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Itumeleng Tsatsi: Occupational Therapist


Name: Itumeleng Tsatsi

Role/Occupation: Lecturer, Occupational Therapy

Country: South Africa


Itumeleng Tsatsi a lecturer in Occupational Therapy department at the University of Free State. She specialises in psychiatry and community based education. As a lecturer, Tsatsi trains occupational therapy students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level to become well rounded occupational therapists who are critical thinkers, cognizant of issues of diversity and contributors towards the health care system in South Africa. She also contributes immensely to research in her field and is at the forefront of curriculum development for occupational therapy courses.


Being interested in science from a young age, Tsatsi chose science based subjects in high school. Towards the end of high school she realised she needed a degree that would allow her to be creative and still scientific at the same time. After job shadowing occupational therapists in psychiatry, she applied to study a BSc Occupational Therapy at the University of Cape Town. Post-graduation, she completed her community service at Zebediela Hospital, a district hospital in rural Limpopo, where she was confronted with a variety of conditions, from neurological problems to learning disabilities to developmental delays. Her experience made her sceptical of specialising in mental health.


However, during her third year of work at Thabamoopo Psychiatric Hospital, Tsatsi became severely frustrated with the injustices faced by mental health care users and decided to enrol for a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy with Stellenbosch University. Her research collaboratively engages long term mental health care users in trying to gain insight into their experience of living in Thabamoopo Hospital halfway house in its current functioning state. The collaborative nature of her research aims “to empower mental health service users with a voice to identify the challenges they experience,” the research findings will be used to enhance the services rendered to the residents by the halfway house.


Tsatsi decided to venture into academia after being intrigued by “research and the voice it gives to the marginalised” and in March this year, she was appointed as a lecturer at the University of Free State. Tsatsi managed to become an academic, one of her long term goals, before completing her Master’s degree and considers this to be one of the greatest milestones in her career thus far. She loves her work because it, “echoes justice for the marginalised… allows [her] to be a voice for the voiceless and to facilitate health and wellbeing through everyday occupations that people often take for granted.”


Tsatsi feels that as a person of colour and as a woman, in a field which is dominated by white females, she can to create change by being able to advocate for African consumers of the profession, “I’m able to alter a westernised profession in its roots and fit it to the African context.” Tsatsi is also very optimistic about the future of STEM on the continent, “It is awakened to its potential and recognising that we are a force to be reckoned with. I think the number of women that have stepped into STEM in Africa is evidence that… Africa will be recognised as a land of opportunity… For the first time in history, Africa is raising responsible leaders who are cognisant of issues of injustice faced by all.”


She maintains a balanced lifestyle by playing as hard as she works, “I do activities that keep me on my path. My spirituality is at the core of my wellbeing and I keep in tune with that every day. I do things that make me happy. I eat and travel a lot.”


Let Itumeleng Tsatsi and her warm and gentle approach to the marginalized “occupy” some space in your heart as you enjoy the interview of this compassionate occupational therapist.


Itumeleng Tsatsi was interviewed by Dhruti Dheda, the founder of the African Steminist on behalf of Geeky Girl Reality. The full interview can be found

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