Founder & CEO of Black Women in Science (BWIS), Climate Scientist and Academic Researcher, Ms Ndoni Mcunu, Passes Away

It is with deep sadness that the National Research Foundation (NRF) learnt of the passing of Ms Ndoni Mcunu on Saturday, 16 April 2022.

Ms Mcunu is the founder and CEO of Black Women in Science (BWIS), a researchers’ programme that aims to encourage the participation of women in STEM careers, technology, mentoring and education.

A climate scientist and NRF-funded PhD candidate at the University of the Witwatersrand, her excellence was demonstrated by the number of accolades she held, including being selected as a Greenmatter Fellow for her academic research in climate change and agriculture; listed one of the Top 50 Most Inspiring Women in Tech in South Africa in 2017 by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and South Africa; selected one of the Top 200 Mail and Guardian Young South Africans in 2016 in the education sector; and being selected as a Mandela Washington Fellow in 2017. She was also recently recognised by the Ghana-based Humanitarian Awards Global, as one of the Most Distinguished Change Makers: Women in Africa.

The NRF is proud to have played a small part of Ms Mcunu’s illustrious journey. In a 2020 Women’s Month interview with the NRF, she was asked, what is the biggest change you would like to see in the world today? She replied, “Rallying for enhanced African voices locally and internationally, especially on international media platforms. When it comes to climate change, the way in which Africa is portrayed in African media is distorted. We need to change this narrative to highlight more on the positive work Africans have done to mitigate the impacts of climate change. In summary, change in the global perspective of Africa, African knowledge and African media.”

A memorial service by the Mcunu family will be held in Johannesburg on Friday, 22 April, followed by the funeral service on Saturday, 30 April in Durban.