Dimpho Maboee

Dimpho Maboee, 24, was raised by her grandmother in Ladybrand in the Free State. Her entrepreneurial spirit emerged early — at 13, she was a finalist in the MTN SA Foundation’s Young Entrepreneur project. Her aspirations evolved when she joined the Techno Girl programme, where job shadowing at Transnet sparked her interest in electromechanical engineering. Although unable to pursue engineering, Dimpho earned a Bachelor’s degree in mathematical and computer sciences, an honours in computer science, and is pursuing a master’s in e-science (data science). Her research, based at  Sol Plaatje University, includes areas like cybersecurity for healthcare IoT devices, drone swarm coordination for precision agriculture and artificial intelligence models for detecting food quality. Beyond her technical achievements, Dimpho is the founder of The Uncovered Insight podcast, where she interviews leaders in tech, business, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths),  continuing her mission to inspire and educate. Dimpho credits mentors like Tanya Graham and motivational figures such as Evy Poumpouras for shaping her personal growth and discipline.

• Bachelor’s degree in Mathematical and Computer Sciences. Sol Plaatje University
• Honours degree in Computer Science
• Master’s degree in E-Science (Data Science – completed my coursework last year at the University of the Witwatersrand and am conducting my research project at Sol Plaatje University

• Developing a cybersecurity solution to protect IoT devices in healthcare environments from cyberattacks, integrating data science techniques with domain-specific healthcare requirements such as availability and patient safety.
• Conducting research on a hybrid model for deterministic coordination of drone swarms for precision agriculture, combining expertise in autonomous systems, agricultural technology and coordination algorithms, while applying rigorous academic research methodology.
• Capstone research project on machine learning models for food quality detection, successfully developing AI systems to distinguish between fresh and rotten produce, demonstrating the ability to apply multiple advanced AI techniques to real-world challenges.

The first person I look up to is Evy Poumpouras. She has helped me immensely, especially in how to navigate life. Her views on life have made me the strong woman I am today. I used to believe that my problems mattered more than anyone else’s and that anyone owed me respect. However, her interviews on various podcasts have positively impacted me and changed that perspective. The second person is Tanya Graham, my mentor. Through her mentorship, she has helped me identify a lot about myself, my habits and who I truly am. By recognising these things, I have been able to understand what I need to work on most to become a better person. The third is Abdel Njupoun, my partner. He motivates me to be better at everything I do. He always encourages me to take my education seriously and to be disciplined in all my endeavours. As much as he tells me this, he also leads by example, and the results he achieves speak for themselves. Most people in my life are mentors, but I have mentioned just my top three. I have built a network of go-to people I can turn to for advice. I believe the most successful people surround themselves with mentors. However, it is not their job to do the work for me — it is mine. They are there to help me learn from my mistakes and improve my faults.