At the 2026 University of Cape Town’s (UCT) annual Bongani Mayosi Memorial Lecture, Ms Nonkosi Malala, the manager of the Student Development and Support Office (SDSO) in UCT’s Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), received the distinguished honour of being conferred with the Bongani Mayosi Foundation’s inaugural Service Award. 

The award is bestowed in recognition of compassionate and outstanding service to the academy beyond the call of duty. 

In the sixth iteration of the UCT annual Bongani Mayosi Lecture, Dr Vuyane Mhlomi — a UCT alumnus and trustee of the Bongani Mayosi Foundation, who read the citation — described Malala’s services as “central to the development and strengthening of structured student support” and “foundational to the well-being and integrity of the academic community”.

Malala carries the responsibility for coordinating holistic, non-academic student support. This includes frontline engagement with students presenting with psychosocial challenges, oversight of mentorship and orientation programmes, careful management of student funding, and sustained participation in FHS governance structures concerned with student well-being. 

Malala, who has been at the helm of the SDSO since 2019, is often the first point of contact for students facing profound non-academic challenges. She supports students through personal crises, adjustment difficulties, bereavement, identity-related concerns, family pressures and emergencies.  

As a former UCT health sciences student, Mhlomi reports her guidance as deeply human, quietly impactful and provided without expectation of recognition. 

He described her work as “complex, demanding and often unseen”, rendering her a quiet pillar inside the Faculty and someone whom students of all beliefs and backgrounds confide in. 

Through her empathetic guidance and steady advocacy, Malala has played a pivotal role in strengthening the FHS’ culture of care. The award serves as a testament to her profound impact on student lives and stresses the importance of prioritising mental health and wellness in higher education.

The dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Professor Lionel Green-Thompson, remarked that successive generations of health sciences students will feel the impact of the work she does.