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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.

 ** Position on Council has become redundant through natural attrition.

Chair

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term                

Mr Isaac Shongwe

BA Hons (Economics & Politics) (Wesleyan, USA, P.Phil (Oxford)

Chair: Letsema Holdings

14 June 2017 – 13 June 2019 (Term extended to 31 December 2025)
Vice - Chair

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term
VACANT    
Vice-Chancellor and Principal

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term

Professor Zeblon Vilakazi

BSc (Manchester) MSc PhD (Witwatersrand) MASSAf, FAAS, FRS

Chair of Senate

 Ex-officio
Member of the Executive Management appointed by the Vice- Chancellor and Principal

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term

Professor Ruksana Osman

BA, HDipEd, BEd, MEd, PhD		 Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic Ex-officio

 

Secretary to Council

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term

2023

2024

Ms Carol Crosley
University Registrar BA (Witwatersrand) H Dip.Ed (Witwatersrand) Honours (Unisa) MEd (Witwatersrand)

University Registrar 

Ex-officio

Ms C Crosley
Members appointed by the Minister of Higher Education and Training

 

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term

2023

2024
Professor Glenda Gray
MBBCH, FCPaed(SA), DSc (honoris causa)		 President & CEO of the South African Medical Research Council. Research Professor of Pediatrics at the University of the Witwatersrand.  17 December 2019 - 31 December 2025 Professor Glenda Gray
Ms Nasima Badsha
M.Sc (Natal), Graduate Certificate in Education (Leeds), BSc (Hons) (London)		 Former Deputy Director General in Department of Education; former CEO Cape Higher Education Consortium  01 September 2018 – 30 December 2020 (Term extended to 31 December 2026) Ms N Badsha

Dr Mlungisi Cele
PhD, MPHIL, PG Dip, BA

 Acting CEO of the National Advisory Council of the Innovation (NACI). Previous positions: Director, Strategy and Planning, Deputy Director Policy and Research: Human Capital and Knowledge System    
Ms NC Nyama

BA (Hons) Business Studies / Bachelor of Business Science degree, Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration, Master of Business Leadership (currently pending)

Public Sector Cash Investments Head – FNB Business, Public Sector Banking

 31 December 2025  
Ms BY Damoyi

BSc in Statistics (UFS), PG Dip in Accounting (UCT), Bcomm Honours (UKZN), CA(SA), Strategic Leadership Programme (Gordon Institure of Business Science)

CFO – Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (SOC) Ltd; Previous Positions: Managing Director – Libana Consulting (Pty) Ltd; Chief Financial Officer – BAIC Automotive SA (Pty) Ltd; Chief Financial Officer – African Exploration Mining & Finance Corporation (SOC) Ltd; Manager Financial Reporting & Compliance – Eskom (SOC) Ltd

 31 December 2025  

 

 

Premier's Appointee

Incumbent

 Other positions / achievements 

Term

VACANT

Premier's Appointee

 

 

    

 

Members elected by the Executive of Convocation

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term
Ms N Ngcobo-Mthembu 

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; Other Positions: on-executive board member, Protea Hotels Proprietary Limited, Workers Life Group and PGC Holdings Proprietary Limited; hair of social ethics and remuneration committee, NIH (Pty) Ltd and John Deere (Pty) Limited; Current non-executive board member, Eyesizwe Mining, Platinum Hospitality Holdings, Emerald Life (Pty) Ltd and NIH (Pty) Ltd, John Deere (Pty) Limited; Wits Fundraising, #Wits100 and 2033 strategic plan contributor, current; Wits Convocation, Exco and Naming Committee Member, current; Wits Council, ex-officio, 2004; Wits SRC Member, Head of Education and readmissions portfolio 20003/2004

Ex-officio
Ms K Mufamadi

BA (Political Studies and Law) (Wits), 
LLB (Wits), LLM (Wits), Social Entrepreneurship (GIBS)

Head of Industrial and Employee Relations at BMW Group South Africa

31 July 2027 
Members appointed by the Premier of Gauteng

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term

Vacant

    
Members elected by Donors

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term
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: Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund

 1 November 2019 - 31 December 2026 

Vacant

   31 December 2025 
Members elected by Council

Incumbent

 Other positions / achievements 

Term

Mr Isaac Shongwe
BA Hons (Economics & Politics) (Wesleyan, USA, P.Phil (Oxford)

Chairman: Letsema Holdings

1 June 2015 - 31 May 2017 1 June 2017 - 31 May 2019 - 31 December 2025

Ms Lusanda Kgakololo
Bachelor of Science Honours, Bachelor of Science (Microbiology with Distinction)

Strategist

1 June 2021 - 31 December 2024

Mr G Serfontein

Chartered Director (SA): Professional 
designation for Non-Executive Directors 
of companies. Masters in Development 
Finance (MDEV), Diploma in Advanced 
Banking, Certificate in Money 
Laundering Control, Hons. B. Comm 
(Management Sciences), B. COMM 
(Management Accounting)

Entrepreneur

31 December 2024

Mr A Basserabie

BSc (Maths, Math Stats) from Wits University (SA);Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries (London); Fellow of the Institute of Life and Pension Advisors (SA; Wits GBS Executive Development Programme; Stanford University Senior Executive Programme

Entrepreneur; Other activities: Non-executive director of Kalon Venture Partners Ltd, a VC Company investing in
disruptive technologies, and Chair of its Audit Committee
• Non-executive chairman of Afrika Tikkun, an NPC (with a turnover in excess of
R200m) providing services to underprivileged communities in SA
• Chairman of Caleo Collective group of companies, operating in the local and offshore
financial services and investment fields
• Chairman of the WITS Foundation Board of Governors and past chairman of WITS
University’s Investment Committee
• Non-executive director of the WITS Donald Gordon Medical Centre

01 January 2022 - 31 December 2026

Ms Hawa Bibi Khan
BA: Accounting (UKZN), Hon: Commerce (UNISA)

Entrepreneur

01 January 2023 – 31 December 2025

 

 

Members appointed by business and labour organisations

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term

Mr Gavin Hartford
Bachelor of Social Science Hons in Industrial Sociology

 An industrial sociologist and labour relation and stakeholder strategy specialist 

31 December 2026
Members of Council (Internal)

Category

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term
Vice-Chancellor and Principal

Professor Zeblon Vilakazi
BSc (Univ of Manchester), MSc (Wits), PhD (Wits)

 Chair of Senate  Ex-officio 

Member of the Executive Management appointed by the Vice-Chancellor and Principal

 Professor Ruksana Osman
BA, HDipEd, BEd, MEd, PhD 		 Vice-Principal  Ex-officio 
Members elected by the Senate

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term

Professor M Vangu
MD; Mmed; MSc; Cert exec MBA; PhD

Assistant Head Of School, School of Clinical Medicine

31 December 2025

Professor S Ndlovu
PG Dip in Higher Education (Wits), PhD (University of London), Dip in Hydrimetallurgy (UK), BSc Engineering (Zimbabwe)

Professor & SARChI Chair: School of Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering 

31 December 2026

Professor Nosipho Moloto
BSc, BScHons, MSc, PhD (Wits)

 SARChi Chair: School of Chemistry 01 January 2022 – 31 December 2026

Professor U Kollamparambil
BA, MA, MPhil, PhD(JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY)

 Professor in School of Economics 01 January 2022 – 31 December 2026
Members elected by the Deans of Faculties

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term

Professor Shabir Madhi    
MB BCh, MMed, PhD(Wits), FCPaed(SA)

 Dean: Faculty of Health Science, Wits University

01 January 2023 – 31 December 2024
Members elected by the Academic Staff

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term

Dr Victor de Andrade
BA (Speech and Hearing Therapy), MA, PhD (Wits)

 School of Human and Community Development 

31 December 2024
Members elected by non Academic Staff

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term

Mr Tumishi Madihlaba
Diploma, BA Politics and Management (Wits), PG Dip in Public Management (Wits); PG Certificate: Labour Dispute Resolution Practice (Wits)

Contracts Manager (Wits University)

01 September 2017 - 31 August 2021 (Term extended to 31 December 2022) Re-elected – term ending 31 December 2025
SRC Electee (SRC President)

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term

Ms B Boniswa (Acting SRC President)

Student

31 December 2024
Postgraduate Association Chairperson

Incumbent

Other positions / achievements

Term

Mr O Mafrika
PGA Chairperson

Student

31 December 2024
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