One of UKZN’s inaugural Top 40 Most Inspiring Students in 2014, Dr Bonginkosi Mafuze, has received – a decade later – the University’s Best Registrar Award and Best Registrar Leader Award for 2024 at a prestigious event held at the Investec headquarters in Umhlanga.
Investec is a proud sponsor of the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine.
A Royal Commonwealth Society 2014 Queen’s Young Leaders Associate Fellow and UKZN Class of 2016’s Most Likely to Become Minister of Health, Mafuze earned his MBChB degree at UKZN where he won the students’ first-ever Annual Clinical Conference Award during his first year in 2011. This was followed by his Medical internship in the Pietermaritzburg Hospital Complex before proceeding to fulfil his community service at Komani Psychiatric Hospital in the Eastern Cape.
Mafuze holds a Diploma in Mental Health and a Diploma in HIV Management from the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA). He recently completed his Fellowship exam in Psychiatry to qualify as a specialist and is now working at uMzimkhulu Psychiatric Hospital.
‘Dr Mafuze performed his academic responsibilities and work duties excellently and showed leadership qualities by participating in various registrar meetings, mentorship activities, and registrar functions,’ said Professor Kimesh Naidoo, who co-ordinates UKZN’s Registrar Programme. ‘He also showed leadership by highlighting challenges to improve training, chairing, and presenting at meetings.’
Annually, the Medical School invites its registrars (specialists in training) to nominate a registrar who served as a discipline registrar rep and/or EXCO member. The individual should have distinguished themselves through professional conduct and excellent leadership in promoting the interests of registrars in their Discipline or within the College of Health Sciences. They are nominated and voted for by the registrar representatives of all the Disciplines in the College, according to Naidoo.
Beyond his clinical duties, Mafuze is actively involved in Medical education and mentorship, possessing a keen interest in Sports and Exercise Psychiatry while being involved in establishing this new field in South Africa. He obtained his FIFA Diploma in Football Medicine and is currently working towards his additional certificate in Sports Psychiatry through the International Society of Sports Psychiatry (ISSP).
Mafuze recently launched his mental health podcast, Doctors of Minds, which shares awareness and lived experiences of persons affected by mental health problems. His passion for outreach and education is undoubted.
He has held several leadership positions at Medical School: Politically, with the South African Students Congress (SASCO) and the Young Communist League of South Africa (YCLSA); and academically, as founder of the Medical School’s peer academic mentorship, serving under the Student Representative Council as well as the South African Medical Students Association (SAMSA). He also led a student-run community project, the Happy Valley Clinic (HVC), and is an active member of the South African Medical Association Trade Union (SAMATU) and also of the Association of Catholic Tertiary Students (ACTS).
Mafuze said: ‘I feel deeply honoured and humbled to receive the Best Registrar Leader Award. This recognition is not just a reflection of my efforts but also of the incredible support and collaboration of my supervisors and colleagues. It inspires me to continue striving for excellence and contributing to the success of our Institution and always inspiring greatness.’
Words: Lunga Memela
Photograph: Sethu Dlamini