Howzit-Global-Witsies

We have specially curated this newsletter to celebrate the achievements of Witsies on campus and around the world during the first half of this year. You can read about Sir John Lazar's African optimism, Jacob Modise's resilience and passionate belief in the power of education and Dr Manny Pohl's legendary story from South Africa to Australia. We also celebrate Prof. Bruce Murray's legacy gift to Wits History and Sport, and pay tribute to Jennifer Luntz in memoriam.

Back in South Africa, our students have just completed their mid-year exams and our July graduation season is underway, where honorary doctorates were bestowed on two renowned South Africans - Mavuso Msimang, a South African civil servant and co-founder of African Parks and our very own Wits alumnus and football legend, Kaizer Motaung - on Tuesday, 15 July 2025.

The first quarter of this year also saw the Wits University Council unanimously approve the appointment of Professor Zeblon Vilakazi FRS as Vice-Chancellor and Principal for five more years , with his second term running from 2026 to 2030. Professor Vilakazi's focus over the next five years will be to continue working towards the University's 2033 strategic goals, to invest in the academic project, to create an environment that fosters innovation and to ensure the well-being of staff, students and members of the Wits community.

To read more captivating stories about what is happening at Wits, visit www.wits.ac.za/ news

See you soon!

African Optimist

It is fortunate that Sir John Lazar, a Wits Computer Science graduate, Rhodes Scholar and Fellow and President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and who was recently conferred with a Knighthood in the King's 2025 New Year Honours, was born at a time when computer technology was becoming mainstream.

When he was around ten years old, he was part of a group of students selected for a holiday course on which he learned computer programming with punch cards and a mainframe computer. He took to it “like a duck to water”.

His interest in computers was eagerly fostered by his father, Dr Stan Lazar, who was a radiologist and a pioneer of the use of new medical technology in South Africa who bought the young John one of the first Sinclair programmable computers.

“By the time I was ready for university, I was sure that I wanted to study computer science. At the time (the late 1970s) the Wits computer science department was very strong, as it still is today,” he says.

A Witsie. For Good

Jacob Modise, the Executive Chairman of Batsomi, a leading investment company which he founded in 1998, is a passionate Witsie.

He was the first black student in the School of Accountancy in 1983, completing his undergraduate and Honours degrees before doing his articles and passing his accountancy board exam on his first attempt.

Getting to this point was not easy for the boy from Ga-Rankuwa. Jacob's father died when he was three and he lost his mother six years after that, leaving him in the care of his aunt, who already had nine children.

Jacob knew that it was all up to him and from an early age, he applied for bursaries to pay for his school fees, first at a boarding school in Dennilton, a small town in Sekhukhune, Limpopo Province and then at a technical high school in Mamelodi, just north of Pretoria.

Learn more about Jacob's perseverance to become A Witsie. For Good.

Common Sense Paved the Road To Success

Dr Emmanuel Clive Pohl AM is one of Wits' most successful graduates, who ascribes his academic years at Wits and the notable success in his career to good common sense.

He grew up in Blyvooruitzicht, a small gold mining town outside of Johannesburg, where his father was an underground manager. After attending Rocklands Primary School, a school on the mine, he attended King Edward VII School in Johannesburg, where he excelled at sports and academics, in particular, math and science and where he developed an interest in electrical engineering and decided to pursue it at university.

Pohl graduated with a BSc in Electrical Engineering at Wits University in 1975, followed by an MBA from the Wits Business School in 1977. During his years at Wits, where he played cricket, soccer and rugby, he had a full university life and made some lifelong friends.

Read more about Manny's career after graduating from Wits.

Peter Bezuidenhoudt, Dr Manny Pohl AM and Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi FRS during a recent Wits campus visit.

From Cosmic Dreams to Endless Possibilities

Dr Moumita Aich, the new Head of the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome which officially opened in November 2024, was inspired to reach for the stars from an early age. As a young child in her hometown of Kolkata, India, she often sat with her father on the terrace of their home, stargazing and becoming increasingly hungry to find out as much as possible about astronomy and cosmology.

“Kolkata used to be far less polluted and one could see quite a bit in the night sky. There was not as much light or atmospheric pollution as there is now. I used to love observing astronomical events like eclipses or meteor showers,” she recalls.

Although both her parents were bankers, they too were interested in astronomy. The young Moumita wanted to pursue her interest in the cosmos and they encouraged her to follow her dreams.

Read about Dr Aich's journey to leading the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome.

A Legacy of Learning and Loyalty: Honouring

Professor Bruce Murray (1939 – 2019)

Wits University is proud to celebrate the extraordinary generosity of the late Professor Bruce Keir Murray, whose bequest of more than R12 million will have a lasting impact on the University. His gift honours a lifelong dedication to Wits, and will directly support the fields that meant the most to him - history and sport.

Professor Murray's bequest is more than a financial contribution; it is a profound testament to a life lived in service of knowledge, mentorship, and the holistic development of students. It reflects his lifelong commitment to Wits and his belief in the university's role as a catalyst for intellectual and social advancement.

Born in Durban in 1939 and educated at Rhodes University and the University of Kansas, Bruce Murray joined Wits in 1970. Over more than three decades, he distinguished himself as a scholar, educator, and academic leader. Appointed to an ad hominem Chair in Edwardian British History in 1985, he authored several influential works, including the seminal histories Wits: The Early Years and Wits: The Open Years, which remain cornerstones of the University's historiography. Yet Bruce's legacy extends well beyond academia. A beloved lecturer and dedicated mentor, he inspired generations of students with his wit, warmth, and unwavering support. He remained an active member of the Wits community long after his retirement in 2001, continuing to share his knowledge and energy with students and colleagues alike. A passionate sportsman, Bruce believed that sport was a vital part of the university experience, fostering resilience, teamwork, and personal growth. His commitment to student athletes was as steadfast as his dedication to teaching and research.

Professor Murray passed away in July 2019 at the age of 80, but his impact endures - now formally enshrined through this remarkable bequest. It is a lasting gift that will benefit future generations and help preserve the spirit and standards of excellence that he so cherished. Bequests such as Professor Murray's play a vital role in strengthening the future of the University. They allow Wits to honour its past, invest in its present, and shape its future. We are deeply grateful for his generosity and the powerful example it sets.

To learn more about how you can leave a legacy at Wits, please contact the Development and Fundraising Office.

A Tribute to Jennifer Luntz (16 February 1941 - 27 June 2022)

Born in South Africa, the late Jennifer Luntz completed a four-year Social Work degree at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg between 1959 and 1962. After she graduated, she worked for the Johannesburg Child Welfare Society, where Winnie Mandela was employed as a social worker. Despite Winnie's later fall from grace, Jennifer was always conscious of the insights of Mandela into the evils of the apartheid regime. The Luntz family said that for the rest of her life she often recalled what she had learned from Mandela during those dark times.

At the unveiling of her tombstone in Melbourne, her son, Stephen Luntz, said that his mother had, in her work, been appalled by discriminatory practices in the treatment of patients who were her clients. “One of the issues she fought to address was the inequality in the provision of artificial limbs. She resolved this by pointing out that the poorer quality ones work out quickly and that the cost of fitting new ones was more than the price difference”.

“She admired the teachings of Edward de Bono and recognised herself as a lateral thinker and encouraged us, her children, to do the same,” said Stephen.

Learn more about the life of this dynamic Witsie who valued her early learning in South Africa and who never forgot from where she came.

USA Mid-Year Highlights

Wits USA 2025 Highlights

The Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi FRS and a delegation from the University conducted a whistle-stop tour of the USA in May 2025, starting with two dinners hosted by alumnus and current PhD student Charles Goldstuck in New York and Los Angeles, and concluding with a dinner hosted by the Vice-Chancellor and Principal in San Francisco. We are thankful for the support of our remarkable Wits alumni and friends in the USA and look forward to building stronger relationships in the future.

Wits Fund Board Member Appointed Dean at UMass Boston

Dr Hazel Sive, Wits Fund Board member and proud Wits Alumna, has been appointed Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, and Professor of Biology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Dr Sive says that she was inspired by her “formative and seminal Wits experience to move into the important realm of public higher education in the U.S.”

Witsie Wins Emmy

Lesego Vorster received the Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for Character Design for Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire (Disney+) at the 3rd Annual Children's & Family Emmy® Awards in Los Angeles in March 2025.

Vorster is a former lecturer at Wits and at The Animation School and he studied at the prestigious Gobelins l'ecole de l'image in Paris. Despite the lure to stay in Europe, he returned to South Africa with a clear mission to share what he had learned with others. He became part of the team that started up the animation internship at Wits' Tshimologong Precinct alongside Isabelle Rorke, when Disney called him up through Triggerfish to pitch for the Kizazi Moto anthology

Australia Mid-Year Highlights

Celebrating the Life of an Icon in Perth and Melbourne

Wits Alumni and Friends in Perth and Melbourne had the opportunity to attend special screenings of George Bizos: Icon followed by a Q&A session with George Georgiou, the Associate Producer of the documentary, on 9 March and 8 June 2025. The film follows the life of an extraordinary South African icon and Wits alumnus, Advocate George Bizos, a teenage Greek refuge from Nazi Greece who became an internationally renowned human rights lawyer for Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko and many others during apartheid in South Africa. Guests at the Perth screening also had the opportunity to hear from Dr Peter Friedland, co-author of Quiet Time with the President – A Doctor's Story About Learning to Listen, a book outlining his life-changing relationship with President Nelson Mandela.

Bunny Chows and Chats in Perth

The Western Australia State Committee and the Wits Australia Foundation hosted a family evening of Bunny Chow and Chat with fellow Witsies and Friends in Perth on 10 May 2025. The evening was a joyous occasion for rekindling old connections and making new friends over a well-known Indian South African fast-food dish, taking everyone back to their student days on campus.

Lots of Laughs with Schalk Bezuidenhout in Melbourne

Melbourne Witsies and Friends enjoyed a fun night out at South African comedian Schalk Bezuidenhout's new stand-up show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival on 16 April 2025.

Boardroom Lunches

The Wits Australia Foundation held three successful financial-year-end fundraising lunches in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth during June 2025, raising more than AU$18,000. The events were hosted in support of raising funds for student bursaries to help provide deserving students with the opportunity to pursue their academic dreams. For over a century, Wits University has been a beacon of hope, transforming lives and opening doors for countless individuals. Our graduates have carried the spirit of courage and compassion into every corner of society.

We were honoured by Myra Salkinda, CEO of the Kirsh Family Office in Australia and the Chairperson of the Abacus Group, to host the Sydney lunch on 13 June 2025. Philip Zylstra was our esteemed guest speaker. He is the chair of the Skye Foundation and comes from a strong lineage of Wits graduates. The extraordinary legacy of the Zylstra Family stands as a beacon of inspired philanthropy and their R200 million investment in the Wits Brian and Dorothy Zylstra Sports Complex (currently under construction)

exemplifies how visionary giving can reshape institutions and communities.

It was a delight to welcome Witsies and Friends of Wits in Melbourne to a lunch hosted by Joel Rosen and the Wingate Group on 17 June 2025. Guests had the privilege of being addressed by Jenny Gray AM. Jenny is the long-standing Chief Executive of Zoos Victoria, and a proud Witsie and she shared her career highlights from engineering and ethics to Chief Zookeeper.

Our host and esteemed Witsie, Tim Netcher and Gold Road Resources, welcomed guests to the Perth Lunch on 27 June 2025. Tim comes from a strong lineage of Wits graduates, including an uncle who was the Vice-Chancellor. In addition to sharing career highlights of multiple generations of a Wits Family, he also shared how a Witsie led a Western Australian mine from exploration to an AU$3.7 billion takeover .

Dr Daniel and Sharon Friedman, David and Despina Zylstra, and Philip and Lisa Zylstra in Buenos Aires

Australian Witsies have been spotted around the world wearing their Witsie Caps with pride. We have even received reports of Witsies noticing others in the streets of Australia with their caps on and making valuable connections on the spot! Do you have a Witsie Cap? Share your special pictures with us for the next edition.

Dr Allan and Gail Kelly in the South African Bushveld

Maryann and Brian Middleton crossing from Portugal into Spain with 164km to go on the Camino de Santiago

Drs Harry Dugmore and Grant Rex with Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi FRS and Peter Bezuidenhoudt

Dr Allan and Gail Kelly with Wits Medical Student, Ashley Mogodi, at the Wits Adler Museum of Medicine

Dr Andy Kuper with Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi FRS and Prof. Lynn Morris

Tim Fletcher and Brent Williams from Cliff Dekker Hofmeyr visiting Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi FRS and Prof. Garth Stevens, strengthening partnerships with the University and the Wits School of Law

Neil Hellman at the reopening of the Wits Sterkfontein Caves

Kresge Foundation Trustee, Anna Blanding, and Bill Moses, Managing Director of Kresge Foundation's Education Programme, visiting Chancellor Dr Judy Dlamini, and Vice-Chancellor Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi FRS on campus

Growing the impact and building on the successes of our Wits Centenary Campaign, the Wits Development and Fundraising Office is expanding Wits' Global Transformational Gift Fundraising Capacity in the United Kingdom.

We are looking for a dynamic, self-motivated individual, resident in the greater London area, who:

▪ Has experience in high-level project management and fundraising activities for a university or Non-Profit Organisation;

▪ Can engage with high-level stakeholders across the donor community in the UK and Europe; and

▪ Has first-hand experience with, and understands the University of the Witwatersrand and its positioning and priorities within the South African higher education sector, the country and the rest of the world.

Expressions of interest may be sent to the Senior Manager, Charné Haak, at charne.haak@wits.ac.za by 31 July 2025.

Wits Mervyn King Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability Launched

The Wits Business School launched the Wits Mervyn King Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability on 30 June 2025. The Centre will form an integral part of the School, advancing knowledge and research on the integration of corporate governance and sustainability into business and societal transformation. It is a strategic initiative of the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management and will undertake research in areas such as conscious leadership, outcomes-based governance, integrated thinking and reporting and sustainable value creation, with the objective of creating world-leading skills and development through postgraduate diplomas, MBA modules and executive education courses.

Cosmic Echoes: Shared Sky Indigenous Art

The Wits Origins Centre, the Square Kilometre Array Observatory and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory hosted the Cosmic Echoes: Shared Sky Indigenous Art exhibition from 23 May to 5 July 2025. The exhibition featured works of Indigenous Artists from the Northern Cape Province in South Africa and Australia, connecting cutting-edge science with ancient wisdom and an understanding of the heavens. The exhibition was made possible by the three partners, the Wits Faculty of Science, the Wajarri Group and the CSIRO.

Wits scientists garner Platinum, President, and gold awards for excellence in health research

The South African Medical Research Council 11th annual scientific merit awards honoured some of the best scientific minds in health research.

Prof. Karen Hofman received the Platinum Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in promoting better nutrition decisions. The awards recognise outstanding scientists who have raised the profile of South African science and helped build the foundations of health research in the country for future generations.

The President's Award went to Adjunct Professor Precious Matsoso, while a gold medal was presented to Prof. Shane Norris.

Sir David King urges SA to lead in fighting climate change

Leading climate scientist, Professor Sir David King, urged South Africa to take the lead in combatting climate change, describing it as "the greatest challenge humanity has ever had to face" during a public lecture at Wits University.

The former UK Chief Scientific Adviser encouraged South Africa to join a "progressive" group of nations in combatting climate change – including Brazil, China and Kenya.

Wits researchers find a way to shield quantum information from “noise”

Researchers at Wits University, in collaboration with Huzhou University in China, have discovered a way to protect quantum information from environmental disruptions, offering hope for more reliable future technologies.

“This breakthrough could be used to overcome noise in quantum computers as well as global quantum networks, for the next generation of quantum technologies. It can be especially valuable in creating advanced medical imaging technologies and more powerful artificial intelligence

Accounting graduates take top honours in CA exam

Graduates from the Margo Steele School of Accountancy recently demonstrated exceptional competence in the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) Initial Assessment of Competence (IAC) examination. This is the rigorous professional assessment for qualifying as a Chartered Accountant (CA) in South Africa.

Witsies proudly secured multiple places in the Top 10. Tana Herson achieved first place nationally, with Honours. Joining her in the Top 10 were Trinity Masiakwala in fourth Place (with Honours) and Bilala Said, who ranked ninth (with Honours). Two more

systems harnessing entanglement,” says Professor Andrew Forbes from the Wits School of Physics.

candidates – Rumaanah Dangor and Morale Kutumela – also earned Honours passes, reflecting the School's consistent track record of academic excellence.

Wits professor receives prestigious German research accolade

The Alexander Humboldt Award has been bestowed on pharmacogeneticist Professor Collen Masimrembwa for dedication to ensuring Africans receive safe, efficacious medicines.

The work of Professor Masimrembwa combines human genetics, drug metabolism, and pharmacokinetics research to predict drug response. One important result of his work is a genetic test and dosing algorithm that is being clinically validated across Africa.

A Distinguished Professor in the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB) at Wits, Masimirembwa is among two Africans to have received the Alexander Humboldt Award, which has also been bestowed on 61 Nobel laureates.

The world-renowned Wits Sterkfontein Caves, reopened to the public on 15 April 2025. This development marks a new chapter for one of humanity's most important palaeontological sites, as it transitions to full management under Wits University.

Whilst previously serving primarily as a tourist destination, attracting thousands of international and local visitors, the reimagined Wits Sterkfontein Caves will offer a more immersive research and educational experience, bringing visitors closer to the science that has defined the site for nearly 100 years.

We look forward to you visiting in person, but until then, please enjoy a quick video tour

(Above) Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi FRS, Prof. Nithaya Chetty, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Dr Job Kibii

First fossil pangolin tracks discovered in South Africa

No fossilised pangolin tracks had been recorded anywhere in the world until a track was found in South Africa, dated to between 90,000 and 140,000 years ago. A team of scientists who study vertebrate fossil tracks and traces on South Africa's southern Cape coast have identified the world's first fossil pangolin trackway east of Still Bay in the Western Cape, with the help of Indigenous Master Trackers from

Wits Advanced Drug Delivery Platform Director, Professor Yahya Choonara has been appointed to an expert committee at the World Health Organisation to develop guidelines on Artificial Intelligence in pharmaceutical manufacturing. His nomination by The International Pharmaceutical Federation was based on work he did for the Federation's Industrial Pharmacy Section.

“The integration of AI in pharmaceutical systems is a transformative global priority poised to significantly impact the industry's future by addressing challenges and unlocking new opportunities to enhance efficiency and productivity, improve quality control, and accelerate innovation,” says Choonara.

Rees honoured with 2025 Dr Lee Jong-Wook prize

Executive Director of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (Wits RHI) and personal Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Wits University Professor Helen Rees received the coveted World Health Organization's prize for her “outstanding contribution to public health”. She was “honoured for a life spent shaping public health – from the defiant clinics of apartheid-era Johannesburg to the influential policy halls of Geneva. As the

Namibia. Ichnologists Charles Helm, Clive Thompson and Jan Carlo De Vynck tell the story

world's health architecture falters, Rees draws from an unscripted career forged in crisis and an unwavering conviction for human rights”.

Global innovation award for converting cashew waste into key vaccine ingredient

The Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit and the Synthetic Organic Chemistry Unit in the School of Chemistry have received one of six international innovation awards under the GIZ SAVax programme. Their project, Local large-scale production of ionisable lipids, secured a R7-million grant to develop vaccine-enabling compounds derived from cashew nutshell liquid – a by-product of the cashew industry that is abundant across Africa. This breakthrough positions Wits and South Africa as a leader in developing biorenewable materials for mRNA vaccines and supports the African Union's target of producing 60% of the continent's vaccines locally by 2040. Currently, Africa produces only 1% of the vaccines it uses.

Wits Young Guns Crowned Varsity Cup Young Guns Champions!

The Wits Young Guns displayed a perfect performance in the Varsity Rugby Young Guns Competition, securing the number one spot. The Young Guns showed passion, dedication and tenacity and they fought hard to make their mark in the competition and to bring home the trophy. Young Guns Team Captain, Vuyo Gwiji, led his team to victory as the first Wits side to ever bring home the trophy and says that his biggest highlight of the tournament (besides winning) was beating the University of the Free State in the Free State.

Vice-Chancellor honours top students

Professor Zeblon Vilakazi FRS, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits University, hosted top-performing first-year students, their parents, and high school principals,

donors, and staff at the annual 2025 Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship Awards on 4 May 2025. The scholarships are awarded to the top 20 learners who excelled in their National Senior Certificate (Grade 12 Matric) examinations and who are currently enrolled in their first year of studies at Wits University. It celebrates academic achievement and provides significant financial support to alleviate the costs of pursuing a university education for students and their families.

Visit us at

South Africa https://www.wits.ac.za/givingtowits/ United Kingdom https://wits-uk.org/ United States of America https://witsfund.org/ Australia https://wits-au.org/

Please click here to open this email in your browser To manage your subscription click here POPIA Privacy Notice