This week on Womanity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Dr. Mosadi Mahoko, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon breaking both medical and societal boundaries. As the first Black female plastic surgeon to qualify from Stellenbosch University, and a recipient of the prestigious Jack Penn Medal for the top national exam results in plastic surgery, Dr. Mahoko exemplifies excellence, resilience, inspiration and service.

While health and medicine appear to run in her family, with both parents being nurses and her late mother, Professor Sophie Mahoko, serving as Dean of the School of Health Sciences at the University of Venda, Dr. Mahoko highlights that her path was driven by exposure and interest rather than solely genetics. A self-described “sickly child,” her early experiences in hospitals sparked a curiosity about healing and the human body. She initially gravitated towards orthopedic surgery due to its visible impact on patient function. However, a pivotal shift, partly driven by rejections from orthopedic surgery training programs, led her to plastic surgery. She emphasizes that this was not influenced by the “glamour of Beverly Hills 90210” but a desire to provide tangible services and improve quality of life for individuals. This personal anecdote of navigating professional setbacks and pivoting to a new specialization offers a powerful message about resilience and finding alignment with one’s core principles.

The interview sheds light on into the life-saving and life-changing aspects of her work, from reconstructing faces after trauma or cancer, to her greatest passion: cleft lip and palate surgery. Dr. Mahoko takes us into the multidisciplinary world of paediatric facial surgeries, describing the team-based approach that includes speech therapists, social workers, geneticists, and anaesthetists – all working to restore function, confidence, and dignity to children and families. She collaborates with organizations like the Smile Foundation, an NGO that fundraises to enable these crucial operations.

She recounts a standout case of a nine-year-old girl with a jaw tumor, where complex microsurgery using bone from the child’s leg restored her facial structure and reintegrated her into school and society; a powerful example of medicine’s ability to transform lives.

As a trailblazer, Dr. Mahoko reflects on the pressures of being a Black woman in a male-dominated field, and the deep responsibility of inspiring others. Her journey includes pivotal decisions, personal sacrifice, and overcoming rejection, all grounded in a value system shaped by her late mother’s unwavering standards of excellence. She emphasizes the importance of self-reflection, seeking support from her “tribe” of friends and family, and engaging in therapeutic activities like cooking to cope with overwhelming moments

Concluding the interview in Youth Month, Dr. Mahoko shares an inspiring message for girls and young women: to “take charge of this world.” She encourages them to be fearless, kind, honourable, and intentional in creating the world they envision, acknowledging that while it won’t be easy, they are the ones who will carry the future.

Tune in for more