Khungeka shoots common stereotypes about scientists to smithereens. Smart, successful and ambitious, she makes a lab coat look like next season’s must-have fashion accessory.
This sophisticate manages environmental scientists working in areas ranging from air quality to biodiversity, marine biology to forestry. She serves on diverse committees, some of which advise the government on environmental issues. The Department of Science and Technology has appointed her to the South African reference group on women in science, which advises on gender issues.
‘What excites me about my work is that I get to experience the whole environmental spectrum, from working with issues about strategy and policy to managing the production of a scientific knowledge base to enable implementation of strategy,” she says.
For her, the biggest challenge for South Africa is the shortage of scientific human resources. ‘We must fast-track our younger scientists.” Because so few women are coming through the ranks, especially black women, Khungeka tries to be a role model for younger women and encourages them to enter the field. ‘I try to be as good as I can, without losing my feminity.”