IWITS
An
essential
guide to being a Witsie
COMPLIMENTS OF ALUMNI RELATIONS
contents
The Wits Book – 2025
The wonderful world of Wits
Celebrate your identity as a Witsie for life
22
Illustrious Witsies
Wits has produced many highly successful alumni
26
Wits Convocation Make your voice heard in decisions about the University
Defending social ideals
Wits has a proud record of standing up for justice
23
Jacaranda blossoms and their significance
28
General Assembly Special gatherings to affirm the University’s stance
The mace
A symbol of the authority vested in the Chancellor
44
The bucket list
Ten things you should do before graduating
Coat of arms
What the colours and images on the Wits badge mean
8
Wits milestones
Important dates for the University since 1922
24
46 Traditions
45
Social media
Join our online community to connect with Witsies worldwide
Great Hall
The most recognisable symbol of Wits University
Graduation ceremony
The ultimate Wits experience for graduands and their families
38
The Wits mascot
Meet Kudos Kudu, the proudest Witsie of all
Map
Find your way around campus with an illustrated map
Celebrate your identity as a Witsie for life. Be proud of being part of the Wits experience.
Established in 1922, Wits University has a proud and distinguished record of innovation, excellence, enlightened discourse and academic leadership. This handbook is your introduction to the world of Wits − its history, traditions, rituals and symbols.
Over its long history some unique and quirky traditions have emerged. Some are formal and academic, others just silly and fun! They’re all part of the fabric and fascinating legacy of one of the world’s top universities.
Traditions are a way of connecting with an institution and give it a unique sense of identity. Some traditions have survived through generations of Witsies, others are lost in the mists of time, while new traditions arise for new ages. As Wits evolves, so too will its traditions. Join us in this evolution, which, for almost a century, has been a part of giving Witsies the edge.
• For more information, go to https://www.wits.ac.za/ alumni/history-and-traditions/
You are a Witsie for life, so make this a Wits to call your own.
While this handbook can’t do justice to the rich tapestry and enormous variety of everything Witsie, it will give you a taste of the unique Wits experience as you progress from being a student today to being a Witsie forever.
social ideals g
Wits has a proud record of standing up for social justice, freedom and democracy.
Wits is a vibrant University in the heart of cosmopolitan Johannesburg. Throughout its long history the University has been synonymous with progressive thought and public engagement. Its academics and students speak up and speak out. Although the University’s history is inevitably tainted by the exclusionary policies of apartheid, Wits has a proud record of standing up for social justice, freedom and democracy.
Wits is renowned for its demonstrations in defence of human rights and freedoms, from the splendour of formal academic marches in full academic regalia, to messy skirmishes against the teargas and batons of the former ‘riot police’. From the time Wits defied segregation in the 1930s by permitting black students to study, through the wave of student activism in 1948 when the National Party formalised apartheid, to the hotbed of political unrest during the turbulent 1980s, the University has always been the breeding ground for bold leadership and a diversity of voices.
The University’s commitment to liberty and justice continues to this day.
Wits holds regular public discussions and debates on current social issues and has demonstrated leadership on issues of media freedom, xenophobia, the right of the Dalai Lama to visit South Africa, the Marikana massacre, FeesMustFall movement, State Capture and Climate Justice.
Wits milest
ones
1896
Wits University’s forerunner, the South African School of Mines, is established in Kimberley.
1906
The School moves to Johannesburg and is renamed the Transvaal Technical Institute. The Institute is renamed the Transvaal University College.
1923 1904
Central Block officially opened
Henry John Hofmeyr is elected the first President of Convocation.
Wits University Press is established.
1922 1925 1928
The Central Block is officially opened by His Royal Highness, Edward, Prince of Wales. In a famous student hoax, a ‘bogus’ prince is initially presented to the crowd.
University of the Witwatersrand established
Professor Humphrey Raikes is appointed Principal. His tendency to fall asleep during important meetings and even official public occasions causes alarm, but is later recognised as narcolepsy and treated.
1931
The University is formally inaugurated on 4 October at a ceremony at the Johannesburg Town Hall and Professor Jan Hofmeyr is appointed the first Principal. Full University status is granted and the University of the Witwatersrand is established with about 1 000 students.
The Johannesburg municipality donates a site in Milner Park to the University and construction begins on what is now East Campus.
Prince Arthur of Connaught is installed as the University’s first Chancellor.
Sir William Dalrymple is elected as the first Chairperson of the Wits Council.
Central Block is gutted by fire and the library destroyed.
1934
New Library, now the William Cullen Library, is officially opened by Prince George, Duke of Kent.
The University’s Council decides to begin admitting black students to Wits.
The first radar
1935 1939 1940
Dr Benedict Vilakazi arrives at Wits, completes his honours and master’s degrees by 1938 and doctorate in 1946. He is celebrated as the first black academic to be employed in a teaching capacity at a university in South Africa.
The first radar set in South Africa is born from the top of the Central Block building by Professors Basil Schonland and Guerino Bozzoli on 16 December. They roughly rotate the antenna from a north to westerly direction and successfully locate an echo signal 10km away on the Northcliff Hill.
The GovernorGeneral, Sir Patrick Duncan, officially opens the Great Hall in the newly completed Central Block.
1946 1943
Wits launches its ‘crash’ programme for ex-volunteers returning from World War II. The University enrols 2 825 ex-volunteers, more than twice as many as all the other South African universities combined.
Dr Donald Moikangoa and Dr James Njongwe (left) are the first black men to graduate from Medical School.
‘Mrs Ples’ discovered
Honorary alumnus Dr Robert Broom and Professor John Robinson discover ‘Mrs Ples’ at the Sterkfontein Caves.
Dr Mary Susan Xakana (née Malahlela) is the first black woman to graduate from Medical School.
The National Party wins the South African election, prompting student politics to begin engaging with issues of national significance. Various student organisations become more politicised and involved in the anti-apartheid movement.
1957 1948
The first major Wits student protest –against increased fees – takes place.
Two thousand academic staff, students and members of Convocation march from the University to the City Hall behind the banner ‘Against Separate Universities Bill’.
1959
On 16 April, thousands of students and staff stand in silence on campus to mourn the end of academic freedom as the National Party passes the Extension of University Education Act (a follow-up to the Bantu Education Act of 1953). Both acts exclude black students from white schools and universities.
The University’s first ever General Assembly is held in the Great Hall to protest against the imposition of university apartheid.
The opening night of the African jazz opera King Kong is staged in the Great Hall on 2 February, starring Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela on trumpet.
Computer firsts
1962
Wits becomes the first campus in South Africa to own a computer. The University replaces the first computer with more advanced ones over the next 10 years and maintains its position in the computing field in the decades that follow.
Forced racial segregation
1961
1960
The University purchases the Sterkfontein site, an area with limestone caves that are famous for their fossil finds and palaeoanthropological significance. It is declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO as the Cradle of Humankind in 1999.
On 12 October the first full-sized planetarium in Africa, and the second in the Southern Hemisphere, opens its doors on Wits campus to the public.
1963
Wits alumna Ruth First is arrested in the main hall of the Wits University library on 9 August. She is detained in solitary confinement for 90 days.
A plaque is unveiled at the Great Hall, declaring: ‘We affirm in the name of the University of the Witwatersrand that it is our duty to uphold the principle that a university is a place where men and women, without regard to race and colour, are welcome to join in the acquisition and advancement of knowledge; and to continue faithfully to defend this ideal against all those who have sought by legislative enactment to curtail the autonomy of the University.’
1966
United States
Senator Robert F Kennedy addresses Wits students in the Great Hall.
1968 1974
The Graduate School of Business Administration (Wits Business School) is established in Parktown.
Wits Business School established
The Adler Museum founded in 1962 by Drs Cyril and Esther Adler is handed over to the University.
1980s
A period of activism and mobilisation against apartheid defines a large part of Wits’s identity. Many anti-apartheid alumni activists such as Bheki Mlangeni, Themba Maseko, Barbara Hogan, Auret van Heerden, Clive van Heerden, Keith Coleman, Ismail Momoniat, Maurice Smithers and Firoz Cachalia are targeted by the security police.
1976
The University expands into Braamfontein, where it buys Lawson’s Corner and renames it University Corner Senate House, the University’s administrative premises, is occupied.
1971
Wits hosts the first Free People’s Concert on 12 March. It is a 12-hour non-racial open air event. Alumni including Johnny Clegg and Des and Dawn Lindberg perform.
1972
Wits celebrates its 50th anniversary and the designation of degrees awarded by the University is changed from Rand to Wits to avoid possible confusion with the Rand Afrikaans University established in 1967.
Free People’s Concert
1978
Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) is founded by Professor John Dugard as a legal research unit within Wits to encourage law reform and improved access to justice during the apartheid era.
1982
Wits alumnus Sir Aaron Klug wins the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
The Wits Theatre opens
The Chamber of Mines Building for the Faculty of Engineering is inaugurated and the brick-paved AMIC Deck, linking the East and West Campuses, is built.
Wits purchases the Umbabat Farm in Bushbuckridge, Limpopo Province, to launch the Wits Rural Facility, an interdisciplinary research facility to
The new South African Constitution takes effect and contains a Bill of Rights which recognises the right to academic freedom in institutions of higher learning.
Wits alumnus Professor Ron Clarke unearths an almost complete Australopithecus skeleton, now known as ‘Little Foot’.
The University purchases the old Rand Show grounds from the Witwatersrand Agricultural Society and converts the grounds into West Campus.
Honorary Wits alumna Nadine Gordimer wins the Nobel Prize in Literature.
develop the local community.
David Webster, anti-apartheid activist and lecturer in the Anthropology Department, is assassinated on 1 May 1989.
‘Little
Foot’ found
Memorial sculpture is erected at the Faculty of Health Sciences to commemorate the acceptance of the Internal Reconciliation Commission Manifesto. The figure on the left looks down and represents the years of shame when students of colour were not allowed to participate fully in the training facilities at Medical School because of the apartheid laws.
Wits confers an honorary doctorate on Nelson Mandela
2001
The Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WiSER) is established by alumna Professor Deborah Posel.
2002 2004
The University incorporates the Johannesburg College of Education into the School of Education.
The University’s Donald Gordon Medical Centre, South Africa’s only independent academic medical facility, is launched as a result of a R100m donation by the Donald Gordon Foundation.
Wits alumnus
Sydney Brenner wins the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Origins
Professor Loyiso Nongxa is appointed as Wits’ first black Vice-Chancellor and Principal.
International House, a residence designed for the growing international student population, and the revamped student mall, The Matrix, open.
The Dalai Lama visits Wits and delivers a public lecture on 5 November.
Studies undertaken by Wits Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics (VIDA) Research Unit demonstrate the efficacy of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) immunization in protecting children in low-middle income countries against pneumococcal pneumonia.
A new species of dinosaur known as Antetonitrus ingenipes is discovered by Adam Yates, based at the Bernard Price Institute for Paleontological Research.
is opened by President Thabo Mbeki. It contains evidence of ancient stone tools, artefacts of symbolic and spiritual significance, and examples of the region’s visually striking rock art. It is home to an extensive collection of rock art from the Rock Art Research Institute (RARI) at Wits, affording visitors the opportunity to view some of the richest visual heritage found in South Africa and to learn about its history and meaning.
Wits alumnus
Gavin Hood and five other Wits alumni win an Academy Award in the category ‘Best Foreign Film’, for Tsotsi.
Kudos Kudu
2007
2009
The new FNB Commerce Building and the Commerce Library are completed.
The University issues a public statement condemning the South African government’s denial of a visa to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.
Wits Centre for Ethics is launched and houses a team of moral specialists, based in the philosophy department.
The Wits mascot, Kudos Kudu, is introduced to inspire Witsies to greater glory.
Justice Dikgang Moseneke is installed as the eighth Chancellor of the University.
Wits announces the discovery of a new species of dinosaur Aardonyx celestae from the early Jurassic period.
Karabo
2008
The first FIFA® Medical Centre of Excellence in Africa is inaugurated at Wits.
The Faculty of Humanities’ inaugural Wits Arts and Literature Experience (WALE) is launched in April to celebrate all things literary and artistic.
Seven hundred Wits academics and staff, including the Vice-Chancellor, don their academic gowns and bear placards on Jan Smuts Avenue in protest against nationwide xenophobic attacks.
The Wits Theatre celebrates mounting 2 000 productions in its 25-year history.
2010
A groundbreaking discovery of Australopithecus sediba fossils (one of which is named ‘Karabo’) is announced to the world by Wits palaeoanthropologist Professor Lee Berger.
Wits University serves as the training base for the Dutch football team and the South African national football team, Bafana Bafana, during the 2010 FIFA® Soccer World Cup.
The new Professional Development Hub and the fourth quadrant of the Chamber of Mines Building are completed.
Bidvest-Wits FC (aka ‘Clever Boys’/‘The Students’) make history by winning the Nedbank Cup in the first match to be held in the brand new Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.
Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng is the first black woman to be elected President of Convocation.
A new student residence complex, Wits Junction, and the Science Stadium on West Campus are opened to students.
Alumnus Professor Adam Habib takes office as Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal on 1 June.
The School of Construction Economics & Management building opens in May. It completes the Built Environment Precinct along with the John Moffat building extension and the Yale Telescope building.
A R75m upgrade to the Richard Ward building, which houses the School of Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering, is completed.
Wits celebrates its 90th birthday
Wits celebrates its 90th birthday with a party on the Library Lawns on 4 October.
Wits’ most famous alumnus, former President Nelson Mandela (honorary LLD 1991), dies on 5 December, aged 95.
Wits Art Museum (WAM) opens at University Corner and houses the largest collection of African art on the continent.
The new School of Public Health building opens in Parktown.
Dr Randall Carolissen is elected Chairperson of the Wits Council.
Madiba
On 20 October, Wits announces receipt of R100m from a single benefactor. R10m is allocated to the Wits Art Museum and the remainder to advancing research and teaching.
Construction of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital begins on the Wits Education Campus.
The Phillip V Tobias Health Sciences Building in Parktown officially opens on 29 October.
#FeesMustFall
Student protests disrupt classes, shut down the campus and occupy the administration building on 14 October. #FeesMustFall movement spreads to other universities to stop increases in student fees.
Wits physicists are part of the international observation of signals produced by the collision of two neutron stars.
Southern Centre for Inequality Studies is launched.
Central Block is renamed the Robert Sobukwe Building after the founder of the Pan Africanist Congress on 18 September. Alumnus Sobukwe taught at Wits until his resignation on 21 March 1961.
Tshimologong
Digital Innovation
Precinct opens in Braamfontein. It is an enabling space to develop new digital technologies.
Digital innovation
Environmental Science celebrates its 100th year.
Wits becomes the first African partner IBM Q Network, giving it access to the 20-qubit-IBM Q quantum computer.
The Jack Ginsberg Centre for Book Arts opens with more than 3 000 artists’ books housed in the Wits Arts Museum.
The Faculty of Health Sciences celebrates its 100th anniversary.
Alumnus Professor Zeblon Vilakazi takes office as the 16th Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University on 1 January.
Dr Judy Dlamini is installed as Chancellor, the first woman in the role.
Wits doctors transplant part of an HIV-positive mother’s liver into her HIVnegative child.
Wits completes a Digitisation Centre to preserve resources, widen access to research and support digital learning.
Campus gets a biometric access system and upgraded gateways.
Quantum computing
Wits Quantum Initiative (WitsQ) is launched as a forum for quantum scientists, led by Professor Andrew Forbes from the Wits School of Physics.
2020
South Africa goes into lockdown on 27 March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wits takes its entire academic project (over 3 200 programmes) online in three weeks.
Alumnus Professor Shabir Madhi leads two COVID-19 vaccine trials known as the “Oxford” and “Novavax” trials.
The first partial skull of a Homo naledi child, Leti, is found in the Rising Star Cave System in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.
Wits Art Museum celebrates is first decade with the South African premiere of Wits alumnus William Kentridge’s Oh To Believe In Another World on 27 July.
Flower Hall, with its elegantly curved arches, completes its revamp that started in 2021 to become new exam venue and receives accolades for its design.
Wits celebrates its 100th anniversary
The University hosts a range of global events and reunions to celebrate its impact on society. The once-in-a lifetime celebration includes: An Alumni Homecoming Weekend; A Centenary Parade; A re-imagined Free People’s Concert.
Wits Press, the oldest university press in South Africa, celebrates its centenary with over 1 575 book titles published.
The Zola Wits Dental Clinic opens its doors to offer oral health services to the communities of Soweto on 15 September. It was made possible by the generous donation from the Bergman Family Foundation.
After a generous donation from alumnus Chris Seabrooke (MBA 1985), the state-of-the-art Chris Seabrooke Music Hall opens on 1 March.
Ground-breaking ceremony on 4 May of the Brian and Dorothy Zylstra Sports Complex situated on Wits Education Campus. A R250 million donation from the Zylstra family and the Skye Foundation made this state-of-the-art centre for sports and health education possible.
2024
On 18 July the Wits School of Accountancy is renamed after Professor Margo Steele, who served as Head of School from 1987 to 1995. An anonymous alumnus donates US$10 million towards bursaries for accountancy students.
The former Johannesburg Planetarium relaunches as the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome on 12 November, providing a 360° immersive experience of audio-visual shows for visitors.
Digital Dome
A new wing in the Wits Roy McAlpine Burns Unit at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital opens on 26 August, thanks to a R100 million donation from the Roy McAlpine Charitable Foundation
On 26 February
Marlene Dumas donates Portrait of Elisabeth Eybers to the permanent collection of Wits Art Museum on what would have been the Wits alumna Eybers’s 109th birthday.
Wits Plus becomes the new hub for Wits’ short courses and lifelong learning with Wits Plus (PTY) Ltd to meet the growing demand for skills development. It offers short courses from engineering and business to health sciences and law.
The Wits Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute launches on 19 November as an African-based interdisciplinary AI research hub that pushes the frontiers of scientific understanding of machine, human and animal intelligence.
On 6 June Professor Achille Mbembe receives 2024 Holberg Prize, which is considered the highest academic achievement in the humanities for a scholar. The prize celebrates his contribution to research for over four decades in the areas of African history, post-colonial studies, humanities and social
illustrious Witsies
Wits has produced a vast number of illustrious alumni who have excelled in every field of endeavour, including: 94 Rhodes, 69 Fulbright and 49 Mandela Rhodes scholars.
(BSc 1964, honorary DSc 1984) 1982 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Nobel Prize Laureates
Nadine Gordimer
Nelson Mandela (honorary LLD 1991) 1993 Nobel Peace Prize
(honorary DLitt 1984) 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature Brenner
See more illustrious Witsies at: https://www.wits.ac.za/alumni/distinguished-graduates/
(BSc 1945, BSc Hons 1946, DSc 1972) 2002 Nobel Prize in Medicine
traditions
In the past, Witsies believed that if one of the purple Jacaranda flowers fell on your head, and you hadn’t started studying for your year-end exams, then it was probably too late and you were doomed to fail.
Now, with climate change, the Jacarandas have started blooming earlier. Rather than doom, take the falling blossoms as a reminder to start studying and wishing you good luck!
the great hall
The Great Hall is one of the University’s most recognisable icons.
In 1920 architects Frank Emley and Frederick Williamson won the competition for the design of the future University’s main building (Central Block, now named Robert Sobukwe Block, which incorporates the Great Hall). Emley & Williamson originally proposed a block with a high, central dome above a large circular hall. The final design for the main building was neo-classical.
The Great Hall seats 1 040 people and is renowned for its acoustics. It was designed by French consultant François Carpentier. The Great Hall was officially opened on 10 June 1940 by the Governor-General, Sir Patrick Duncan, and the first musical to be performed was Pergolesi’s The Music Man, in 1940.
The musical King Kong was one of the most famous productions performed in the Great Hall. It told the story of Ezekiel King Kong Dlamini, a misfit from Natal who came to Joburg and made his name as a boxer. King Kong opened in February 1959 and drew global critical acclaim. It was the first full-scale South African musical across the country’s apartheid ‘colour bar’. Honorary Wits alumnus (and amateur boxer) Nelson Mandela, and his new bride, Winnie, were in the audience when the curtain lifted in the Great Hall for the opening night of King Kong
The eight pillars of the Great Hall could be said to represent the core values of Wits.
Today the Great Hall is a national monument. The steps of the iconic building are a favourite meeting place for Witsies, and a place for new graduates to pose with Kudos Kudu.
Wits alumni convocation
What Wits does today can influence the value of your qualification tomorrow. Convocation enables alumni to have a say in University matters, ensuring that the quality and reputation of your Wits qualification is maintained and strengthened.
Convocation is a statutory body and the name given to the University’s largest constituency – its alumni.
Around 130 000 graduates, Wits academic staff, and retired academics with 10 years’ consecutive service to the University make up Convocation.
You automatically become a member of Convocation when you receive a degree from Wits.
The university you graduate from is your Alma Mater − ‘nourishing mother’ ‘Alumni’ comes from the Arabic word aalim (‘scholar’) and alumnus, Latin for ‘foster son’, comes from the verb alere − ‘to nourish’.
Convocation’s role is ‘to discuss and state its opinion upon any matter relating to the University.’
Convocation elects the University Chancellor, the President of Convocation and ten members of the Executive Committee of Convocation (EXCO).
alumnus
alumni
alumna alumnae
ALUMNI
assembly g
A General Assembly is a special gathering of Convocation members
Affirmation of Autonomy General Assembly
On 19 October 1987 the old South African government renewed its systematic violation of the autonomy of universities. On 28 October, a Wits General Assembly affirmed that:
‘The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is dedicated to the acquisition, advancement and imparting of knowledge through the pursuit of truth in free and open debate, in the undertaking of research, in scholarly discourse and in balanced, dispassionate teaching. We reject any external interference designed to diminish our freedom to attain these ends. We record our solemn protest against the intention of the government, through the threat of financial sanctions, to force the University to become the agent of government policy in disciplining its members. We protest against the invasion of the legitimate authority of the University. We protest against the proposed stifling of the legitimate dissent. In the interest of all in this land, and in the knowledge of the justice of our cause, we dedicate ourselves to unremitting opposition to these intended restraints and to the restoration of our autonomy.’
The University held its first ever General Assembly in 1959 in the Great Hall to protest against the imposition of university apartheid.
‘ Wits belongs to all of us: Black and White, Muslim or Jewish, Christian or Hindu, gay or straight.‘
24 SEPTEMBER
2005
A special General Assembly and graduation ceremony was held to enable alumni who had boycotted their graduation ceremony in protest against apartheid education to reclaim ownership of their alma mater, and be formally awarded their qualification.
In honour of the ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Loyiso Nongxa, made a landmark proclamation, stating:
“We can never claim that this country is completely liberated if there are places that are not ours, that are perceived to belong to the ‘other’. Wits is your University, it is our University as South Africans. Wits belongs to all of us: Black and White, Muslim or Jewish, Christian or Hindu, gay or straight.”
16 APRIL
1969
Tenth anniversary of the 1959 declaration of the University’s commitment to remaining free and open
1983 3 MAY
The objection to the Universities Amendment Bill, which gave the Minister power to impose racial quotas on universities
28 OCTOBER
1987
Violation of the institutional autonomy of universities and the restriction of subsidies
8 JUNE
1972
The University’s statement on the Minister of Justice’s prohibition of all protest meetings in South Africa
16 AUGUST
1985
Commitment to the University’s academic principles and the right and freedom of the University to decide who may teach and who may be admitted to study
5 AUGUST
1992
Call to government to curb violence, combat poverty and call for a peaceful transition to democracy
26 AUGUST
1975
Protest against the detention of students without trial
15 AUGUST
1986
Declaration against the State of Emergency and the detention without trial of students and staff
7 MARCH
2001
The launch of Wits’ AIDS policy and commitment to fighting the epidemic
ceremony graduation
Graduation
The ultimate university experience
Graduation ceremonies are a dignified occasion held in the Great Hall. The ceremony begins with the academic procession (Chancellor, President of Convocation, Chairperson of Council, Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellors, guest speaker, honorary graduands, SRC President, and academic staff).
The bearer of the University mace leads the procession to the accompanying songs Alma Mater (‘Nourishing mother’) and Ihele (‘Let us rejoice’).
S.B.P. Mnomiya wrote Ihele, a poetic song that describes the graduation ceremony. Ihele tells the tale of a procession of academics in long robes, who read books of profound knowledge and inspire graduates. The song wishes graduates well and ends with a resounding halala! (‘Well done!’)
During the ceremony, graduands in black academic gowns cross the stage to be capped and hooded. The Chancellor taps his hat on the graduate’s head, thereby conferring the degree, then the President of Convocation places the hood, which represents the qualification awarded, over the graduand’s head.
At graduation
the Chancellor of the university formally confers a qualification on a student.
Before the graduation ceremony, graduates traditionally pose for photographs with Kudos Kudu on the Great Hall steps.
the mace
The Wits mace was created by a Scottish silversmith and engraver, William Kirk. The amber stone in the mace is a tribute to former Chancellor Bertrand Bernstein (Bernstein is German for amber stone).
The words Universitas Witwatersrandensis Johannesburgi and MCMLXXVI (Roman numerals for 1977) refer to the year of dedication of the mace.
The mace is a symbol of the authority vested in the Chancellor and of the mandate of the University to grant degrees.
The University mace is presented at all graduation ceremonies
Gold and silver plated
Vertical blades symbolise the horns of the springbok
Central vertical spike depicts a mining rock drill, representative of the University’s mining heritage
Amber stone is a tribute to a former Chancellor Bertrand Bernstein
Cogs symbolise the cogwheel in the University coat of arms – a tribute to mining and industry
7kg
1070 mm long | 180 mm broad
Maces were originally ‘swords of state’ and weapons of defence. Over time, a mace has come to be regarded as a symbol of delegated authority vested in a person or an institution.
coat of arms
The motto ‘Scientia et Labore’ is Latin for ‘through knowledge and through work’
Above the shield is the head of a Kudu, a powerful southern African antelope
The gold background in the upper part of the shield represents the Witwatersrand gold fields
The open book represents learning/ knowledge, overlaid on a cog to represent industry
The two wavy silver bars in the lower half of the shield symbolise the Vaal and Limpopo rivers
The crest reflects the University colours of blue and gold
The Wits coat of arms is an adaptation of the South African School of Mines badge. It has evolved over time to reflect various influences on Wits and the academic nature of a university.
the Wits
Affectionately known as ‘Kudos Kudu’
Kudos Kudu is imbued with the characteristics that generally typify successful Witsies. He is a leader and an achiever; intelligent, confident, and with a wild, independent streak. Naturally curious and inquisitive, Kudos is an innovative and progressive thinker and problem-solver who is socially aware, charitable, compassionate, tolerant and civic-minded. His innate stamina and endurance enable him to work his magic relentlessly towards unifying Witsies, lifting their spirits, pride and passion and bringing them good luck.
Kudos is tolerant, gentle and kind, but he’s no push-over. Some of Kudos’s natural irritants include the African Hoopoe, which nests at the University of Johannesburg, and the gnome-like ‘Oom Gert’, who, since being kidnapped by Witsies in the 1950s, seldom emerges from his hideout at the University of Pretoria. Ikey Tiger, who prowls the University of Cape Town, and Pokkel, a squirrel, at the University of Stellenbosch, remain on Kudos’s radar.
The mascot of Wits University, Kudos Kudu, is a cool and cosmopolitan Joburger who is proudly Witsie, proudly South African and a global citizen.
Although Kudos is hard-working, he isn’t averse to kicking up his hooves and having fun! He loves meeting Witsies and celebrating their achievements. He is an extremely loyal friend to Witsies and does everything he can to make sure all Witsies are his BFF. Be sure to let him know when you move so he can stay in touch.
Where does Kudos Kudu come from?
Kudos has resided quietly on the Wits Coat of Arms since 4 October 1922 and has always been looking after Witsies. However, in 2007 he decided to make his presence more visible on campus to unite students in support of a ‘Proudly Witsie’ campaign, initiated by the Student Representatives’ Council. Kudos made his debut appearance on October 20 at the Bidvest-Wits vs Santos football match. Other Witsies met Kudos the next day, at the University’s 85th anniversary celebrations on the Library Lawns.
Kudos soon found comfortable lodgings for his sister, brother and himself at Alumni House on the West Campus. He entranced the Alumni Relations staff with his magnetic appeal and they gave him a permanent home. The Alumni staff consider it an honour and a privilege to keep Kudos wellgroomed, run his errands, and manage his busy schedule of appointments and appearances.
A Kudu is a beautiful, large and powerful African antelope with magnificent annulated spiral horns, a remarkable sense of hearing, a keen sense of smell and sharp eyesight. Kudus can outrun most animals, jump a 1.5 m fence from a standing start and can kick with a force strong enough to break a jackal’s back.
Ms Kudos
Kudly Kudos
You can also find him on Facebook where you can ‘friend’ him and join the Wits Fan Page.
Where did Kudos get his name?
Alumna and Wits librarian Diane Hillman (BA 1974, BA Hons 1990) submitted the name ‘Kudos’ in response to a competition the Alumni Office ran in 2007 to name the Kudu. ‘Kudos’ is derived from a Greek noun meaning ‘honour, glory and praise for exceptional achievement’ – all attributes that typify successful Witsies.
Where you can find him
Kudos can be found wherever Witsie spirit, pride and passion is needed. Family is important to him and he enjoys spending time with his sister, Witsie Ms Kudos, and their younger brother and future Witsie, Kudly Kudos.
Some of Kudos’s regular haunts include graduation ceremonies, where he congratulates graduands and welcomes them to the Alumni and Convocation fold; major campus sports and social events; O-Week; and surprise walkabouts around campus to meet and greet Witsies.
mascot history
The murky history of Wits University’s first mascot. Some traditions endure, others don’t, and such was the fate of (furry) Mr Wu, who now resides in the University Archives in Senate House.
Phineas III now keeps silent sentinel in the Wits Alumni Lounge & Pub, West Campus.
Phineas
The original Phineas was the Highlander mascot of University College, London. His namesake, Phineas II, was a seven-foot wooden replica used to promote a barber shop in Jules Street, Johannesburg.
Phineas II was loaned to the newly established Wits University to serve as its mascot in 1923. However, that same year, Ikeys (UCT) abducted Phineas II. There are differing accounts on what subsequently happened to Phineas II. One theory is that he was reclaimed by his original owner.
Phineas III emerged under mysterious circumstances around 1930. He proved to be as slippery as his predecessors and fell into the hands of Tukkies (University of Pretoria) in 1931. This marked the beginning of a series of raids between students of the two universities. Phineas III retired from active service in 1971 with the cessation of the Intervarsity tournament. He emerged briefly in 1987 as the Wits Rugby mascot and was insured for R10 000.
In an anonymous letter to the University, a man from Port Elizabeth wrote:
“Dear Sir, I have been reading with great interest the accounts of Phineas II. I have in my possession a carved wooden figure I feel could be the father of both Phineas I and Phineas II. My brother, connected with the Taiping Rebellion in 1853 in China, smuggled this figure on board. On my brother’s death his belongings were made over to me, amongst which was this figure. I have no need to keep this ‘Chinese god’. To associate myself with the spirit of your University, I offer you this mascot.”
Zorro
Zorro, the Men’s Res cat, was more of a residence fixture than a mascot. Zorro distinguished himself in the noisy act of lovemaking. According to legend, on one such particularly amorous occasion, Sunnyside Res second-years were unable to endure his amorous noises any longer. The result was an infamous assault to which Zorro succumbed. He was buried with a bottle of Claret (to keep his memory sweet). Zorro’s tombstone (erected with ‘borrowed’ bricks) is at the back door garden of Old College House.
Mr Wu
This Mr Wu made occasional public appearances (as did another mascot, ‘Mompara’, who materialised briefly in the 1930s) but remained very much in the shadow of Phineas II.
In the 1980s, Mr Wu emerged as a cuddly, furry mascot based on the American sit-com TV character, Alf – a far cry from the historic, imposing figure of the 1920s.
Zorbo: RAG mascot, 1960s and 70s
Ducks and Pigeons
Ducks loom large in the student psyche, particularly since Wits campuses are home to many wild creatures that look like ducks, but are actually Egyptian geese. The most famous ‘duck’ is Penelope, the Knockando Res mascot and co-custodian of the Duck & Bull Pub.
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