ACADEMICS, students and members of staff have bid farewell to Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Adam Habib, who will leave Wits University at the end of December.

“It has been an honour and a pleasure to serve at the helm of this great institution for the past eight years. I have great faith in the collective Wits community – during difficult times you have always made the right decision and empowered me to act in the best interests of Wits University. I thank you for your support and your trust,” says Habib.

Habib is leaving the University after eight years and will join the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) based in London. Top nuclear physicist Professor Zeblon Vilakazi will succeed Habib as the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits from 1 January 2021.

Tributes have been pouring in for Habib from academics, employees, students, staff, alumni, donors, ministers and fellow vice-chancellors from within and beyond South Africa’s borders, some of which are reflected hereunder.

The Chairperson of Council, Mr Isaac Shongwe says: “Adam has been one of the most vociferous leaders of this great University, and indeed the entire higher education sector. He is a courageous leader who speaks truth to power, who holds the state to account, and who calls out threats to society when others are afraid to do so. We will miss his leadership and all that he has done for Wits and our country.”

During Habib’s tenure the University has recorded significant achievements. Wits’ research output has increased, it has expanded its footprint in international journals and throughput rates are steadily rising. Wits’ finances are stable and it has strong, independent governance structures in place.

Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande thanks Habib for his contribution to the higher education sector and describes him as a “fiery character who is not afraid to enter the fray not just as an academic, but also as a political commentator and an intellectual activist”.

(SOURCE: Wits University)

SEKEDI Mabatha was inaugurated during a recent virtual ceremony by the office of the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Mahlo Mokgalong.

The historic milestone came after the scheduled 2020/21 SRC elections could not take place, leading into a vigorous process of consultations and nominations by students and student structures for membership to the TSRC.

Born in Mohlaletse, the 22-year-old agricultural management student was more than ecstatic to hear of her election. “It’s such an honour and it’s very overwhelming to have been chosen, but I’m eager to learn leadership skills which will enhance my capabilities as chairperson.

“My responsibilities on campus will be the strong bridge between management and the students, meaning that we will be taking students grievances to management and helping find a solution,” Sekedi said.

Sekedi explains that as an TSRC member, she is considered to be a statutory structure as provided for in the Higher Education Act. She offers a variety of services to individual students and different student groups and, in offering these services, she exercises political, economic and administrative authority in order to manage the activities of student life.

As such, the TSRC is the highest decision-making structure of student governance within their campus. She tells BONUS that the new TSRC is ready to overcome any challenges and work to the best of their abilities to ensure that students’ needs are met and says they are mindful of the depth of the challenges that confront them.

“The road ahead will be difficult and hard, but we will have to use our courage, wisdom and resolve to attain the dreams we have for the UL’s student community,” she said.

She advised her peers that good working relations and respect with colleagues will do their dreams justice. “Have passion to work for people and assist them,” she said.

She adds that their priority involves transforming the institution to adapt to the new normal and advance the development of online learning, while ensuring that students remain protected from the virus through the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and equipping laboratories for smooth practical sessions.

“I am very grateful to be the first female leader in 61 years of the institution’s existence. It shows that times are changing, and that the oppression of women is gradually becoming a thing of the past,” she said.

(SOURCE: REVIEW ONLINE)

CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

I WAS recently sent a photo that featured on the popular #ImStaying Facebook thread. Two women are seated side by side at a bus stop somewhere in Cape Town. One is white, elderly and frail, and rests her head on the shoulder of the younger black woman.
 
This simple image, of these two women sitting there with their hands locked tightly, resonated deeply with me as we approach Reconciliation Day on 16 December.
 
It brought to mind the powerful words of Steve Bantu Biko that captured our aspirations for a new country: “In time we shall be in a position to bestow on South Africa the greatest possible gift – a more human face.”
 
Such a scene, of kindness and compassion, and of two people simply being human, would have been unthinkable in South Africa just over three decades ago.
 
Under that most insidious manifestation of petty apartheid, the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act, only the white woman would have been allowed to sit at that bus-stop, or travel on the bus. A black woman holding a white woman’s hand would have been met with disapproval from the city’s white residents.
 
It is often difficult to explain to the younger generation of South Africans, who were born to freedom, that apartheid was both brutal and extraordinarily petty. It is difficult to explain the lengths to which the regime would go to keep the races apart, from banning interracial relationships, to creating separate bus stops, entrances to buildings, public toilets, to even segregating beaches.
 
On Reconciliation Day each year, we reflect on how far we have come in advancing national reconciliation. It is important that we deal decisively with the obstacles to reconciliation, among them the high levels of inequality in our country and the persistence of racist attitudes and practices.
 
But it is equally important to acknowledge just how vastly different our country is today to what it was 26 years ago. For every negative story of racism that makes the news, there are countless other positive stories of racial integration, communities living in harmony and social cohesion that do not generate headlines.
 
Many of these can be found on the same #ImStaying thread. They are simple, everyday stories of South Africans living and working alongside each other, being friends, and helping each other.
 
We know that divisions of race and class remain very real in South Africa, but these stories do show that race relations in our country are not as toxic as we are often led to believe.
 
Last year’s National Reconciliation Barometer, which is published by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, noted that the optimism of respondents regarding racial unity was the highest since the inception of the study.
 
It also found that the majority of respondents believed race relations have improved since 1994.
 
It is noteworthy that most South Africans report they would like to interact more often with people from other race groups but cite language and confidence as the two greatest barriers.
 
This is ahead of other perceived factors such as lack of common ground, anxiety, or negative prior experiences.
 
It is obvious that true reconciliation is impossible unless we overcome the social and economic inequalities that persist in our society. It is only when the playing fields of opportunity are levelled and the lives of all South Africans improve that social cohesion will be strengthened.
 
But we should at the same time not discount the important gestures in our everyday interactions that demonstrate our commitment to reconciliation between the races; and breaking language barriers is perhaps among the most important of them.
 
Reconciliation is a weighty concept, and there may be many who are unsure as to what they can actually do to advance racial reconciliation. We may feel reticent to take the first step or to reach out, for fear of being judged or even rejected.
 
On this Reconciliation Day, I call on each of our citizens to think of the simple things they could do to reach out across the racial divide in their everyday lives. One way of doing this is to learn another South African language.
 
By trying to learn the language of your friend, your colleague, your neighbour or the people you interact with daily in public places, you go beyond just demonstrating cross-cultural understanding. You open up the space for real communication.
 
We need to find ways to reach beyond our social and professional circles, to appreciate other people’s points of view. Through sporting, cultural and religious activities, we can find ways to interact with fellow South Africans from a diversity of backgrounds.
 
We should recognise that in addition to the fundamental changes we need to make in the structure of our economy and society, reconciliation can be built through our every-day activities. Madiba saw this in sport, for example, and demonstrated its great potential for nation-building. He said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite in a way that little else does.”
 
Our response to the coronavirus pandemic has shown that we are at our best when we extend hands of solidarity and compassion to one another.
 
Now, as we rebuild our society, let us place this spirit of generosity at the centre of our national character.
 
I wish you all a joyful and a meaningful Reconciliation Day.

(SOURCE: FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT)