IN MEMORIAM
Kantilal Naik
1938-2021
[BSc 1964, BA Ed 1974, M Ed 1980]
Respected science educator, community leader and lifelong friend of Wits Professor Kantilal “Kanti” Naik died on 16 February at the age of 82. He started his career as a senior science teacher at Lenasia Indian High School in 1965, but also taught at the Roodepoort Asiatic and the Transvaal College of Education. In 1969 he wrote a physical science textbook Calculations in Physical Science, for matriculants and first-year students. The book was used widely across the racially segregated education departments. In 1971 Naik was a teacher at Roodepoort Indian High School (where Ahmed Timol taught) and he was detained for six months and subjected to interrogation by security police using the “helicopter method”. He lost mobility of his hands and had to undergo physiotherapy to regain movement. His experiences while in detention are now part of the historic record maintained by the South African History Archive entitled “Between Life and Death in detention at John Vorster Square”. He testified at the Ahmed Timol inquest into the anti-apartheid
1976-2021
Kgopotso Rudolf Mononyane [BPharm 1988, MBBCh 2002]
Dr Kgopotso Rudolf "Ruddy" Mononyane was tragically killed when a Netcare 911 helicopter crashed on a medical retrieval flight for a COVID-19 patient. He was aboard as one of the specialist medical team as a transfer from Bergville to Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg. He was born to Paulinah and Joseph Mononyane as the second of five siblings. After receiving a full bursary for engineering, Dr Mononyane took two weeks to realise that engineering was not for him and enrolled for pharmacy. His decision to forgo a full bursary in favour of pursuing work in healthcare meant he took personal responsibility to fund and pursue his decided path. After completing his degree in pharmacy in 1998 and after one month in practice he was accepted to study medicine. He completed his internship at Mankweng Hospital and Community Service at 1 Military Hospital and pursued anaesthesia as a speciality, obtaining his Diploma in Anaesthesia in 2005 and his Fellowship in 2009 on the Wits circuit with his base hospital being Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. He remained in the 86 W I T S R E V I E W
activist’s death: “On my release police spread rumours that I was their agent. I suffered mental and physical pain as a result of my incarceration. I still cannot understand why I was tortured and detained.” His association with Wits began when he joined the Department of Statistics as a senior tutor in 1981. He transferred to Computational and Applied Mathematics in 1986, the same year he won the Distinguished Teacher Award. He remained in the department for 17 years before retiring in 2003 as an Honorary Adjunct Professor. In the same year he won the Benjamin Pogrund Medal for his contribution to teaching. He was a board member of the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management (1987- 2003). He continued to serve the university as a member of the Executive Committee of Convocation. In 2013 he was awarded a Gold Medal for his contribution to the university and the community of Azaadville. He was instrumental in the name change of the school in his hometown from the Azaadville Secondary School to the Ahmed Timol Secondary School by then President Nelson Mandela in 1998. He loved calligraphy and played the Indian musical instruments — harmonium and Bulbul tarang. Sources: Wits and South African History archives
department for three years and moved to full time private practice in 2013. Dr Mononyane was a committed Part 1 examiner in the College of Anaesthetists for over a decade and was involved in numerous training initiatives. He was also committed to research as a regular reviewer for the South African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia. He was elected to serve on the South African Society of Anaesthesiologists Council in 2016 and joined the Private Practice Business Unit in the same year. He was particularly passionate in outreach and ensuring education and training was made available to underserviced areas through training workshops. He was head hunted by both the cardiac surgery and cardiac transplant unit at Milpark Hospital and the organ transplant unit at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre where he served until his tragic passing. In his “private” time, he completed the Comrades Marathon, summited Kilimanjaro, and continually challenged himself to achieve. He was a founder member and chairperson of the Game Changers Coalition, a business initiative. He leaves behind his wife Kgomotso and two children, KJ Kgopotso Junior and Kgatliso. Sources: South African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia
