Professor Wilma Kotzé was born in Vryburg, Northern Cape, on 5 September 1939, where she matriculated in November 1956. She graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing Science in 1961, at the University of Pretoria. With the exception of the Diploma in Midwifery in 1964 at the Pretoria Maternity Hospital, all post-graduate studies, to the level of Doctor Curationis (1978), were completed at the University of Pretoria. This included the Diploma in Nursing Education (1965), and the Master’s degrees in Nursing Education (1969) and Administration (1974). Professor Kotzé was one of the first group of five Master’s in Nursing students in the late 1960’s in South Africa. She holds professional registrations as a General Nurse, Midwife and Community Nurse as well as in Nursing Education and Nursing Administration.
Her academic career took off as lecturer on 1 July, 1974, at the University of Pretoria, where she succeeded Charlotte Searle as Professor and Head of the Department of Nursing Science on 1 July, 1975. When the family relocated to the Eastern Cape at the end of 1982, she took over the Chair of Nursing Science at the University of Port Elizabeth, the position from which she retired at the end of 2004. During her academic career, Professor Kotzé supervised the research of 27 Master’s and 13 Doctoral graduates and co-supervised 10 Master’s and 3 Doctoral graduates.
At a broader professional level, she inter alia served on the South African Nursing Council from 1979 to 2003, of which as Vice-President for 13 years and President for 6 years. During this time, she represented the Nursing Council on the South African Medical & Dental Council for a five-year period. She had the privilege in the early 1990’s to lead the Nursing Council delegation in the unification of the former South African, Transkei, Ciskei & Bophuthatswana Nursing Councils.
Professor Kotzé is the author of numerous professional articles. Both her Master’s dissertation on Accountable Leadership in Nursing Administration, and Doctoral thesis on Accompaniment in Nursing were published. Her post-doctoral research culminated in the publication in 1999 of her Anthropological Nursing Accompaniment Theory. A textbook, ‘Nurse educators’ guide to management’, of which she is editor and co-author, was first published in January 2008.
Professor Kotzé was awarded
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The Degree Honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Kingston/St George’s Medical School, London, United Kingdom in 2005
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The Lifetime Achievement Award of the Forum for Professional Nurse Leaders, in 2006
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Honorary Life Membership of the SA Nursing Education Association, in 2006
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A Certificate of Appreciation: International Year of the Nurse of the Life College of Learning, on 16 September 2010
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Charter of Recognition of the Forum of University Nursing Deans in South Africa, on 12 October 2010
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A Recognition Award of the South African Nursing Council, on 12 May 2012.
Professor Kotzé has been married to Vlam Kotzé for sixty years. The couple relocated to Perth, Western Australia, in 2014. They have two married children - a daughter, Frances, who lives with her family in Perth, and son, Dirk, who lives with his family in George in the Southern Cape. She and Vlam are the proud grandparents of two grandsons and three granddaughter