Reunions

8-12 MAY 2022 8-14 SEPTEMBER 2022

United States and Canada

Alumni on the West Coast of the United States and Vancouver attended centenary reunions in San Diego, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver between 8-12 May 2022. Alumni from the East Coast connected with the University’s leaders over cocktails in Boston, New York and Toronto between 8-14 September 2022. Alumni were given an overview of Wits’ achievements as well as an understanding of how they could make a difference to their alma mater.

20-23 JUNE 2022

United Kingdom

In celebration of the University’s centenary, Vice-Chancellor Professor Zeblon Vilakazi and the director of Alumni Relations, Peter Maher, hosted alumni reunions in London, Oxford and Cambridge between 20-23 June 2022. It offered alumni the opportunity to catch up on Wits news, renew friendships and share memories.

5-10 SEPTEMBER 2022

Health Sciences Alumni Week

The Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Professor Shabir Madhi, welcomed graduates to the faculty’s favourite social event, which was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the past two years. Witsies from far and wide joined the hybrid programme held from 5-10 September 2022. It included a special sit-down breakfast with the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, and an Alumni Symposium, which provided a unique platform for alumni to showcase their life’s work, research, interests, and passions. A hugely successful Alumni Art Exhibition also took place. Visitors were treated to guided tours of Maropeng, the RedBus as well as the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute with Professor Helen Rees.

9 JULY 2022

Class of 1971 5oth anniversary

The Medical Class of 1971 belatedly celebrated their 50th class anniversary via a “Zoom Saloon” connecting alumni in South Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom, Botswana, Australia and New Zealand. The class representative Dr Patricia Biddulph, née Hayne (MBBCh 1971, DTM&H) explained the challenges of getting the event organised as very few email addresses for the class were available. She said it was at once “hilarious and frustrating”. The group remembered classmates who had died and shared updates of their professional and personal lives.

24 SEPTEMBER 2022

Ernest Oppenheimer Hall

Thirty seven “Old Boys”, and some of their partners, met for lunch at Mikes Heritage House in Parktown for a successful 50th reunion of the Ernest Oppenheimer Hall on 24 September 2022. The meeting was preceded by a walk around EOH and the Wits Business School surrounds. They arranged a Zoom call on a large screen to include overseas alumni. “We were all very pleased to see the excellent condition EOH and WBS surrounds are in and that all the honours boards and old photos are still in place. We were also well received by EOH management, the warden, VC of house comm and the students themselves. We wish Wits and EOH all of the very best for the next 100 years,” said one of the co-ordinators Malcolm Fawkes (BSc 1977).

SAVE THE DATE: 8–9 DECEMBER 2022

The Medical Class of 1992 will celebrate their 30th anniversary on 8-9 December 2022. Planned activities include tours of the medical school with a special lecture and tours of Charlotte Maxeke Hospital or possibly Bara; Redbus Tour and a dinner party, Wits hoodies will be procured for the whole class. Contact Prof Jonathan Patricios at Jonathan.Patricios@wits.ac.za or Didi Mmatladi at didi.mmatladi@wits.ac.za