SCIENCE COMMUNICATION7 AUG 2026Building belief beyond the laboratoryDr. Zakithi Mkhize, a virologist specialising in HIV research and founder of Black Girl Scientist Media, is changing perceptions of scientists in South Africa. Through her work…Lesego Chepape6 min read

From HIV research to mentoring future scientists, virologist Dr Zakithi Mkhize is proving that leadership begins with making knowledge accessible When South Africans think of scientists, many imagine white coats, laboratories and people far removed from everyday life. hen South Africans think of scientists, many imagine white coats, laboratories and people far removed from everyday life. Few picture a young black woman from Durban speaking about HIV, vaccine science and careers in Stem on TikTok, YouTube and beyond, while helping to shape the future of scientific knowledge in the country.

Yet this is where Dr Zakithi Mkhize has found her power. A virologist specialising in HIV research, science communicator and founder of Black Girl Scientist Media, Mkhize belongs to a generation of women who are transforming South Africa not through loud declarations or public spectacle but through knowledge, mentorship and access. For this year’s Women’s Day edition, which celebrates women whose work often unfolds away from headlines, Mkhize represents a different kind of leadership, one built on translating complex science into language people can understand and opening doors for those who might never have imagined a place for themselves in science.

“I always say that being a scientist is a calling,” she says. “The people I have reached and the people who reach out to me I can only explain it by saying this is what God called me to do.” Born and raised in Durban, Mkhize grew up in Newlands East alongside her elder sister, in a family where education and sport were equally important. Tennis was central to their childhood.

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Both sisters represented South Africa in the sport, while their parents encouraged curiosity and learning without placing rigid expectations on what success should look like. “We were privileged in the sense that there was never pressure to finish a degree and immediately start working,” she says. “My parents encouraged us to pursue what interested us.” Science fascinated her from a young age, though she is quick to challenge the idea that only top-performing pupils belong in Stem fields.

“I was not an A student in science. But I loved it. People need to know that you do not have to be the smartest person in the room to become a scientist. Passion and a willingness to learn matter just as much.”

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