A Testimony from Prof. Susan Steinman

When Mtha asked me to reflect on the more than 20 years that I’ve been an Ashoka Fellow and, of course, on my becoming a professor at UFS just over a month ago, I thought, “How do you do that without being accused of bragging, naval gazing, etc. " 

In a way, I think it is like doing a business profile, which is the reflection thing Mtha tasked me with. A while ago, I wrote about narcissism and how these people who brag and regurgitate their achievements irritate me. Now, I am tasked to say that I am a well-known expert in workplace violence and bullying, but I am equally prominent as a social entrepreneur and changemaker on both practitioner and academic levels. 

Let's start with the here and now – I am an adjunct professor at the University of the Free State but live in Sandton because I am not a salaried professor who needs to be at work every day. I would visit UFS to participate in the university’s activities, listen to research proposals, lectures, engage in training and ultimately contribute to the Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences. But it is not my first rodeo as a professor. I bring a unique perspective, having been an extraordinary associate professor at North-West University from 2015-2018, and before that, I was the Director of the Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Social Economy at the University of Johannesburg. My first doctorate was a case study on workplace violence in the health sector of South Africa, and later, I did a PhD in social entrepreneurship entitled “The Draytonian Changemaker: The Story of a Social Entrepreneur”. 

My work as South Africa’s pioneer and social activist in raising awareness and educating about workplace violence, including bullying, has left a significant mark. In 1997, the first nonfiction publication on workplace bullying in South Africa, Corporate Hyenas at Work, was launched by the then Minister of Labour, Tito Mboweni. This was almost 30 years ago. A subsequent publication was launched at the Human Rights Council. There were a number of reprints, a testament to the enduring relevance of the issue. 

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) noted my work in 2001, resulting in a consortium of the ILO, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Council of Nurses (ICN), and Public Services International (PSI) commissioned me to undertake research in South Africa on workplace violence (physical and emotional abuse) in the health sector. This study was published worldwide, and I became the country facilitator and researcher for programmes about workplace violence and psychosocial problems in the workplace by the WHO and the ILO respectively. 

My work received much recognition: I became an Ashoka fellow in 2002 for pioneering work in workplace bullying locally and internationally, and Nedbank regional businesswoman of the year – category social entrepreneurship (2008) for my work in workplace violence.  In 2014, I received the World Congress for Social Responsibility’s “Social Innovator of the Year” award in India. 

But yes, I whole-heartedly believe that being a changemaker means being on top of your game. You need to have practical and academic knowledge, and you can only stay relevant through publications. Therefore, I have published many books and articles in my respective fields, namely social entrepreneurship and workplace violence. I worked hard and long hours to obtain my PhD, and I was subsequently drawn to academia as a changemaker, wanting to promote social entrepreneurs. I believe academia opened doors for me that would not have been possible otherwise. 

By embracing academia as an essential tool for changemaking, I did not only help the cause I wanted to promote and it gave me the status and a better insight into what I was doing and trying to achieve. Most of all, I realised that universities have an essential task to educate people and to be the changemakers we want to see. Academia has been a crucial ally in my journey as a changemaker. 

I am “Prof Susan” once more, but that hardly changed me from yesterday. The title acknowledges that I am still relevant academically and can contribute to and make a difference in the lives of others. I can use my title to do this; my focus is always on changemaking because I am, at heart and soul, a changemaker, an Ashoka Fellow first, and a professor is secondary to the unstoppable urge to live a meaningful life by making a difference through changemaking and to stop emotional abuse and gender-based violence everywhere. 

I ended my 2008 thesis with:  “A luta continua”….. always a social entrepreneur!