Local woman makes journey from tuckshop to pathogen lab at CSIR
The 37-year-old is stationed at the biophotonics department which focuses on optics, lasers and light.
A BSc graduate employed as a saleslady at a Pretoria east private school tuck shop has struck it lucky by landing her dream job in the scientific and industrial research sector.
Zenande Mcotshana (37), who had struggled to find employment in her desired field for about 12 years, has encouraged the unemployed not to lose hope but to continue the fight for a better future.
Mcotshana was afraid of being stuck in her 2022-acquired tuck shop job in Equestria because she was unable to find a job that could utilise her full suite of skills, but things changed in 2023.
She said after Rekord ran a story on her employment misfortune in 2022, she stumbled upon a job in January 2023 and caught her first flight – to San Francisco, California, in the United States.
“My journey assisting children at a school tuck shop was a great life experience, however, I am fulfilled in my graduated field.”
She said she realised everything had a season and that life was cyclical.
“I gained greater knowledge about trusting in the Lord and embracing difficulties as they arise. In retrospect, I believe the difficulties I encountered in life helped shape the person I am today– they encouraged me to persevere, embrace all opportunities coming my way, and not take any of them for granted or give up.”
She said in 2023, she registered as a PhD candidate for chemical engineering at the University of Cape Town based at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Council in Pretoria.
Mcotshana said she was stationed in the biophotonics department, where the PhD studentship was offered.
She said she was always interested in studying HIV/Aids and finding a cure to incurable diseases.
“My research area is in the field of nanophotonics… I am developing highly sensitive and specific photonics-based diagnostic tools for a point-of-care setting, that can be used to quickly detect viral pathogens such as HIV and SARS-CoV-2.”
She said the transition from her previous occupation to the current one had been mesmerising, however filled with challenges.
“Having studied chemistry, it was exhilarating to go into the new discipline of biophotonics, which focuses on optics, lasers and light. The transition has gone well, but also has its challenges with a lot of learning in between.”
Mcotshana said the trip to San Francisco with other scientists was a great learning curve and boost to gain much-needed experience.
“[San Fransisco] was among the best experiences of my career. Going to the SPIE Photonics West conference in San Francisco, USA earlier this year was an absolute dream to share the platform with scientists and engineers from around the globe.
“I gained a lot of knowledge about photonics from other researchers, including how employing laser diagnostic technologies alone may significantly enhance healthcare systems.”
She said her supervisor, CSIR head of biophotonics and principal researcher, prof Patience Mthunzi-Kufa encouraged her to apply to attend the conference.
“I was excited to meet new people and discover more about the diverse cultures outside the African continent.”
Mcotshana said she also understood the difficulty the unemployed were tangled in and encouraged them to persist.
“Two years ago, I had graduated with a master’s degree in chemistry but had no employment. However, I didn’t restrict myself to my familiar area of study; instead, I explored other options, and I’m currently enjoying a door that opened in a field I never knew existed! There are many great opportunities out there; just keep praying and trying different doors and eventually, the ideal company will discover you.”
Mcotshana matriculated from Saint James high school in Durban in 2008 and graduated with a BSc in chemistry from Walter Sisulu University in 2010.
Mcotshana said she had a great deal of laboratory experience in chemistry and physics.
She said she moved to Pretoria to pursue a career in chemistry, however finding work was proved difficult.
This led her to enrol at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), which later landed her an internship at the CSIR, however the stint at the institution ended and she was unemployed for some time.
“I was at the CSIR for two years.”
She recalled how she would apply for work on numerous recruitment sites without success.
Mcotshana said she always thought that after school and graduating, finding work wouldn’t be a problem given her education.
She decided to come to Gauteng as her birthplace of the Eastern Cape did not have many opportunities.
She said when she struggled to find suitable employment in Pretoria, she decided to complete her master’s degree in 2021.
Yet despite all these qualifications, there was still no job for her in the science field.
“I continued to go to school because I couldn’t find work.
“It’s been stressful, especially when you have the right amount of knowledge and can’t find a suitable place to apply your skills,” Mcotshana said.
She said the tuck shop job helped her cover the costs for her basic needs.
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