NurseLead: Transforming Nursing Leadership in South Africa
On 5 and 6 May 2026, the National Department of Health and North-West University (NWU) launched the NurseLead programme — a groundbreaking national initiative to empower and transform nursing leadership across South Africa. Led by Professor Siedine Coetzee, NWU's NRF Albertina Sisulu Research Chair in Nursing Science, and Dr Mirriam Matandela, South Africa's Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, the programme brings together an innovative national education offering for current and emerging nurse leaders. Its launch was marked by a two-day collaboration workshop that united leading academics in nursing science with key practice leaders from the South African Nursing Council, the National Department of Health, Provincial Directors of Nursing Services, Hospital Nursing Directors, and nursing managers from across the country.
Talent Development of Nursing Leaders
Professor Ian Rothmann and Dr Neil Barnard are developing two parallel short courses designed to work together — one for nurse unit leaders in their role as mentors, and one for emerging nurse leaders as mentees. Both courses are designed for delivery in Articulate Rise and follow a hybrid model that combines online self-directed study with facilitated contact sessions, making them accessible within the demanding schedules of public health professionals. Each short course consists of two study units and runs for 20 hours in total.
Mentoring Nurse Leaders
The mentor course — Mentoring Nurse Leaders — is designed for nurse unit leaders who are ready to invest intentionally in the people they lead. It moves from a deep exploration of the South African public health context and the well-being of nurse leaders themselves to the practical and relational skills of mentoring: how to have conversations that inspire, how to facilitate growth with compassion, and how to create the kind of resonant relationships that sustain emerging leaders over time.
Growing as a Nurse Leader
The mentee course — Growing as a Nurse Leader — is designed for emerging nurses who are ready to take ownership of their own development journey. It begins with personal foundations — self-awareness, well-being, a growth mindset, and the capability to set meaningful goals — before moving into how to navigate institutional systems, build professional relationships, and make the most of a mentoring relationship.
What Comes Next
The two short courses are currently in development. When complete, they will offer nurse unit leaders and emerging nurse leaders in South Africa's government hospitals a structured, theoretically grounded, and genuinely human pathway into the kind of mentoring relationships that change careers — and, through those careers, the quality of care that reaches patients.
