Podcasts 2026

September 10, 2026
Emeritus Professor Jill Adler, Mathematics Education – University...

This week on Womanity, Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Emeritus Professor Jill Adler from Wits University, an internationally acclaimed mathematics education scholar whose career has been shaped by teaching, research, activism and a deep commit ...

Emeritus Professor Jill Adler
$This week on Womanity, Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Dr Melody Sun, a general ophthalmologist and refractive surgeon in private practice. Dr Sun’s career brings together medicine, technology and the precision of delicate surgery, driven by a deep interest in the human body, a commitment to problem-solving and a passion for restoring vision. Her path into medicine began with curiosity and courage. Growing up in a family where illness was often associated with fear, Dr Sun wanted to understand how modern medicine can treat disease. For her, medicine encompasses the body’s intricate systems, the people it treats, compassion and helping patients overcome uncertainty. Finding Her Way into Ophthalmology Although ophthalmology was not a major focus during her medical training, a suggestion from her father helped open the door to the speciality. What began as a recommendation became a field she embraced fully. Dr Sun describes the eye as both a world of its own and a window into the rest of the body, making ophthalmology a discipline that combines medical insight with surgical precision. The Precision and Impact of Restoring Sight As a refractive surgeon, Dr Sun works in an area of ophthalmology focused on reducing patients’ dependence on glasses or contact lenses. She explains procedures such as laser vision correction, implantable contact lenses and modern cataract surgery in accessible terms, showing how advances in technology and surgical planning can transform daily life. Cataract surgery, in particular, can restore independence and dignity to patients who may have lost the ability to navigate, groom themselves or recognise their loved ones clearly. Women in a Specialised Surgical Field The conversation explores the realities of building a career as a woman in a demanding surgical speciality. Dr Sun reflects on the importance of kindness, encouragement and mentorship, recalling how supportive colleagues helped build her confidence as she learned cataract surgery. She also speaks honestly about pregnancy, motherhood and training, noting that women often have to navigate career milestones alongside family decisions, and that support within the workplace can make a profound difference. Women’s Eye Health Matters Applying a gender lens to eye health, Dr Sun highlights conditions that may affect women more frequently, including dry eye linked to hormonal changes, pregnancy-related vision changes and eye complications associated with autoimmune disease. We discuss the relatively low allocation of research funding towards women’s health, which emphasises reproductive health, and we argue that women’s health should not be reduced to reproductive health alone. Greater awareness, advocacy and research funding are needed to understand how different conditions affect women across the whole body. Building a Practice and a Life with Purpose Beyond clinical work, Dr Sun is also building her own clinic, a process she describes as humbling, uncertain and outside her comfort zone. Yet it also represents freedom: the freedom to shape patient care, build something of her own and bring her personal vision into practice. Her reflections on balance are grounded in realism rather than perfection. She emphasises organisation, prioritisation and the need for women not to neglect themselves while managing career, family and responsibility. The conversation closes with a message of resilience and boldness. Dr Sun encourages girls and women to build strong foundations, especially in maths and science if they are considering medicine, but also to remember that they do not need to have their whole lives figured out early. Her advice is to find your “why”, keep going when the path becomes difficult, appreciate the journey and be audacious enough to ask for what you want, because the worst answer is simply no. Tune in for more...$
September 4, 2026
Dr Melody Sun – Ophthalmologist and Refractive Surgeon...

This week on Womanity, Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Dr Melody Sun, a general ophthalmologist and refractive surgeon in private practice. Dr Sun’s career brings together medicine, technology and the precision of delicate surgery, driven by ...

Dr Melody Sun
August 27, 2026
Judge Khosi Hadebe – High Court KwaZulu-Natal Division...

This week on Womanity, Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Judge Khosi Hadebe from the KwaZulu-Natal High Court. Judge Hadebe’s legal career spans decades, tracing a path of perseverance and public service that began in 1979 as a court clerk an ...

Judge Khosi Hadebe
August 21, 2026
Judge Fayeeza Kathree-Setiloane – Supreme Court Of Appeal...

This week on Womanity, Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Judge Fayeeza Kathree-Setiloane from the Supreme Court of Appeal. Judge Fayeeza Kathree-Setiloane’s career mirrors South Africa’s own journey of transformation. From growing up under ap ...

Judge Fayeeza Kathree-Setiloane
August 14, 2026
Judge Sandiswa Mfenyana – North West Division of...

This week on Womanity, Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Judge Sandiswa (Mickey) Mfenyana from the North West Division of the High Court. For Judge Sandiswa Mfenyana, the journey into law began unexpectedly at just 12 years old, when her father ...

Judge Sandiswa Mfenyana
August 6, 2026
Professor Linda Du Plessis – Vice-Principal and Deputy...

This week on Womanity, Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Professor Linda du Plessis, Vice Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning at North-West University. She reflects on the enormous responsibility of preparing students n ...

Professor Linda Du Plessis
July 31, 2026
Dr Olivia Matshabane: Neuroethicist – Department of Psychiatry...

This episode of Womanity celebrates Africa's Women's Day, which is commemorated annually on 31 July. This week on Womanity, Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Dr. Olivia Matshabane is a Neuroethicist and the Principal Investigator of the Africa ...

Dr Olivia Matshabane
July 24, 2026
Professor Pumla Dineo Gqola: African Feminist Imaginations –...

This week on Womanity, Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Professor Pumla Dineo Gqola, an award-winning author, literary and cultural scholar, and the NRF SARChI Chair in African Feminist Imaginations at Nelson Mandela University. This conversatio ...

Professor Pumla Dineo Gqola
July 17, 2026
Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim: Pro Vice-Chancellor for Health...

This week on Womanity, Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim, one of the world's foremost infectious disease epidemiologists, whose pioneering work has transformed HIV prevention for women and shaped global public he ...

Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim
July 10, 2026
Dr Nontobeko Ntombela: Wits School of Arts, Wits...

This week on Womanity, Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Dr Nontobeko Ntombela, curator, scholar, educator, champion of African Art and Co-Deputy Head of the Wits School of Arts at Wits University. A Journey Shaped by Curiosity Dr Ntombela ...

Dr Nontobeko Ntombela

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