Wits100 – what a year

Paying it forward

The Wits Centenary Campaign has surpassed all expectations and continues to gain momentum. I am heartened and grateful for the support and goodwill that has been shown to the University and me personally in this special year. As you know, we set an initial target to raise R3 billion to support Wits’ eight priority areas: driving digital transformation; catalysing digital innovation and entrepreneurship; ensuring better health for all; solving global challenges; advancing society; governance and justice; future-proofing our natural treasures; developing the next generation of leaders; and energising broad-based alumni support. To date, we have surpassed R2,5 billion, for which we are hugely appreciative – we could not have reached this milestone without you, and without the support of our alumni, corporate donors, trusts and foundations, who believe in, and trust Wits. There have been many donations and sponsorships to Wits, too many to mention here. You, too, can Give Now, For Good. Any form of support that you give, makes a huge difference in helping Wits realise our ambitious Wits100 goals.

We also enhanced several strategic partnerships which have yielded mutual benefit, with the likes of the University of Edinburgh, University College London, Northeastern University and Melbourne Business School. Two outcomes have seen Wits inducted into the Afretec Network which provides very generous funding to advance digital transformation on the continent, and significant funding to kickstart quantum technologies

Zeblon Vilakazi FRS Vice-Chancellor and Principal

Wits VC thanks donors for Wits Centenary achievements.

Around the World in 180 days

Senior Wits leaders visited the USA, Canada, UK and Australia this year to meet prominent alumni and friends, host reunions and share our good news stories.

United States & Canada

A highlight of the four-city West Coast visit in May was a spectacular alumni dinner hosted by Nicole and Bradley (an internationally recognised neuroradiologist) Jabour at their beautiful home in Los Angeles: (pictured left, from L to R) Nooshin Erfani-Ghadimi, Larry and Heidi Isaacs, Nicole and Bradley Jabour, Stephanie and Dr Obed Bahat, Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi, Peter Bezuidenhoudt, Nadine and Gary Barber (former CEO of Metro Goldwyn Mayer), Isaac Shongwe (Wits Chair of Council), and Kayla and Bryan Gordon.

Charles Goldstuck, a globally renowned music industry entrepreneur; Dr David and Angela Fine (who have generously endowed the David and Angela Fine Chair in Innovation), Steve Collis (Chairman, President and CEO of AmerisourceBergen Corporation, a global healthcare solutions leader, currently ranked No. 10 on the Fortune 500); Paul Brink (CEO of Franco-Nevada Corporation) and Stanley and Dr Marion Bergman (CEO of Henry Schein and pulmonologist respectively), were some of the illustrious alumni who met with the Wits delegation during the three city East Coast tour in September.

Thembisile Xulu, Sherwin Charles, Robbie Brozin, Kendal Makgamathe, Prof. Helen Rees, Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi, Mpumi Zikalala

Isaac Shongwe, Derek Schrier (CIO Indaba Capital, San Francisco) and Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi

Celebrating #Wits100 in Times Square, NYC

United Kingdom

A highlight of our trip to the UK in June was tea with Sir Sydney Kentridge (a few months shy of his own 100th birthday) to thank him for his many and varied contributions to his alma mater that also shares his year of birth. At our three Centenary alumni celebratory reunions held in London, Oxford and Cambridge, Dixit Joshi (CFO Credit Suisse), Prof. Ian Steadman (playwright and former Dean at Wits), and Dr Theo Hacking (University of Cambridge) respectively delivered heartfelt addresses. Lunch with Prof. Sir David King (Climate Crisis Advisory Group) at his London Club for a discussion on the climate crisis, sustainability and inequality, included key alumni such as former Investec Director Dr Allen Zimbler, Dr Bill Carman (Founder of Fast Track Diagnostics) and Keith Coleman (co-founder of algal food and carbon sequestration company, Brilliant Planet) and, on subsequent occasions, Kate Kuper (Bateleur), Dr Fiona PerrottHumphrey (Mining Investment Adviser to Rothschild & Co.), as well as Evan and Damon Hoff (Musgrave), and Michael Schewitz (Investec). We are grateful to Ruth Leas (CEO Investec Bank plc) for honouring the Vice-Chancellor at a party at Investec in London when he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, a society which describes itself as a Fellowship of many of the world’s most eminent scientists and as the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. Wits alumnus Prof. John Burland FRS famed for stabilising the Leaning Tower of Pisa, welcomed Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi FRS to the illustrious group of Wits alumni who are Fellows of the Royal Society. Notable Wits alumni that attended included Duncan Wanblad (Global CEO of Anglo American), good friends Wendy and Hylton Appelbaum, Janet and Matthew Kentridge and Steven Braudo (former CEO of Quilter). Prof.

Zeblon Vilakazi with Ruth Leas

Sir Sydney Kentridge and Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi

Evan and Damon Hoff (Founders of Musgrave Capital) with Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi

Australia

As part of the inauguration of the Wits Australian Board of Directors office we had a whistle stop adrenalin infused visit with over 15 engagements across four Australian cities. Our remarkable Chancellor Dr Judy Dlamini and the Chair of the Wits Foundation Board of Governors, Arnie Basserabie joined us.

Engagements included a luncheon with the Zylstra family who have generously sponsored the Brian and Dorothy Zylstra Wits Institute for Sport and Health; three very well attended boardroom lunches ably chaired by prominent Wits Australian alumni Dr Rod Baxter (Perth), Peter Polson (Melbourne) and Stephen Koseff (former CEO of Investec – Sydney), cocktail networking evenings generously hosted at the houses of Dani and Leanne Peer (Melbourne) and Avi and Ariella Spyrides (Sydney), alumni reunions and Women in Leadership discourses presented by our Chancellor at the Melbourne Business School, University of Wollongong’s Sydney Business School and at Corrs Chambers Westgarth. Chancellor of the University of New South Wales (UNSW), and prominent businessman and philanthropist, David Gonski AC hosted us at UNSW. His father, Dr Alex Gonski qualified at Wits as a neurosurgeon.

All in all, the delegation met more than 350 alumni and friends of Wits during the eight-day visit. The Australian Kudu Giving Circle was launched with an appeal to Witsies to remember their alma mater.

Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi and Lawrence Jackson, Wits Australia representative with the Pillemer brothers - Michael, Jon and Russel.

Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi, Dr Judy Dlamini and David Gonski AC

David Zylstra, Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi, Peter Bezuidenhoudt and Philip Zylstra

SEEN AROUND campus

Seen around campus this year have been Robbie Brozin (founder of Nando’s) who is partnering with Wits to digitise systems at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Mpumi Zikalala (CEO Kumba Iron Ore), Natie Kirsh (globally renowned businessman), Bart Dorrestein(the legendary developer of Sun City), Colin Coleman (former CEO of Goldman Sachs South Africa), the Barrow family (who built many of the most iconic buildings at Wits over the past Century) Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong (a prominent US based alumnus), entrepreneurs Haroon and Nizam Kalla, Doug and Carolyn Smollan, Steve Collis, Jonathan and Nicky Oppenheimer and former CEOs Mark Lamberti, Roy Anderson, Charles Rowlinson, Michiel le Roux (Founder of Capitec Bank) and Chris Seabrooke (CEO of Sabvest Capital).

Many warm and valuable interactions also took place on Zoom or at convenient venues. These included meetings with the CEOs of most major telecoms, media and financial institutions, local alumni and CEOs such as Steve Binnie (Sappi), Lawrence Rapp (Vukile), Mteto Nyathi (Altron), Alan Dickson (Reunert), Neal Froneman (Sibanye-Stillwater), Motty Sacks (Capital Appreciation), Adrian Gore and Barry Swartzberg (Discovery) and with highly successful global alumni such as David Schein and Andy Kuper in Australia and Rodney Sacks (the founder of Monster Beverages) in the United States.

Mpumi Zikalala and Prof. Thokozani Majozi

Haroon Kalla, Peter Bezuidenhoudt and Nizam Kalla

Bart Dorrestein hosting Profs. Ian Jandrell and Zeblon Vilakazi and Peter Bezuidenhoudt at the Leonardothe tallest building in Africa.

Natie and Frances Kirsh

Doug and Carolyn Smollan

Witsies celebrate #Wits100 at the launch of the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome.

From the sound of music to reaching for the stars

The Centenary year began in March when we opened the Wits Chris Seabrooke Music Hall, an iconic intimate and bespoke venue adding to the Braamfontein landscape. In July William Kentridge gifted us ‘Oh to Believe in Another World’ which took centre stage at the Linder Auditorium and in September we gathered Friends of Wits in Times Square. This all culminated in November when we hosted our friends from Anglo American in the erstwhile Joburg Planetarium which will be transformed into the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome

Wits Chris Seabrooke Music Hall opening in March 2022Doug Smollan, Reeva Forman, Simone Segal, Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi, Carolyn Smollan and Mark Lamberti

Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi celebrates #Wits100 with Anglo Executives Nolitha Fakude, Duncan Wanblad and Mpumi Zikalala at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome.

Bringing it home

The Homecoming Weekend was an incredible sea of blue – thousands of Witsies snaked through Braamfontein during our Centenary Parade. This was a demonstration of unity, of pride, and belonging to our 100-year-old University, that undoubtedly impacts on society, for good. This was followed by the Wits100 alumni reunion, the Visible Resonance Light Show, a reimagined Free People’s concert, which raised over R500 000 for the Wits Food Bank, the unveiling of scholarship boards, a multi-generational Wits SRC Reunion and a Centenary Founders’ Tea which included perspicacious words from our current and former chancellors, Dr Judy Dlamini and Justice Dikgang Moseneke on the role of universities in society today, views supported by our Chair of Council, Isaac Shongwe.

Your donation is in good hands

Wits Fund Inc., USA

Chair: Stanley Bergman, President: Jane Levy

Directors: Balungile Belz, Natalie Brown, Martin Colman, Rex Heinke, Bruce Hubbard, David Jammy, Jonathan Joffe, George Konidaris, Clifford McMillan, Vice-President, Teboho Moja, Vice-President, Indran Naick, David Schneider, Vice-Chairman Emeritus, Hazel Sive, Tebogo Lindiwe Tardif, John Teeger

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Wits is an independent institution that prides itself on running a streamlined operation, ensuring every cent is accounted for. We are fortunate to have independent fundraising structures in four jurisdictions to manage donations:

Wits Foundation South Africa

Chair: Arnold Basserabie

Governors: Mark Lamberti, Cas Coovadia, Prakash Desai, Neal Froneman, Adrian Gore, Dr Azar Jammine, Prof. Jonathan Klaaren, Suliman Mahomed, Prof. Thokozani Majozi, Bonang Mohale, Lebogang Montjane, Lesiba Mothata, Dr Stavros Nicolau, Tokyo Sexwale, Prof. Bruce Sparks, Advocate Anthony Stein, Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi, Maria Ramos, Mamongae Mahlare, Maureen Manyama

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Wits Foundation UK

Chair: William Frankel OBE

Patron: Sir Sydney Kentridge KCMG KC Trustees: Prof. Colin Bundy, Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi, Prof. Sir David King, Prof. Adam Habib

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Wits Australia

Chair: Philip Mayers (AM) Board: Lenore Manderson AM, Adv Dr Andy Schmulow, Michael Segerman, Peter Bezuidenhoudt

Philanthropy Advisory Board: Graham Craig, Philip Zylstra, Rob Hamer

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

A jolly good read

Wits University Press, the oldest in South Africa, turned 100 this year. Read more about research by the books and 1575 book titles in 100 years, including the #Wits100 book, Wits University: From Excavation to Innovation.

If you are looking for some good holiday reading, try the recently published A Century of Achievement: South African Contributions to Global Medicine 1890-1990, a book which describes the contributions made by 138 South African doctors and medical scientists from 1890 to 1990, Prof. Barry Dwolatzky’s Coded History, or delve into the centenary editions of Curios.ty and the Wits Review.

December 2022

I thank you for your service to humanity, and for making Wits a better place. Enjoy the holidays, stay safe, and see you all in 2023!

Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi FRS

For more information visit wits100.wits.ac.za or contact: Development and Fundraising Office 6th Floor Solomon Mahlangu House 1 Jan Smuts Avenue Braamfontein

For more information contact Peter Bezuidenhoudt on +27 11 7179702 / Peter.Bezuidenhoudt@wits.ac.za Email: giving.dfo@wits.ac.za Website: www.wits.ac.za/givingtowits Wits. For Good.

Regular donations, no matter how small, can make a big difference. Recognition of donations can be viewed here: wits100.wits.ac.za/donors/