Dr. Mohale, who initially studied plant pathology and microbiology, transitioned into the field of education, completing her studies with a doctorate in natural science education. Her journey demonstrates how a personal desire to help her children with their learning transformed into scientific research, educational innovations, and an emerging business capable of benefiting young learners across Africa.
Dr. Mohale did not initially plan to become an entrepreneur. Her path began at home when her two young sons, Vavhudi and Rivahudi, experienced speech and language delays in early childhood. Wanting to understand the mechanisms of their learning and communication, she began studying how children perceive the world through play, images, and daily experiences. These personal questions ultimately shifted the direction of her academic career.
After moving into education, Dr. Mohale became a senior lecturer and researcher at the North-West University (NWU), where she focuses on finding new ways to make science, technology, engineering, and mathematics more accessible to young children.
Her experience inspired the creation of Renewable Rangers—an educational game that introduces children to STEM, renewable energy, sustainable development, and problem-solving through play. What started as an academic development is now moving toward commercialization.
Bringing innovation out of the university setting into the market required Dr. Mohale to venture into unfamiliar territory. While her academic career prepared her for conducting research, publishing results, and teaching, entrepreneurship introduced her to areas such as intellectual property, manufacturing, pricing, markets, and sustainable business models.
This new direction led to the creation of WARINOVA (Pty) Ltd, an innovative firm with the mission 'Innovations for a Sustainable Future in Africa.' Plans are also being considered to create a digital version of Renewable Rangers Africa, which could disseminate the educational concept to a larger number of children across the continent.
Dr. Mohale's experience shows how university research can go beyond scientific publications to become a practical solution. With the right support, such a solution can also evolve into a sustainable enterprise.
NWU supports this process through its entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem. Initiatives such as Entrepreneurship@NWU and the bhive Enterprise Development Centre help researchers, students, and innovators find opportunities to create viable projects based on their ideas.
Dr. Mohale's entrepreneurial journey received an additional boost at the Standard Bank Leading Women Conference in Johannesburg in 2026. There, Shifra Chisha, CEO of the Graça Machel Trust, invited her to join the next cohort of the trust's Women Creating Wealth program.
This invitation prompted Dr. Mohale to seriously consider the commercial potential of her work. She is also exploring further education to strengthen her entrepreneurial knowledge and skills.
Entrepreneurship has not replaced her identity as a scholar, researcher, and educator; instead, it has expanded the ways she applies her knowledge and increased the reach of her work. Dr. Mohale's journey demonstrates a clear purpose—understanding and supporting the process of children's learning. This goal led to research, inspired educational innovation, and is now helping to shape a business with ambitions extending beyond the university.
The potential impact includes exposing more children to STEM from an early age, providing teachers with access to new learning tools, and encouraging youth to view sustainability and innovation as part of everyday life. Dr. Mohale's story reflects NWU's role in connecting personal motivation, academic knowledge, and entrepreneurial support, showing that significant innovations can begin with a simple question and grow into a solution serving a much wider community.