Skin Bank pioneer, Cleo Ndhlovu, transforms lives through innovation

Cleo Ndhlovu, Chief Operating Officer at Rhyzotherm and Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) alumna

Cleo Ndhlovu Is an excellent example of TUT’s success in preparing graduates who make a measurable impact locally and beyond the country.

As a leader in medical innovation, Ndhlovu's medical device company transforms healthcare through entrepreneurship, research, and skills development, introducing innovative healthcare technologies to South African hospitals. She also runs her own laboratory, MagiTech Science, which empowers black researchers in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

In 2016, Ndhlovu was instrumental in launching Africa’s first skin banking programme to address the lack of a regular supply of donated skin, through TUT’s Centre for Tissue Engineering (CTE). The bank was established to provide a legal, secure, and readily available source of quality allograft (donated skin) for burn victims, which placed the University at the forefront of medical innovation. 

Medical specialists, sponsors, Government and business leaders, as well as TUT dignitaries, attended the launch, which received extensive media coverage. For the first time in South Africa, donated human skin could be safely processed for transplant, offering burn victims, especially children, and other patients a better chance at recovery.

Ndhlovu credits TUT for shaping her professional journey. After studying abroad, she returned to South Africa to realise her vision of establishing a skin bank that did not yet exist locally. TUT provided the opportunity that enabled her to turn that vision into reality.

In 2002, she enrolled at Technikon Pretoria, now TUT, completing a BTech in Biotechnology. She later obtained an MSc in Clinical Research from the University of Barcelona, specialising in organ, tissue and cell transplantation. A six-month internship in Belgium exposed her to advanced tissue banking techniques, which she later applied in South Africa to establish the continent’s first skin bank.

In 2005, Ndhlovu joined TUT’s Centre for Tissue Engineering as a microbiologist and later became its General Manager. During her tenure, she helped grow the Centre into a leading hub for tissue banking and research. She recalls that when she joined, tissue banking was unfamiliar territory, but TUT created an environment that allowed her to learn, develop and lead.

She is committed to her laboratory work and passionate to create opportunities for young scientists as well as advancing scientific knowledge in the country.

Despite her demanding professional responsibilities, Ndhlovu is currently pursuing a PhD in Surgery at Wits University.

Ndhlovu’s journey reflects resilience, passion and the value of lifelong learning. She encourages students to remain focused even when facing challenges, adding that TUT equipped her to dream bigger, embrace opportunities, stay curious and pursue her ambitions.