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Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Senior Reporter

DR Nonhlanhla Dube remembers penning her first story for a national competition while in Grade Four at Fusi Primary School in Gwabalanda suburb in Bulawayo.

She said she charmed the judges by taking a humanitarian angle to the topic, ‘George knocked on the door.’
The eight-year-old creative in her put together a story about a helpless boy who went home to find that a giant snake had attacked his father.

The ninth of 10 children born to Mr Edward Mbeji Dube and his wife Margaret, Dr Dube believes she got her creativity from her “crazy family.

Her narration and attention to detail became the hallmark of her trailblazing academic career in logistics and humanitarian aid delivery in places affected by armed conflict and political crises.

As Zimbabwe continues celebrating the contribution of women to the country’s development, Dr Dube, a proud holder of a Doctorate in Logistics, remains a classic example of the outstanding lot that make the country proud.

She recently did a TV interview with ITV in the UK about Ukrainian refugees, one year into the Russian invasion.
ARD station, a German equivalent of BBC also featured Dr Dube’s view about the homes for Ukraine scheme.

Her first academic qualification in Applied Mathematics from The National University of Science and Technology (Nust) saw her getting a job in logistics for the Dutch section of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Zimbabwe.

She primarily worked on drug supply and helped set up logistical systems for inventory control and replenishment, mainly the medical department and finance to ensure timely supply.

By 2008 the organization had a well-oiled system running that raised the urge for a new adventure for Dr Dube who began a BScin (Hons) in International Business Administration at Vrije Unieversiteit Amsterdam as her Nust qualification was not recognised in many spheres.

During her study, she took on voluntary and paid positions which included developing a governance structure for a 100 percent volunteer-run online organization.

Dr Dube also conducted research on humanitarian operations and graduated cum laude in 2011.
She undertook a two-year research MSc (2011-2013): MSc Economics and Business at the University of Groningen (UG).

By this time, she delved more into research work on humanitarian operations and interned within the Procurement Unit of MSF in Amsterdam for over six months.

In 2015 Dr Dube became a board member within MSF in Amsterdam having been elected primarily for her knowledge and experience in humanitarian logistics and supply chain management.

After three years, Dr Dube started her PhD in logistics which she completed in 2022.
“I work at Lancaster University as a Lecturer Assistant Professor in Operations Management. I primarily conduct research and teaching but have also taken on some projects to remain in touch with the humanitarian world,” said Ms Dube in an interview about her academic work.

“One of the projects I have been involved in from 2016-2021 is a data quality improvement intervention in Afghanistan. This is a multi-million-pound project sponsored by the Global Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) which ultimately sought to improve the availability of, and access to, vaccines to children all over Afghanistan.”

Besides her academic achievements, Ms Dube won Dutch Master’s Thesis Prize in Logistics in 2014 where she studied the role of government bodies in humanitarian logistics for her final-year project.

She also teaches as part of her job and has helped establish an organization for female academics- Southern Women Academics Network (SWAN).

SWAN is the brainchild of her friend Dr Gracsious Mavisa. The two decided to help women interested in academics to hone their writing and research skills in order to be competitive even in the global market.

They noted that many women in academics had viable PhD thesis ideas but could not write compelling proposals.
“Gracsious was affiliated with Nust and she convinced me to help her start an organization to help women who would like to be part of academia.

I remembered how my Primary School teacher Mrs Velile Khumalo was literally the spark that set all of this in motion. I can never thank her enough hence my vision to ensure that my fellow women become the best and they make great strides in the academic sphere even globally.

I also extend my gratitude to the late Dr Faith Hove Musekwa the first female Zimbabwean Professor in Mathematics who took me for some courses at Nust. She was hardworking and I drew a lot of inspiration from her hence the need for us to create a conducive environment for women to thrive as academics who are married, mothers and in touch with their African social responsibilities.”

“In my programme, applied Mathematics, we almost had an even split between men and women. In general, the girls also outperformed the boys. The best student in my cohort was female and these trends have continued to grow globally.

So, for SWAN, one of the questions is: if women are this capable, where do we lose them between the MSc degree programmes and full professorship? When does this academic talent cease to pay off, or the pursuit thereof, stop being viable?”
Dr Dube said she also teaches and loves this part of her job as she sees education as a vehicle for bringing about lasting change in the world.

“I am available to supervise PhD students on various topics within operations management in the humanitarian and public sector. I am also interested in Global South perspectives on contemporary supply chain issues like child labour, slavery, resilience and sustainability.

I am also interested in co-supervising interdisciplinary research incorporating Operations Management as well as mixed methods approaches,” she said.

To fund her passion to empower other women, Ms Dube also does music collaborations as music is her first love.
“I used to tie bands around my head and use the garden hose as a mic to sing songs ranging from Brenda Fassie and PJ Powers’ hits to the Carpenters and ABBA – basically songs that were playing on the radio.

My first public performance must have been at age 7/8 when I sang “Oh Lord My God” in church,” she said.
“I also sang in a community black gospel choir during my years in Amsterdam.

The last time I performed publicly was on 9 March 2023 when at a fundraiser for SWAN using this God-given talent. I gave myself the name “A bunch of nerd” and my husband got me a djembe drum so I could start my campaign.”
Dr Dube managed to get support from a lady from Brazil and her brother Juliana and Gabriel Silveira as well as a percussionist Iian Hunter.

“We raised more than £1 000 so far from GoFundMe, Eventbrite ticket sales, and cash donations and sales of goods and treats (minimum target was £800).

We have kept our GoFundMe page running as we turn our focus to funding as many women as possible to a writing three-day Bulawayo retreat in June this year.”

Dr Dube is also a talented cook, dancer and designer. She is one of those rare academics who excel in everything they do.
Her wish, if she could turn back the hands of time, is to one day go on a coffee date with the late Wangari Maathai the first African woman and first environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

“I find her to be much more interesting when you look at her life as a whole. She had a difficult and complicated life but that did not stop her from being of service to others. – @thamamoe.