Welcome to the first edition for 2024, where we bring you a vibrant slice of Wits life, showcasing how Witsies are dedicated to changing the world for good.
We fire things up with a dynamic mix of individuals making an impact, from the spirited co-founder of Nando's, Robbie Brozin, to the tireless efforts of Prof. Lenore Manderson who is driving real-world change. We delve into the inspiring journey of Dr Fiona Perrot-Humphrey who journeyed from a rural schoolteacher to a listed company and discover the groundbreaking innovations of Dr Adam Pantanowitz. Finally, we learn about the esteemed Prof. Achille Mbembe, the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Holberg Prize – a major global achievement.
We delve into the legacy of scholar-activist Prof. Eddie Webster, explore how first year students experience University today, and offer glimpses of Witsies both globally and on campus.
For more captivating stories and updates about Wits, visit www.wits.ac.za/news
See you soon! |
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Robbie Brozin: A shining light with energy to spare
The word “passionate” is overused but it might have been invented to describe Wits alumnus Robbie Brozin. Sitting at the I Love Food restaurant on Constitution Hill, one can almost see the neon fizz of ideas pouring at breakneck speed from his mind.
Best known for founding the world-famous brand Nando's, Brozin has stepped back from the day-to-day activities of chicken and chips. Unlike some other 64-year-olds who have enjoyed global success, however, he is not playing golf every day. That is not Brozin's style. |
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| Instead, he is involved in ambitious projects to uplift Constitution Hill, improve the efficiency of Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital by digitising patient records, and reinvigorate the inner city of Johannesburg. Much of this work involves Wits, where Brozin is an advisory board member of the Wits Business School. Learn more about his new passion projects in Jozi, and why he wants his grandkids to go to Wits. |
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Lenore Manderson: A decorated warrior for a better world
Lenore Manderson, Distinguished Professor of Public Health and Medical Anthropology at Wits and a Wits Australia Board Member can do more in a day than most people can do in a year.
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So, when in 2013 she was offered the position at Wits, along with a similar one at Brown University in the US, she thought she'd do “50% at Wits, 50% at Brown and 50% in Australia”, where she'd been working as a full professor at various universities since 1988.
Manderson has received many laurels in her illustrious career — including the Society of Medical Anthropology Career Achievement Award, Member of the Order of Australia and the 2023 Bronislaw Malinowski Award from the Society for Applied Anthropology, which honours an outstanding social scientist in recognition of efforts to understand and serve the needs of the world's societies — but this year was the first time an actual laurel wreath was placed on her head.
The leaves are “drying nicely” she says. The more permanent wreath is engraved on a gold ring on her finger. Both were received at the Uppsala University in Sweden, among the oldest places of learning in the world, which bestowed on her an honorary doctorate. Read more about Lenore's work which has gained her global recognition as a leading researcher in her field. |
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Royal Academy of Engineering awards Witsie a special medal
To mark 10 years of the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, Wits alumnus and entrepreneur Neo Hutiri (MSc Eng 2015) was awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering's special medal.
At a ceremony held in London on 31 January 2024, Hutiri was presented with a special medal by UK Princess Royal Anne Mountbatten-Windsor, who is the Academy's Royal Fellow. The event celebrated some of the most successful innovators and businesses over the past 10 years from Africa.
Read more about this prestigious prize and why Neo was recognised as an “outstanding alumnus of the Africa Prize” to further support his business, Technovera. His Pelebox Smart Lockers are designed to improve access to chronic disease medicine. |
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Fiona Perrott-Humphrey: Climbing the mining-and-finance ladder to the top
Dr Fiona Perrott-Humphrey's current jobs in London — one as Senior Adviser on Mining Investments to Rothschild & Co. and the other as Director of the London-Stock-Exchange-listed Baker Steel Resources Trust that invests in unquoted mining projects which are brought on to maturity — are a far cry from her early career as a teacher in rural KwaZulu-Natal.
Born in Johannesburg, Fiona completed a BA in English and History in Pietermaritzburg at the University of Natal, followed by a teacher training course at UCT.
“In those days the education department would fund your studies if you repaid them by working for them for three years,” she recalls.
Learn about Fiona's journey and how the Wits Business School played a major role in changing the trajectory of her life. |
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| From Left to Right: Prof. Richard Bradley, Anton Ossip, Dr Allen Zimbler, Dr Fiona Perrot-Humphrey, Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi, Philip Lindop and Mark Byrne |
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Meet Dr Adam Pantanowitz – The Angela and David Fine Chair in Innovation | Director of the Wits Innovation Centre
“Wits is a place brimming with all of the ingredients for innovation: brilliant minds, academic freedom, multidisciplinary work, diversity of thought, and remarkable research. I see unbridled potential for us to solve problems from our unique vantage point, and ultimately to make change happen from within the Wits ecosystem for the benefit of society at large. The best part is that we can all be a part of this.” |
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Dr Adam Pantanowitz is an iconic biomedical and electrical engineer, well-known for initiating and leading the first group in the world to connect a human brain live and mobile to the internet in a project called the Brainternet – a term he coined. He joined the School of Electrical and Information Engineering at Wits University in 2009 where he lectures in engineering and medicine.
An artificial intelligence expert, technologist, and entrepreneur, Pantanowitz uses his applied sciences skills to make real-world impact. He is the co-founder or early-stage partner of multiple startups such as AURA (a mobile security app), Resolute Robotics (an online education forum to promote engineering and robotics), think3dots (an innovative incubator focused on biotechnology, AI, and engineering), and Tariffic (a platform to best predict a customer's preferred mobile plan).
His areas of expertise are applied artificial intelligence, ethics, biotechnology, engineering, and robotics. His research has been published in international peer-reviewed journals and has also resulted in a number of patents. Learn more about Dr Pantanowitz and the collaborative projects with which he is involved. |
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| Australian Witsies meet around a braai in Queensland and Victoria, and for drinks in the drawing room in Sydney. |
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| Witsies in Australia and South Africa remembering Sixto Rodriguez with Stephen "Sugar" Segerman. You can watch the webinar here. |
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| Stephen "Sugar" Segerman (left) with Sixto Rodriguez |
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Wits Welcomes First Years
Wits officially welcomed 6 300 first-year students to its campus on Welcome Day held on 29 January 2024. The new Witsies were accompanied by their families for their final send off to start a new chapter in their academic journey. This annual introductory celebration showcased the vibrant Wits culture of spirited singing and dancing passed down through the decades.
Welcome Day traditionally serves to communicate the vision and ethos of the University as well as to offer advice to new students as they embark on their academic journey. Wits received over 140 000 applications from eager learners across the country. Those who excelled, secured their spots among the country's intellectual elite at one of the best institutions in Africa. |
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The first years then started their Gateway to Success Programme aimed at facilitating the transition from secondary school to University. This programme goes beyond the traditional orientation and integrates academic content and skills, student life, health and wellness, faculty-specific support and orientation.
Aspiring engineer Cameron Peachy says that she is thrilled with her new environment and the goals of the programme. “Gateway to Success is enjoyable; we form connections, socialise, essentially reassuring us that we are not alone in navigating the uncertainties of this new experience. The orientation programme is notably superior as I feel more exposed to diverse opportunities and learning experiences."
Bonolo Finger who is registered for a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences says that although she is filled with mixed emotions about University life, she is committed to exploring her degree with passion.
The revised orientation programme designed to promote academic success and well-being was launched in 2022 in response to the changing needs of students and to address the disruptions to learning brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. |
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| It would not be a proper start to their Wits lives without being properly inducted as Witsies at the Spirit Game as the highlight of the final day of the orientation programme. |
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Still Smiling after 40 Years
Forty-five years to the day (15 February) a group of 60 young students took up their seats at the Wits Dental School to start their academic journey to become the dentists who would be the graduating class of 1984.
Of the original class, 45 went on to graduate as dentists. Fast forward to the present day, and a group of around 20 former students, along with former lecturers and lab technicians gathered for a reunion breakfast to remember the past and to celebrate the present.
“I was so green; I was a boy from Bloemfontein and did not know anything about the big city. I will never forget that first day in class, when the PA to the head of school, Louise Gerber, walked in with her bright red hair and piercing blue eyes. She knew all our names and she looked right at me, and said 'Cahi, spit out your chewing gum, I never want to see you chewing gum again in this dental hospital',” recalls Dr Norman Cahi.
Read more about the reunion and see the great strides made in pre-clinical training with the new state-of-the-art Phantom Heads Laboratory and the opening of the Wits Zola Dental Clinic, all made possible through the support of generous donations by Wits alumni in Australia and the Stanley and Marion Bergman Family Foundation based in the United States of America. |
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Eddie Webster: One of the Pioneer Scholar-Activists at Wits
Eddie Webster (82), sociologist and Emeritus Professor at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, who died on 5 March 2024, lived a huge life, applying himself to many different arenas with great energy and insight.
His achievements are quite extraordinary. He was an intellectual, a teacher, a leader, an activist for social change, a builder of institutions, a rugby player and jogger, a man of great energy and integrity, and the life and soul of any party.
Eddie inspired generations with his vision and practice of critically engaged scholarship – not only in South Africa, but across the world. Read more |
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| Wendy Fisher and Linda Mirels celebrating Wits and recalling fond memories |
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| Jeff Fisher sharing his Royal Society Fellows Charter Book which has copies of all the signatures of all the Fellows since its inception in 1660 |
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| Lex van Vught, former CEO of AECI, with granddaughter, Jess |
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| Ivan Glasenberg and Bruce Fordyce reliving their campus days |
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| Moss Mashishi and 25 Wits Graduate Friends met with the Vice-Chancellor and rediscovered their campus and all its treasures |
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| Natie Kirsh visiting his alma mater |
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| Dr Neville Plint, former Chief Scientist at Anglo American, popping in for a visit at the Wits Club |
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| A very special graduation for the Motsepe family. From left to right: Prof Jason Cohen (Dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management), Dr Precious Moloi (Chancellor of UCT), Dr Judy Dlamini (Chancellor of Wits), Prof Zeblon Vilakazi (Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits) |
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| Doug and Carolyn Smollan meeting some of Wits' top student-athletes |
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| Malcolm and Shane Dorfman thrilled to receive their Wits Sport 100 Books |
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| Charles and Arthur Goldstuck back on campus as they enroll at Wits for their PhDs |
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| Mark Stiller, former Mens Residence Chairperson, and his family retracing his student steps on campus |
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| Jacob Modise inspired by his visit to Wits campus after so many years |
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It is through the continuous support of our alumni and friends that the University of the Witwatersrand continues to play a major role on the world academic stage alongside the world's top universities.
Wits continues to develop excellent graduates, to drive research and innovation, to make new discoveries and breakthroughs, from our location in the economic heartland of Africa. We lead from the Global South to benefit societies across the world, for good.
Support your alma mater today by donating to the Wits Annual Fund or contact us to discuss how you would like to contribute to a cause that is important to you. |
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Growing the impact and building on the successes of our Wits Centenary Campaign, the Wits Development and Fundraising Office is considering expanding Wits' Global Transformational Gift Fundraising Capacity in the United States of America.
We are looking for a dynamic, self-motivated individual, based in the United States of America, who:
- Has experience in high-level project management and fundraising activities for a university or Non-Profit Organisation;
- Can engage with high-level stakeholders across the donor community in the USA and Canada; and
- Has first-hand experience with, and understands the University of the Witwatersrand and its positioning and priorities within the South African higher education sector, the country and the rest of the world.
Expressions of interest may be sent to the Fundraising Manager, Charné Haak, at charne.haak@wits.ac.za by 17 May 2024. |
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