”.
The TW Kambule NSTF Award – named after the late mathematician and teacher Thamsanqa Kambule – recognises established researchers whose research contributions span over six to 15 years. Mthunzi-Kufa will be marking two decades at the CSIR in October.
Young emerging black women researchers also stole the spotlight, scooping the TW Kambule NSTF Award in the emerging researcher category.
The 35-year-old microbiology and biotechnology lecturer and principal researcher at Wits University, Dr Tiisetso E Lephoto, took home one of the TW Kambule NSTF Award: Emerging Researcher. Her work in insect pest control and management in agricultural industries earned her the accolade.
Also winning the TW Kambule NSTF Award: Emerging Researcher was Prof Tebogo Mashifana of the University of Johannesburg.
Mashifana, the head of the department of UJ’s Chemical Engineering Technology, investigated innovative circular economy principles to remedy the environmental impact caused by wastewater and solid wastes and to convert such wastes generated by different industries into new products that can be used for various applications.
