Leading Through Service, Resilience and the Power of People

For Ms Antoinette Botha, Director of Professional Services at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) College of Humanities, leadership has never been simply about the position one holds.

It is about the people one develops, the challenges one helps overcome and the difference one makes along the way.

With 36 years of experience in Higher Education, including 23 at UKZN, Botha has built a career shaped by resilience, continuous learning and a deep commitment to service. Her journey at the University has taken her through three of its four Colleges, while she also studied in the fourth, giving her a uniquely broad perspective of the Institution. Yet, when she reflects on her career at the institution, it is the people rather than the promotions that stand out. “I don’t see 23 years simply as a career. I see it as a journey of relationships, lessons, challenges, growth and contribution,” she says.

Among her proudest moments is seeing people she has mentored grow in confidence and take on greater responsibility. Her own determination was shaped early in life by her mother, a single mother and sole breadwinner who worked three jobs to fund her diploma. Her mother, one of only three siblings to achieve matric and a secretarial qualification, instilled in her the value of education, diligence and self-sufficiency.

These lessons have remained with Botha throughout her career. After 12 years at the former Technikon Natal (now DUT), she joined UKZN in 2003 as a temporary Committee Officer, progressing through increasingly senior roles before becoming a Director in the College of Humanities last August.

Along the way, she navigated major institutional changes, including UKZN’s 2011 reorganisation and the COVID-19 pandemic. During the reorganisation, she worked with colleagues to develop standard operating procedures and guidelines in an environment where institutional knowledge had been lost.

The experience reinforced her belief in collaboration, listening and knowledge management. Her leadership philosophy is grounded in service. “Leadership in a university is ultimately about service. Service to the institution, to our staff, to our students and to the communities we serve,” she says.

In 2023, while managing a team during the pandemic and supporting her daughter through Grades 11 and 12, Botha achieved her Master of Commerce in Leadership Studies, another milestone in a career defined by perseverance.

Outside work, her husband, daughter and extended family keep her grounded, while pickleball, reading and beachfront walks provide moments of fun and joy.

Her advice to young women is simple: believe in your capability, embrace opportunities and “lift as you rise”.

Her hope is to leave UKZN stronger than she found it, with sustainable systems, empowered people and a new generation of women confident enough to take their place at the table.

*Visit our YouTube channel to watch our Women’s Month stories of inspiration and excellence. 

Words: Lorna Charles-Wright

Photograph: Nkosi Gcabhashe