University of the Witwatersrand

This Annual Report encompasses the full scope of the University‘s operations for the reporting period of 1 January to 31 December 2023. This being the first year of the University’s 2033 Strategic framework, the Council determined that the new roadmap should position Wits as the premier academic centre of leading research and innovation in the country and in the Global South. In an extensive consultation period involving the entire Wits community – students, academic and professional administrative staff, Council members, and the Chancellor – we set about developing the Wits 2033 Strategic Framework followed by an Implementation Plan spanning the next five years. This was approved by Council in November 2022.

The University of the Witwatersrand continues to achieve its strategic goals for the period under review. The seven strategic priorities of the Wits Vision 2022 Strategic Framework, which is now drawing to an end, are: 1. Research and Knowledge Leadership; 2. Innovation and Social Leadership; 3. An IT-Savvy University; 4. Extensive Networks and Partnerships; 5. Wealthy and Well Resourced; 6. Excellence in Governance; and 7. The Wits Experience. The University continues to steadily improve in the global rankings and occupies one of the top two positions on the continent in all five of the Times Higher Education, QS, Center for World University Rankings, US News, Shanghai Rankings, also known as the Academic Ranking of World Universities. These improvements have occurred simultaneously with the transformation of the University into a socially inclusive, diverse, non-racial and cosmopolitan community. In addition, we exceeded targets on several metrics, including the number of permanent academic staff publishing and reporting research. Measured on a rolling three-year average basis, the number stands at 687, up from the last three years by 56. In fact, research output grew strongly in 2021 and 2022, both in terms of quantity and quality. Using approved data from the 2021 publications the University’s research publication units have increased by 59% in the last seven years. The graduate student profile in 2022 stood at 16 387 (38.5%). A total of 10 183 students graduated in 2021 and 10 385 in 2022.

The year 2021 started with many transitions – the change of leadership, the inception of a new strategic plan, a move from remote emergency teaching to blended learning, the counting of research units, and the acceleration of a major fundraising campaign. I am pleased to report that progress was steadily made as the year unfolded, and that all these major developments were well-entrenched in the University’s fabric by December.

The 2020 academic year was characterised by two major incidences – the advent of a global pandemic, and the change of leadership at the University of the Witwatersrand. These occurrences were managed with care and resulted in a seamless transition to emergency remote teaching and learning online, and a new executive management team, under the leadership of Professor Zeblon Vilakazi. Council bid farewell to Professor Adam Habib, who led Wits with distinction for seven years. We welcomed Professor Zeblon Vilakazi as the incoming ViceChancellor and Principal. He has outlined a vision that will take Wits into its next century - a vision that will reimagine the future of teaching, learning, research and innovation in a changing world, which will undoubtedly continue to impact positively on society in the coming years.

The University of the Witwatersrand continues to achieve its strategic goals for the period under review. The seven strategic priorities of the Wits Vision 2022 Strategic Framework are: • The Wits Experience; • Research and Knowledge Leadership; • Innovation and Social Leadership; • Extensive Networks and Partnerships; • Excellence in Governance; • An IT-Savvy University; and • Wealthy and Well Resourced. Wits University’s research output has increased by about 70% in the last six years, its graduate student profile has improved from 28% to 37% and its 9500 graduates in 2018 is the highest number produced in its history. The university has steadily improved in its global rankings being in the top 2 in the country in both the Times Higher Education and Shanghai Rankings (Academic Ranking of World Universities), all the while improving its finances and establishing itself on a fiscally sustainable path. These improvements have occurred simultaneously with a transformation of the university into a socially inclusive, diverse, non-racial and cosmopolitan community that addresses the historical racialized disparities of South Africa’s past.

Despite the upheaval of #FeesMustFall, expressive revolutionary exchanges and robust political discourse, Wits provides a safe space for multiple voices to be heard, for the free expression of ideas and for diverse opinions to be shared. It is an environment that protects the academic freedom guaranteed in our Constitution and one in which intellectualism thrives. We are proud of the leaders who have emanated from Wits and the roles that some of our students have assumed, both pre- and post-graduation. A Wits qualification carries tremendous currency and remains sought after in South Africa and abroad. This recognition of quality must never be compromised and further investment is required to continue to attract the best possible minds onto our campuses.

The 2017 academic year is highlighted as a pivotal year in which the University community truly embraced the integration of technology throughout the institution, including in its teaching, learning and research programmes. The advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the transformation of the higher education, the future of work and the interaction between humans and technology featured high on the agenda this year. In addition to the technological revolution at Tshimologong, Wits’ new digital innovation precinct in Juta Street, Braamfontein, the University has invested R500 million in an ICT upgrade, adopted a new cutting edge research strategy, and introduced innovative blended learning options, including a digital campus, new online courses and high tech classrooms.

Wits is also transforming Braamfontein into a young, vibrant precinct for its notable tech-savvy and innovative community. Together with partners in government, business and industry, Wits officially launched the Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct in Braamfontein, Johannesburg in September. Setswana for “new beginnings”, Tshimologong is Johannesburg’s newest high-tech address, where the incubation of start-ups, the commercialisation of research and the development of high-level digital skills for students, working professionals and unemployed youth will take place. In Parktown, Wits has played an integral role in the establishment of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital launched on Friday, 2 December 2016. The hospital will serve as a world-class, highly advanced specialised children’s hospital which will save lives. The University is the lead academic partner that is located on land donated by Wits in Parktown. It will serve as a hospital for specialised training and research. Wits has also made tremendous advances via the Wits Rural Facility which serves as a base for a range of research and teaching programmes across Wits faculties and schools, both within the facility and in surrounding communities. This enables a multidisciplinary approach to learning about, and addressing rural issues.

The #FeesMustFall movement, which first manifested itself on the Wits campus in October 2015 when double digit fee increases were announced by Council, brought into sharp relief the declining and inadequate subsidies from Government. Undoubtedly the commitment by Council members to maintain dialogue with all interested parties assisted executive management to ensure a successful outcome for the 2015 academic year. Wits was therefore successful in containing much of the disruption and vandalism that brought the higher education close to collapse in 2015. In his capacity as chair of Universities South Africa the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Habib, led the development of proposals for national government to buffer the shortfall left by the zero fee increase agreement reached with student formations. He continues to play a leadership role in Presidential Teams tasked to conceptualise a sustainable funding framework for the higher education sector and address lingering transformation issues such as, decolonisation of the curriculum, advancement of previously marginalised groups through professional ranks and the outsourcing of vulnerable groups. “I am humbled by the quality and dedication of the members of the Wits Council, their unstinting support and the robust debates that ensure that Wits remains a vibrant and intellectually stimulating institution, worthy of its reputation as a world class yet socially responsive academic institution.”

In the White Paper for the Transformation of Higher Education (1997), ”responsiveness to societal interests and needs’’ is considered as one of the three roles of a university, and one which should be fully integrated with mainstream teaching and research. The University fulfils this public mandate through a variety of activities. A key component of this range of activities is its academic and research activities that are geared towards Community Engagement and Community Beneficiation. These academic and research activities are conducted in such a manner that there is mutual benefit, i.e. the communities served by the University and the various constituencies at the University (staff, students, schools and faculty) should all benefit from these engagements. The profile of the institution, its reputation and credibility are central to informing the investment decisions made by the state, industry, philanthropic foundations, individuals and potential students and staff members.

Changes in the administrative structure the following administrative changes occurred in 2013: q  The Student Equity and Talent Management Unit moved out of the Registrar’s portfolio and now reports to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic). q  The Computer Network Services division has moved from the Registrar's Division to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Knowledge, Information Management and Infrastructure). q  The Wits International Office has been split into the International Students Office (ISO) and the International Strategic Planning Office (ISPO). The ISO reports into the Registrar’s portfolio while ISPO reports to the DVC: Advancement and Partnerships. q  The Office of Student Affairs reports to the DVC: Finance, Human Resources and Transformation and not to the Registrar. q  The reporting line of the Wits Theatre has moved to the Faculty of Humanities while the Planetarium has moved to the Faculty of Science.

The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (known as Wits) celebrated nine decades of excellence in 2012. It used its 90th anniversary to celebrate its past successes, to acknowledge its current achievements and to outline a vision for the future. Wits is renowned for its academic and research excellence and its commitment to advancing the public good. Its social leadership role was highlighted throughout 2012. Distinctly Wits: Wits is the only university in Gauteng, and one of only three universities in Africa, to be placed in the top 400 (from amongst 23 500 universities world-wide) in three separate international rankings. A world-class research university, Wits aims to be firmly embedded in the top 100 universities in the world by 2022, its centenary year.

The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (known as Wits) celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2012. The history of the University is inextricably linked with mining, academic excellence, quality research and political, social and civic activism - associations built on strong foundations, which still hold today. Distinctly Wits Wits is the only university in Gauteng, and one of only three universities in Africa, to be placed in the top 400 (from amongst 23 000 universities world-wide) in three separate international rankings. A world-class research university, Wits aims to be firmly embedded in the top 100 universities in the world by 2022, its centenary year.

The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, also known as Wits University, is one of only two universities in Africa that are ranked in two separate international rankings as leading Universities in the world. It is also the only university in South Africa that features in the top 1% in the world in seven defined fields of research – Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) rankings 2007. Wits is a research-driven institution, committed to contributing to the global knowledge economy and local transformation through the generation of high level, scarce skills and innovative research. The home of talented students and distinguished academics, Wits has a reputation built on research and academic excellence.