2015 Annual Report

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.”