WITS’ touches the lives of milions of South Africans

When research, science and academic output translate into positive public impact, this can change lives for the better. The impact of Wits University, a leading researchintensive university, can be felt far beyond the world of academia given that the university touches the lives of millions of South Africans on a daily basis.

Three examples where Wits touches ordinary South Africans’ lives, are the newly-launched Roy McAlpine Burns Unit, the Wits Law Clinic and the Claude Leon Foundation Water Stewardship Programme. The Wits Roy McAlpine Burns Unit at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital represents hope for thousands of burn victims who have limited access to expert burn care treatment in the public sector.

Unit director, Professor Adelin Muganza, says key learnings to date include gaining deeper insight into the communities that it serves.

“Between 60% and 65% of our patients are burnt accidentally, which is a direct result of using candles or primus stoves. Between 25% and 27% of patients are burnt as a result of violence, frequently gender-based violence. About 1% are made up of patients who have tried to commit suicide,” he says.

A deeper acknowledgement of the lived reality of the vulnerable is what grounds the work of the Wits Law Clinic.

The mission of the 40-year-old clinic is to ensure better access to legal advice and legal recourse, towards a more inclusive and equitable society.

These access gaps were starkly clear during the hard Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020. Clinic director Daven Dass says, “The need was huge. Our phenomenal staff and students at the Wits Law Clinic continue to do the work they do, epitomising the spirit of ubuntu and the value of being the change they want to see in the world.”

The Claude Leon Foundation Water Stewardship Programme tackles the deepening climate crisis and its impact on people and planet. This programme includes two research chairs for a transdisciplinary approach to water stewardship and postgraduate water research, worth R15.7m.

The programme recognises that social inequality means that the climate crisis disproportionately burdens the poor. It focuses on innovative water security solutions for the most vulnerable, and postgraduate science and research to push for improved legislative and policy reform and accountability.

Wits is home to several museums including the Origins Centre, the Wits Art Museum, the Planetarium (Digital Dome), the Adler Museum of Medicine, the Bleloch Geological Museum,