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Prof Musawenkosi Saurombe
Associate Professor
Prof. Musawenkosi Donia Saurombe became a Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Psychology in 2017, breaking an astounding academic record of becoming the youngest female Ph.D. graduate in Africa, at 23. Prof. Saurombe prev
Last reviewed: 2026/07/15
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Prof. Musawenkosi Donia Saurombe became a Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Psychology in 2017, breaking an astounding academic record of becoming the youngest female Ph.D. graduate in Africa, at 23. Prof. Saurombe previously worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the North-West University and later as a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Free State Bloemfontein. She joined the University of Johannesburg in 2021 and was promoted to Associate Professor at the UJ in 2022. Prof. Saurombe lectures courses in Human Resource Management and Industrial Psychology and supervises postgraduate research. She is an NRF-rated researcher. She is also known for the work she does as a civic innovator, particularly concerning women and youth. Highest Qualification: Ph.D. in Industrial Psychology Research Interests: Prof. Musa’s research interests are mainly, talent and performance management, 4IR recruitment practices, talent management of academic staff, women talent, the psychological contract, and employee value proposition. Awards and scholarships NRF-rated (Y2) researcher ; effective January 2024; National Research Foundation – South Africa, May 2024. NWU 2023 Alumni Awards , Winner; Young Alumnus Award, Menlyn, Pretoria, November 2023. Woman of Stature Awards , Finalist; Woman in Education, March 2023. Accenture 10 th Gender Mainstreaming Awards , Finalist; Positive Role Model in the Gauteng region, July 2022. Accenture 10 th Gender Mainstreaming Awards , Finalist; General Services Sector in the SADC region, July 2022. Featured in the 3 RD Women’s Legacy Series by the Department of Basic Education; digital version of publication available on the South African History Online (SAHO), October 2021. Golden Key International Society Honourary Member Recognition UFS, October 2020. Golden Key International Society Honourary Member Recognition NWU, August 2019. 200 Young South Africans 2019 , Mail & Guardian, June 2019 https://200youngsouthafricans.co.za/musawenkosi-education-2019/ . CEO’s Award, IPM Youth Leader of Year 2018, Institute of People Management (IPM), October 2018 https://briefly.co.za/18505-africas-youngest-phd-graduate-named-2018-youth-leader-year.html . 2018 Class of 100 Most Influential Young Africans, Africa Youth Awards, September 2018 https://www.hiretheyouth.org/100-most-influential-young-africans/ . “Women of First” Bring Her Up Award, Charlotte Mannya-Maxeke Institute in collaboration with The National Heritage Council (SA), Freedom Park Pretoria, August 2018. Track Chair Award , Academy of World Business, Marketing and Management Development Conference, Athens, Greece, July 2018. Award of Honour , BRICS International Forum, New Delhi, India, March 2018. Emerging Psychologist of the Year, SIOPSA (Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology of South Africa), July 2017. Recent publications (2022-2024) Nesindande, A. R., Saurombe, M. D ., & Joseph, R. M. (2024). Exploring a digital banking talent management framework at a South African banking institution. Sage Open . Nesindande, A. R., Saurombe, M. D ., & Joseph, R. M. (2024). Exploring changes in banking workplaces due to digital technology implementation. South African Journal of Human Resource Management . Nkomo, L., & Saurombe, M.D. (2024). Exploring the representation of women in a selected performing arts entity. SAGE Open . https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231218837 Nyanhongo, K. N., Mokhutsane, L. V., Mosebi, M. T., Thobejane, T. M., Mathudi, T. S., & Saurombe, M. D. (2023). The perceived impact of a global pandemic on the organisational structure of a health department. South African Journal of Human Resource Management . https://sajhrm.co.za/index.php/sajhrm/article/view/2254/3403 Mashaba, N. & Saurombe, M.D. (2023). Evaluating The Effectiveness of The SASSA Fraud Management and Compliance Department. Acta Commercii . https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v23i1.1011 Saurombe, M.D., & Zinatsa, F. (2023). Governing policies and factors affecting the labour market integration of tied migrants. Frontiers in Sociology – Migration and Society . https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2022.1084390/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Sociology&id=1084390 Saurombe, M.D , Rayners, S.S., Mokgobu, K.A., & Manka, K . (2022). Investigating the perceived influence of remote working on specific Human Resource outcomes during the Covid-19 pandemic. South African Journal of Human Resource Management . https://sajhrm.co.za/index.php/sajhrm/article/view/2033/3097 Zinatsa, F., & Saurombe, M.D . (2022). A framework for the labour market integration of female accompanying spouses in South Africa. South African Journal of Industrial Psychology, 48. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v48i0.2006 Ngobeni, D.A., Saurombe, M.D. , & Joseph, R.M. (2022). The influence of the psychological contract on employee engagement in a South African bank. Frontiers in Psychology-Organisational Psychology . https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.958127/full Zinatsa, F., & Saurombe, M.D. (2022). Self-governing strategies of tied migrants in the South African labour market. Journal of Global Business and Technology, 18 (1), 40-55. https://gbata.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/JGBAT_Vol18-1-FullText.pdf Zinatsa, F., & Saurombe, M.D. (2022). Tied Migrant Labour Market Integration: deconstructing labour market subjectivities in South Africa. Frontiers in Psychology-Gender, Sex and Sexualities. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.806436 Saurombe, M.D ., & Barkhuizen, E.N. (2022). Talent Management Practices and Work-related Outcomes for South African Academic Staff. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 32 (1). https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2021.2002033 Shingenge, S.N., & Saurombe, M.D . (2022). Leadership Mindset Regarding Talent Management Practices: A Case Study of Windhoek City Council. South African Journal of Human Resource Management, 20 . https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v20i0.1730 Swanepoel, K., & Saurombe, M.D . (2022). The significance of an employee value proposition in the retention of teachers at selected South African private schools. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 25 (1). https://doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v25i1.4358
