Page 23 - Unisa CSET Mid Year Highlights 2025 Digital

Q&A
Dr Basetsana Ntsime (Position: Chair of Department- Statistics, CSET)
A quote or bible verse that you live by:
Proverbs 27:17- As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend
Reflect on your upbringing and how you ended up in the sciences?
I am the sixth child in a family of nine children. I was born in in Moruleng, a small village in Rustenburg, North West where I spent most of my childhood around my mother as my father was a migrant labour in Rustenburg town.
Both my parents were not educated but they believed in education, so they worked hard to ensure that all their children got educated. My family depended on farming, which involved a lot of hard labour, and they wanted a better life for her and her family, which encouraged her to study hard and be successful.
One day I visited her uncle, who resided in a nearby village. While in conversation with my uncle, he asked me if I knew what theorem of Pythagoras was. The conversation between myself and my uncle instantly birthed my fascination and passion for mathematics.
During my middle school years, I had support from my Mathematics teacher who laid a great solid foundation for me. I managed to study mathematics and passed with good marks that made me admissible at any university. Due to financial constraints, I could not pursue my studies, but I was fortunate to be recruited as a part time mathematics teacher at a local school.
After three years of part time teaching, I managed to secure a bursary and did a three-year teacher training diploma in education. Later in years, I got the second opportunity, and I was offered three years study leave with retention of salary to study for BSc degree which I completed in record time.
Reflect on your journey to becoming a Chair of Department at Unisa
Throughout my life, I never aspired to join management until I joined University of Johannesburg. I was requested to be acting head of department, the position is served for three years. I joined UNISA in 2020 and I have been given an opportunity to act as the CoD.
Through talent management, I acquired some management skills and tips to handle some challenges.
Reflect on Balancing Research and leadership in the colleges?
Management at Unisa involves lots of meetings and reports and balancing research and leadership require effective time management. To be able to strike the balance, I booked Thursdays for research meetings and consultation with postgraduate students.
Are there any Unique challenges experienced by being a female leaders? If so, how have you learnt to overcome them?
Management requires one to be decisive and fair. Some decisions are not well received by some colleagues, and one gets accused of favouritism, dictatorship and being a toxic manager.
Successes or wins that you want to share in your journey as a researcher and leader within the portfolio that you lead?
The department has improved the exam sitting rate, pass rate, submission rate of assignments, and marking turnaround time. We have a signed MoU with Dire Dawa University, Ethiopia. We are in discussion for collaborative work with a professor based at Johns Hopkin University, USA.
Any interesting projects that you are currently working on that you wish to highlight?
Statistics is one of the scare disciplines and I would like to contribute towards increasing the number of Statisticians in our country. I live by my bible quote, and I am involved in mentoring emerging staff members, especially South African female Statisticians to register and graduate for the PhD. I also intend to register for PhD in Mathematical Statistic.
Define tomorrow.
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