Abstract
Schools are facing intricate challenges since the emergence of COVID-19 and the pressure on women principals in rural schools is massive and cannot be ignored. This study sought to explore how the leadership roles of female principals in rural primary schools have been influenced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted in the field of qualitative research with an interpretivist perspective utilising a phenomenology design. Semi-structured interviews and document analysis were used to gather data from women principals of public rural primary schools. The study revealed that teamwork tends to be more effective in leading schools during the time of crisis. The women principals were able to use the expertise and experience of other teachers in their schools to run the schools with the aid of teamwork. During the COVID-19 pandemic, working solutions and sharing roles with other colleagues proved to be a successful way for women principals to lead their schools. It was discovered that leading during crisis, such as the COVID-19, necessitates the use of empathy. Assertiveness aided the women principals in enforcing conformity to the COVID-19 protocols by advising, supervising, and implementing the employer's directives. This study recommends that the provincial education departments review their policies to accommodate exhibition of potentialities of successful women principals annually and make the public aware of the skills and expertise that are distinctive to women leaders. Further research should examine women principals' support programmes have evolved and are enacted over time.