Membership of the Wits Council
The following is a list of members of the University Council appointed in terms of the Statute of the University.
Section |
Membership type |
Incumbent |
Qualifications |
Other positions/
|
Term |
| 9.(1)(a) | Chair | Mr Isaac Shongwe | BA Hons (Economics and Politics) (Wesleyan, USA, P.Phil (Oxford) | Founder and Chairman of Letsema Holdings; Former CEO of Barloworld Logistics Africa; Former Barloworld Limited Board Member; Rhodes Scholarship recipient | 14 June 2017 - 13 June 2019 (Term extended to 31 December 2025) |
| 9.(1)(b) | Vice-Chair | Mr Terence Nombembe | BCom (UNITRA) B Compt Hons (UNISA); CA SA | Independent Non-Executive Director for Nedbank Group Limited, Sibanye Stillwater Limited, Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI), and World Wide Fund (WWF) – South Africa; Sole Shareholder and Director of the Terence Nombembe Foundation (Pty) Ltd; Former Auditor-General of SA, and former Chairman of the Auditor-General Advisory Board; Former Chief Executive Officer of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants | Term ends 31 December 2026 |
| 9.(2) | Secretary to the Council | Ms Carol Crosley | BA (Witwatersrand), H Dip.Ed (Witwatersrand), Honours (Unisa), MEd (Witwatersrand) |
University Registrar | Ex-officio |
| 5.(1)(a)(i) | Ministerial Appointees |
Ms Nasima Badsha | M.Sc (Natal); Graduate Certificate in Education (Leeds); B.Sc. (Hons) (London) | Former Deputy Director General in the Department of Education; former CEO of Cape Higher Education Consortium | 01 September 2018 – 30 December 2020 (Term extended to 31 December 2026) |
| As above | Ms Clare Nyama | BA Hons (Manchester Metropolitan University), Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (UNISA), Programme for Management Development certificate (GIBS), currently a registered Master of Business Leadership candidate at UNISA | Public Sector Cash Investments Head – FNB Business, Public Sector Banking | Term ends 31 December 2025 | |
| 5.(1)(a)(ii) | Members appointed by and from among the Executive Committee of Convocation (*one of whom must be the President of Convocation) | Ms Nomfundo Ngcobo | LLB, Law (Wits), PGDip, Advanced Company Law, (Wits), LLM, Commercial Law (Unisa), Development Economics (Stellenbosch), PGDip, Management (GIBS), MBA (GIBS). |
Trustee, Thandulwazi Maths and Science Academy-NPO, Current: Non-Executive Board Member and Chair of Social Ethics and Remuneration Committee for NIH (Pty) Ltd, Eyesizwe Mining Pty Ltd; Member of Wits Convocation, Council and Naming Committee; Nominated onto the General Counsel Power List 2025 South Africa; Previous Non-Executive Director: John Deere Pty Ltd, Emerald Life Pty Ltd, Protea Hotels Pty Ltd, Platinum Hospitality Holdings Pty Ltd, Workers Life Insurance and Assurance Pty Ltd, PGC Pty Ltd |
Ex-Officio of Convocation |
| As above | Ms Kgomotso Mufamadi | BA (Political Studies and Law) (Wits), LLB (Wits), LLM (Wits), Social Entrepreneurship (GIBS) | Former Head of Industrial & Employee Relations at BMW Group South Africa; Current President of the Wits University Convocation; An attorney of the High Court of South Africa and a qualified Commissioner with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA); Chief Executive of Lotus Labour Consulting | Term ends 31 July 2027 | |
| 5.(1)(a)(iii) | Premier’s Appointee | Associate Professor Mfanelo Ntsobi | PhD: Management of Technology and Innovation (Da Vinci Institute of Technology & Management), Master’s in Administration (UWC), Bachelor of Administration Honours, Bachelor of Military Science (Stellenbosch) | Chief Executive Officer of Sci-Bono Discovery Centre; Board Chairperson of the Gautrain Management Agency; Interim Board Chairperson of the Transport Authority of Gauteng; Chairs the Council of Ekurhuleni East TVET College | Term ends 31 December 2027 |
| 5.(1)(a)(iv) | Donor Electees | Mr James Teeger | BA: Commerce & Honours Accounting (Wits), Chartered Accountant (SA) | Chief Investment Officer of Stockdale Street Ltd. Joined E Oppenheimer & Son as Group Managing Director in May 2005. Former Non-Executive Director of De Beers. Previously worked at RMB, where he was a Management Board Member | Term ends 31 December 2027 |
| As above | Professor Michael Katz | BCom (Wits) LLB (Wits) LLM (HLS) LLD (honoris causa) Witwatersrand) | Chairperson: ENSafrica; Member of the Board of Governors (HUJ), Member of the King Committee on Corporate Governance, trustee of numerous trusts such as the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund | 1 November 2019 - 31 December 2026 | |
| 5.(1)(a)(v) | Council Electees | Mr Isaac Shongwe | BA Hons (Economics & Politics) (Wesleyan, USA, P.Phil (Oxford) | Founder and Chairman of Letsema Holdings; Former CEO of Barloworld Logistics Africa; Former Barloworld Limited Board Member; Rhodes Scholarship recipient | 1 June 2015 - 31 May 2017 1 June 2017 - 31 May 2019 - 31 December 2025 |
| As above | Ms Lusanda Kgakololo | Bachelor of Science Honours, Bachelor of Science (Microbiology with Distinction) | Strategist; Project Lead for multidisciplinary consulting teams; CXO and Board Advisor | 1 June 2021 - 31 December 2027 | |
| As above | Ms Tracey Rossini | BSc, Applied Maths, Information Technology (Wits), BA: Commerce, BCom: Quantitative Management & Industrial Psychology (UNISA), Systemic Team Coaching | Innovator; Turnaround Specialist; Business Growth Partner and Startup Creator as driver, executor, strategist, alchemist, and team coach | Term ends 31 December 2027 | |
| As above | Ms Hawa Bibi Khan | B. Accounting (UKZN), Hons. Commerce (UNISA), CA (KPMG), Private Equity and Alternative Investments, Property Dev (UCT), Cert. Fin Markets (UJ) | Entrepreneur; Ideator; Deal-maker; Transformative Disruptor; Value Creator; Coach | Term ends 31 December 2025 | |
| As above | Mr Arnold Basserabie | BSc (Maths, Math Stats) (Wits), ASSA (USA Society of Actuaries) and CFP (SA Financial Planning Institute) | Entrepreneur; Non-Executive Director of Kalon Venture Partners Ltd; Non-Executive Chairman of Afrika Tikkun, an NPC; Chairman of Caleo Collective group of companies; Chairman of the WITS Foundation Board of Governors; Non-Executive Director of the WITS Donald Gordon Medical Centre | Term ends 31 December 2025 | |
| As above | Mr Thinus Liebenberg | BCompt, BCompt Hons (UNISA), CA (SA) | FinCo Chair; Regional Director: CFO Center; Fractional CFO; M&A; Business Broker; Commercial Financing; CA (SA); Business Introducer | Term ends 31 December 2026 | |
| As above | Mr Terence Nombembe | BCom (UNITRA) B Compt Hons (UNISA); CA SA | Independent Non-Executive Director for Nedbank Group Limited, Sibanye Stillwater Limited, Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI), and World Wide Fund – South Africa; Sole Shareholder and Director of the Terence Nombembe Foundation (Pty) Ltd; Former Auditor-General of SA, and former Chairman of the Auditor-General Advisory Board; Former Chief Executive Officer of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants | Term ends 31 December 2026 | |
| 5.(1)(a)(vi) | Business & Labour Nominee | Mr Gavin Hartford | Bachelor of Social Science Hons in Industrial Sociology | An Industrial sociologist and Labour Relations and Stakeholder Strategy Specialist | Term ends 31 December 2026 |
| Internal Members | |||||
| 5.(1)(b)(i) | Vice-Chancellor and Principal | Professor Zeblon Vilakazi | BSc (Univ of Manchester), MSc (Wits), PhD (Wits) | Chair of Senate | Ex-Officio |
| 5.(1)(b)(iii) | Vice-Chancellor’s Appointee (SET) | Professor Ruksana Osman | BA, HDipEd, BEd, MEd, PhD | Vice-Principal | Ex-Officio |
| 5.(1)(b)(iv) | Senate Electees | Prof Mboyo-Di-Tamba Vangu | MD; Mmed; MSc; Cert exec MBA; PhD | Assistant Head of School: School of Clinical Medicine | Term ends 31 December 2025 |
| As above | Professor Mfaniseni Fana Sihlongonyane | BA PGCE, MSc (DP), PhD (OXFORD) | Professor of Development Planning and Urban Studies | Term ends 31 December 2026 | |
| As above | Professor Uma Kollamparambil | PhD in Economics (Jawaharlal Nehru University), M Phil Applied Economics (Jawaharlal Nehru University), MA Development Economics (Calicut University), BA Economics (Calicut University) | Professor in School of Economics | Term ends 31 December 2025 | |
| As above | Professor Nosipho Moloto | BSc, BScHons, MSc, PhD (Wits) | SARChi Chair: School of Chemistry | 01 January 2022 - 31 December 2026 | |
| 5.(1)(b)(v) | Deans’ Electee | Professor Jason Cohen | BComHons, PhD (Wits) | Full Professor of Information Systems; Dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management (CLM) | Term ends 31 December 2027 |
| 5.(1)(b)(vi) | Academic Staff Electee | Professor Joel Quirk | BA, BAHons, PhD (Australian National), GDipIR | Professor in the Department of Political Studies | Term ends 31 December 2027 |
| 5.(1)(b)(vii) | Non-Academic Employee Electee | Mr Tumishi Madihlaba | Diploma, BA Politics and Management (Wits), PG Dip in Public Management (Wits); PG Certificate: Labour Dispute Resolution Practice (Wits) | ICT Contracts Manager; Chairs the Board of Trustees for the University of the Witwatersrand Retirement Fund (UWRF) | 01 September 2017 - 31 August 2021 (Term extended to 31 December 2022) Re-elected - term ending 31 December 2025 |
| 5.(1)(b)(viii) | SRC Electee (SRC President) | Ms Nombulelo Chiya | Student | Student | Term ends 30 September 2025 |
| 5.(1)(b)(viii) | PGA Electee (PGA Chairperson) | Mr Mahloromela Silas Seabi | Student | Student | Term ends 28 February 2026 |