Phuti Mogale is many things to many people. She’s the first-born daughter, a wife, a mother, a netballer, a lawyer, a teacher – and now, she’s the Head of Senior School at Roedean.
Phuti Mogale is the Head of Roedean Senior School
“I always view who I am and what I do as a reflection of all the people who had an impact in my life, much like what Maya Angelou says, ‘They are my rainbows and I take them along with me,’” says Mogale. “I live to be a rainbow in other people’s lives.”
Having taken the law track after high school – qualifying with her LLB from the University of the Witwatersrand – Mogale explains that she “ended up in education purely by accident”.
“I had found myself at a point in my legal career where I had lost the love for law and needed time to step away from it, to renew that love,” she elaborates.
At the time, she was offered the opportunity to help coach primary school swimming, as well as assist with teaching computer classes across all grades: “Since this spoke to my skill set and I love coaching children, I saw it as an ideal opportunity to take a break doing something I loved.
“A couple of days before my start date, their Grade 4 teacher resigned and they needed a stand in until they found someone new. Initially I was supposed to assist for a term; I landed up teaching Grade 4 for two years. I took the break in 2012, and have not looked back since.”
Leading the senior school at Roedean
Mogale joined Roedean as its Head of Senior School at the start of July, following three years as deputy headmistress and head of boarding at St Mary’s Waverley.
She feels incredibly privileged to be entrusted with the responsibility of leading an establishment like Roedean, as well as being part of the legacy of a “ground breaking institution that sets the standard for what it means to be educated… one that looks to… advance young women… whilst challenging every boundary, breaking glass ceilings and ensuring that the education of the girl child continues to be at the forefront of everything that we do, in building strong, stable communities.”
She believes the difficulty and responsibility that is placed on teachers when they commit to educating girls is often not fully respected or understood.
“It goes beyond the pages, the words we teach them to read and the voices we hope that they find. We teach them not to hide parts of themselves that the world seems to label or frame in the negative, when used to bring light to what’s wrong around us,” Mogale continues.
“Educated girls tend to have to find spaces to fit into as opposed to be seen as forward thinking, ground breaking and revolutionary. It’s the shoulders we rise on, as women, who try to maintain the voices of those who came before us without losing sight of the fact that educating girls, in a girls school, is not only vital, it is necessary.
“It is, in this light, that I wish to use my position not only to continue to shine a light on the importance on maintaining the education of girls, particularly within Africa but also noting that the values and parts of being a woman, are not to be frowned upon or seen as a weakness, rather that these are the things that are needed to ensure women continue to have a place in this world.”
Experience in co-ed vs all-girls schools
Having spent a number of years teaching in co-ed schools, Mogale says she discovered that girls who have opinions that are in conflict with the norm were often ascribed with negative descriptions. She attributed this to the comparison that exists in co-ed establishments, where a higher value or status is placed on sports that happen to be played by boys.
“It takes me back to why I insisted to be educated in a girls’ school. Not only was it important to 13-year-old me to be educated in an environment where most of my peers looked like me - after spending a vast period of my primary school being one of two black children in the class - but also the value in becoming a part of a sisterhood where my success would not be compared to or measured against that of a boy.”
Mogale says the argument that all-girls schools do not give ladies a “true reflection of the world outside… does not take into account the value of having strong, articulate women in an environment that sees them for who they are, as opposed to who they are identified as.”
However, Mogale values her time teaching at co-ed schools: “It afforded me the opportunity to assist girls in finding their voices, whilst also making the boys I taught mindful of not only their strength, but also their strength in empathy and compassion… because boys, as much as girls, also deserved an education that extended beyond their books or scopes of academic reference.”
Teaching girls today
Mogale believes it is vital to “remove this platitude that women need to constantly be a contradiction and frame their success according to the standards set for them”.
“By virtue of our gender, we are always seen to be one thing and expected to be another. The same happens in education, where our definition of being a woman or lady, relies on the definition of the time as opposed to our collective power,” she says.
I always think back to the woman standing to fight collectively for one and all, regardless of race or class. On 9 August 1956. The one lesson, I learnt, growing up and being privy to the stories that never made it on the pages was that it was thought that it would be a failure. Something too risky to even think about but it happened. At great cost to many woman who showed up.
“Even today, in 2025, when woman collectively come together to campaign against injustice and persecution, it is still at a great cost; where we need to hide and remind ourselves of ‘our place’ likes it’s the permanent label in our lives.
“Hence, in teaching young women I always stress the importance of believing in something, as long as it is in line with the greater good. Understand the challenges that you will face, particularly when your voice is loudest and not too lose steam.
“Continue to be mindful of all perspectives, educate oneself on all sides and listen. Not with your ears but with everything so, similar to chess, you know when and how to move without being torn apart or defined by the descriptors that will inevitably come.”
Being female is not a weakness
Mogale wants all young girls to know that being female or feminine is not a competition, or a weakness, and that they must carry the title of being a women with pride: “It is an honourable title that we bear. Not as a burden but as an example of just how much we can do, without much.”
She encourages young women to rise above challenges and to find strength in one’s collective voice by lifting up their peers, “even when we do not necessarily agree with them… but understanding and acknowledging that their opinions form a part of the greater conversation”.
“Our voices are worthy to be heard not because we are difficult, but because they matter.
“Our collective impact allows for others to be free of injustice, persecution and discrimination and that comes from the fact that, at our core, we are all mothers. We know and fully understand and appreciate what it means to nurture and take care of another person.”
Honouring the past
In retrospect, Mogale says, “I am where I am, not because I was lucky.”
She says that while education opened doors for her that may have stayed closed; she was blessed to have people from humble beginnings who set the path for her.
“I was raised by the hands of a domestic worker, a driver, a woman who could not read but could rationalise things beyond the academic rigour without a formal high school education. It showed me that one need not be book smart to be life smart.
“I listened to stories that spoke of not only being strong, but seeing myself as a ‘stitch’ in the greater cloth of life. I was also reminded that being born and raised in Alex was not to be a crutch. It was to remind me that you can come from anywhere and still be a success.
“I grew up at a time, where turmoil was a part of the day and yet, the people who grew up around me where pillars in education, acting, music, engineering and corporate life. Not because Alex limited their ability to succeed but because Alex became the reason they had to succeed.”
Encouraging the future
“Never forget who you are,” Mogale implores all young women. “Being a woman is not a crutch or a weakness. Rather, it is the greatest strength of all. It is a testament to not only your value but your purpose.
“You will always be able to see the injustices around us and instead of being closed down or asked to keep quiet… it is our duty to ensure our collective voice is heard.
“Always work to lift and empower others. That is where the true power lies.
“Authenticity lies in being an individual and allowing others to see all your colours, even if those colours do not exist. Create them.
“That is how you became who you are; no one can define that for you. And above all else, be kind to yourself. Respect who you are and how far you come.
“Only you know your journey and if you do not honour or respect that, no one else will do that for you.”
