By Nhlawulo Vision Chauke
This year, Dr Lametse Letsebe achieved a remarkable academic milestone, earning her Doctorate in Management Sciences with a specialisation in Organisational Leadership. Her scholarly achievement reflects both academic excellence and a profound commitment to bridging the worlds of academia, enterprise and social impact.
As South Africa celebrates Women’s Month, the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) also celebrates outstanding women who were conferred Doctoral degrees during the Autumn 2025 graduations.
Newly capped, Dr Lametse Letsebe, who earned a Doctorate in Management Sciences with a specialisation in Organisational Leadership in 2025.
Born and based in Botswana, Dr Letsebe’s research and professional passions lie at the intersection of strategic management, entrepreneurship and innovation. She believes in the power of higher education to shape real-world enterprise solutions and currently brings this vision to life through her work at a University of Botswana Enterprise company, an initiative inspired by and rooted in her Doctoral thesis recommendations.
In her current role, she is driving efforts to translate academic research into practical and sustainable business ventures, with a special emphasis on inclusive economic growth.
Her academic journey at TUT was marked by diligence, vision and strong mentorship. “It is such a blessing to complete my Doctorate and I am thankful to my mentors and their support. TUT is an excellent institution with good supervisors. Though I am from Botswana, they gave me all the support I needed, enabling me to finish my studies in less than three years,” she reflects.
Her experience underscored an important lesson: Doctoral studies require more than intellect; they demand dedication, patience and perseverance. She said a doctorate is not difficult. “It just needs dedication and perseverance because there are processes beyond your control, like waiting for approvals before conducting interviews. You must be patient,” she advises aspiring scholars.
Her academic impact is not confined to paper. Dr Letsebe has presented at several international conferences, using global platforms to promote collaboration between government, private sector, academia and communities, particularly in the pursuit of social-impact ventures.
One of her proudest achievements has been facilitating a strategic partnership between the University of Botswana and TUT, aimed at advancing knowledge and technology transfer, entrepreneurship development, innovation and research commercialisation.
Her global outlook was further enriched by her thesis defence in Spain, where she encountered potential international students with an interest in South African education. “I would like to promote TUT and ask those in Spain to sponsor their students to come here. From the experience I had, I would recommend TUT to the people of Botswana and other African countries,” she says.
Beyond her institutional roles, Dr Letsebe is also a proud member of the World Women Bank, an international platform that aligns with her advocacy for inclusive entrepreneurship and financial empowerment for women.
Botswana born and bred, Dr Lametse Letsebe commended TUT for the support she received in completing her Doctoral studies.