Breaking Barriers Through Technology Webinar Series

Webinar Title: Propelling Change: A Decade of Impactful Change in Engineering Education

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Pitso ya Kalaneng 2026 Festival

Wits Theatre Complex flagship, Pitso Ya Kalaneng 2026 Festival, 3rd Edition, opens on Monday 02 February to Saturday 07 February 2026.

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The Poliomyelitis Research Foundation 19th James HS Gear Memorial Lecture

The lecture will be presented by Professor Thumbi Ndung’u, Director for Basic and Translational Science at the Africa Health Research Institute.

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Walkabout @ WAM 'Intersections: Bill Ainslie and the Johannesburg Art Foundation

This walkabout offers an opportunity to hear the curators in discussion. They will share insights, reflections, and fresh perspectives on the exhibition.

Walkabout will be led by curators Wilhelm van Rensburg, Senior Art Specialist and Head Curator at Strauss & Co, and Kagiso Pat Mautloa, artist and Johannesburg Art Foundation affiliate.

Parking for the walkabout is available in the garage beneath the museum. Please allow sufficient travel time as traffic is disrupted by roadworks on Jorissen Street and Bertha Street. 

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13th International Conference on Multilingual Education and Literacies

Theme Multilingual Futures and Literacies of Meaning: Reframing Education for Inclusion and Justice Overview.

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Arthur Bleksley Memorial Lecture

The Poetry of Light: JWST and the dawn after darkness.

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Mombelli's Chapter 7

Mombelli is one of South Africa’s most significant and restlessly creative musical voices.

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AMLD Conference

This is the biggest AI conferences on the continent where the African AI community will come together and share about the state-of-the-art.

Applied Machine Learning Days (AMLD) Africa 2026 is one of the leading pan-African conferences dedicated to Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and real-world impact.

Click here for more.

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Make-a-Book with the Jack Ginsberg Centre for Book Arts at WAM: Rotating Circular Book

The workshop will take place in the WAM Café / Gallery Forecourt area. 

Join this playful, hands-on workshop where you’ll create a 360° rotating circular book inspired by the natural world. Using hidden pivots, folding techniques, and collage, you’ll build a miniature spinning world— layering landscapes, plants, textures, and symbols to tell a story that moves. As the pages rotate, your book reveals an ever-changing ecosystem, inviting viewers to explore it from every angle.

All ages are welcome.

All materials will be supplied, but feel free to bring any collage material or images of your own if you’d like to include them in your book.

Parking for the workshop is available in the garage beneath the museum. Please allow sufficient travel time as traffic is disrupted by roadworks on Jorissen Street and Bertha Street.

Museum hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 to 16:00 JGCBA hours: Tuesday - Friday 10:00 to 16:00 For more information on the workshop please email 

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The Complete Runner: Train Smart, Fuel Right and Stay Injury-Free

The Physiotherapy Department will be hosting a Free Runner’s Workshop.

The workshop will be hosted by Dr Siyabonga Kunene, a sports physiotherapist, endurance athlete and running coach with extensive experience in musculoskeletal injury prevention and performance training.

This interactive session, themed “The Complete Runner: Train Smart, Fuel Right and Stay Injury-Free,” is designed to equip runners with practical, evidence‑informed strategies to improve performance while reducing injury risk. Participants will learn essential principles of injury prevention, smart and sustainable training methods for both speed and endurance, and the fundamentals of nutrition for both training and race day. The workshop will also include a Q&A segment, giving attendees an opportunity to engage directly with Dr Kunene on their specific running challenges.

The event is open to runners of all levels—from beginners to seasoned marathoners—and to anyone aspiring to run pain‑free and perform at their best.

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Crystal Dicks and the struggle for gender justice in South African higher education

This online event brings together both personal and political history.

The event has two main things:

1) commemorate the life and activism of Crystal Dicks, with a primary focus on her tenure as the Director of the Gender Equity Office (GEO) at Wits University, and

2) connect Crystal’s work to the larger and still ongoing struggle for gender justice in South African higher education. 

Crystal Dicks was at the forefront of political struggles in Southern Africa for decades, beginning as a youth activist and community organizer in Cape Town, then taking on the challenge of worker education and organizing informal workers, and more recently organising in solidarity with activists struggling for a free and democratic Eswatini. Throughout her life, Crystal was especially invested in issues of gender justice, and it was in this context that she took on the Directorship of GEO in 2017. 

This is where the personal and political come together. In this event, we also hope to draw from Crystal’s example and experiences to both reflect upon and contribute to larger struggle for gender justice in South African higher education today. Late last year Wits university students mobilised yet again. And it isn’t just Wits. Universities across South Africa face the same challenges. South Africans more broadly continue to experience exceptional levels of sexual violence, harassment and bullying, and many continue to follow in Crystal’s footsteps by mobilising to take action to advance gender justice and confront impunity.  

We welcome everyone who has been influenced and inspired by Crystal and who remains invested in the cause of gender justice in South African higher education to join us.

We are hosted under the FemIDEAS and the FemDialogue Conference 2026.

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Health Apps Project International Conference

There is no app for this! Regulating the Migration of Health Data in Africa.

The University of the Witwatersrand’s (Wits), School of Law in partnership with Warwick University’s Law School and the University of Nairobi’s business School have jointly organized this final Health Apps conference in Johannesburg to showcase the project’s major scientific outputs and explore with stakeholders how harmonization can be achieved across the subregion to improve regulations and guidelines for Health Apps. The project is funded by the Wellcome Trust. 

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From Water Security to Water Justice: Minding the gap between academic research and lived realities

Join Mandela Institute for a Seminar with Dr Pamela Katic.

The Mandela Institute are delighted to welcome Dr Pamela Giselle Katic, ecological economist and Associate Professor at the Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, for a special seminar titled: From Water Security to Water Justice: Minding the gap between academic research and lived realities. With over fifteen years of transdisciplinary experience in water economics, governance, justice, and sustainability, Dr Katic will share insights from her journey—from hydro‑economic modelling to approaches grounded in ecological thinking, justice, epistemic diversity, and intercultural collaboration.

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WAM Newwork25 exhibition walkabout

Join us on Saturday 07 February 2026 at 12:00 for the final walkabout of the Newwork25 exhibition.

Newwork25 is a year-long collaborative project culminating in a group exhibition. The project is made up of 56 young artists from the Wits School of Arts in their final year of a BA in Fine Art. The work celebrates the right to exist, to name, and to create from histories made tangible.

The participating artists arrive having worked, persisted, and grown, shaping their practices and communities along the way. To begin is intentional; to become is political and rooted in kinship; to belong is to claim space without compromise. The works on display echo this conversation and reverberate between the gallery walls, forming the language of the Newwork25 exhibition.

Come and see the culmination of a year’s worth of experimentation, reflection, and creative growth. The walkabout will be led by representatives from Newwork25. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear their reflections and gain fresh perspectives on the exhibition. Newwork25 is facilitated by Mbali Dhlamini and Siyanda Marrengane. Parking for the walkabout is available in the garage beneath the museum; please allow extra travel time due to extensive roadworks in the area.

Exhibition closes 14 February 2026 Museum hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 to 16:00 For more information on the show and museum please contact angelique.bougaard@wits.ac.za.

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Book launch

Join us tor the launch of a new book - Worker Cooperatives and Deep Democracy : Transformative Politics and Planetary Care from Below.

Worker Cooperatives and Deep Democracy : Transformative Politics and Planetary Care from Below is in many ways the authors Vishwas Satgar and Michelle Williams' manifesto - drawing on decades of scholarship, activism, and engagement with movements from the Global South.

It confronts the crises that ae defining our time: climate breakdown, inequality, and democratic erosion. It speaks not only to specialists but to thoughtful readers searching for credible and hopeful alternatives to a failing status quo. Retired trade unionist, Dinga Sikwebu will be in conversation with the authors.

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Gender dimensions of unhealthy food and drink advertisements that appeal to South African teenagers

Join the Wits School of Public Health seminar.

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Grammy-nominated Cuban American Vocalist at Wits

Melvis Santa an Afro-Cuban jazz vocalist, pianist, percussionist and Grammy nominated artist will be at Wits.

Hosted by the Department of Music, Santa will participate in two events. 

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Feeling the Love this Valentines Day: Creative Crafting

Join the casual and creative crafting activities focused on beads and beading.

Join the casual and creative crafting activities focused on beads and beading, while surrounded by the beautiful Origins Centre Tapestries. All ages welcome – there will be a variety of activities, materials, crafting tables and inspiration!

Tickets include all materials, light refreshments and full museum access: R120 per person (webtickets or at the door). Group special: Buy 3 get 1 free.

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Exhibition Opening!

Echoes of the Machine: A Cybernetic Song by Renzo Filinich

This exhibition creates a volatile aviary of signals: not birds in flight, but a flocking logic made audible and visible through machine, wire, light and sound.

The artist folds inner sensation and environment into one continuous field creating a deliberately engineered ecology: a self-organising network of artificial neurons that “respond, mutate, and adapt” to one another and to the interruptions of viewers.

In collaboration with the Wits School of Mechanical and Information Engineering. Renzo Filinich is a Peruvian-Chilean media artist and Origins centre post-doc.

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Fractured Focus – Connection and Distraction

Fractured Focus – Connection and Distraction: Mental wellness session with Dr Kirti Ranchod

Join an interactive session with neurologist and brain health specialist Dr Kirti Ranchod.

This session looks at how technology is shaping how we think, focus, and connect. Tickets: R40/R70 (webtickets or at the door). Buy tickets for all 3 sessions in this Mastering Focus: Mental Wellness Series and get 25% discounted entry!

Taking place on 21 February, 14 March and 25 April. Attend all, some, or just one. Each is a complete and independent session.

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Artist walkabout

Artist walkabout: Imagine Visionary Animals with Erla Haraldsdöttir

Join Icelandic artist, Erla Haraldsdöttir, for a walkabout of her photorealist and site-responsive exhibition at Origins.

Tickets: R40 (webtickets or at the door).

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Origins Centre Student Special

We welcome all students to come and get the full Origins experience for just R20!

We welcome all students to come and get the full Origins experience for just R20! Monday-Saturday, 18 January - 28 February. Bring your student card to claim your discounted entry (does not include special events).

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Grond Stories Workshop Experience

Join us for visual art, poetry, connection, calm and qigong.

Let's take a journey through the creative process to experience what stories emerge! Take time to listen to the grond (earth) envisioning its creative potential for our process.

From there, we move inside the museum to ground our minds and bodies through gentle Qigong exercises. You will then begin a group drawing exercise, followed by sculptural explorations using organic materials. After a reflection of what has been created, we go back outside to install our creations in the museum garden, ending our story for the day.

All materials will be provided; Light refreshments will be served.

R250 per person;  R300 at the door.

Tickets: whatsapp 076 196 8080 or  email sam.fortuin05052gmail.com

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Mitigation and Obligations to Cut Emissions Masterclass

The Mandela Institute invites you to Masterclass 2 in our International Courts and Africa: Navigating Global Climate Jurisprudence series.

Mitigation is no longer aspirational - it is a binding legal duty. The second masterclass in the Mandela Institute’s four-part International Courts and Africa series explores how international and regional courts are enforcing legal obligations to cut emissions — and what this means for Africa.

Drawing on landmark decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), the Inter American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the session distils global climate jurisprudence into clear, Africa-focused legal insights. Key themes: - State duties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions - Rights-based mitigation obligations and due diligence - Emissions as marine pollution under international law - Implications for South Africa’s coal reliance, NDCs and fossil fuel licensing Presenter: Zunaida Moosa Wadiwala, African Climate Law Lead at Mandela Institute, School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand. Her research centres on climate law, litigation and governance.

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Free family make and create session at Wits Art Museum (WAM)

Bring the whole family to WAM for a free family make and create session around the current JAF exhibition.

Join experienced WAM docents Pam and Elona as they guide you through the exhibition 'Bill Ainslie and the Johannesburg Art Foundation'. Together, you’ll create stencils and experiment with them to explore the space between naturalism and abstract art. Choose your own approach, create your own stencils or use existing ones, play with shapes, patterns and layers to see what emerges. This hands-on workshop is perfect for kids, teens, and families.

No experience needed, just your imagination. The workshop will take place in the WAM Café / Gallery Forecourt area.

All materials are provided. No booking is required and entrance is free.

Free parking for the walkabout is available in the garage beneath the museum; please allow extra travel time due to extensive roadworks in the area. 

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Research Ethics (non-medical)

An informative online session for students, supervisors and researchers designed to help you successfully complete applications for research ethics approval.

This online session is hosted by Dr Nechama Brodie, co-chair of the Human Research Ethics Committee (non-medical), and is open to all Wits students, supervisors, and researchers (including post-docs and staff members). The session will go through the ethics application form – explaining how to correctly complete each section, and what supporting documentation is required, including updated information about approved ethics training certification, permission letters, and other documents.

A short Q&A session will also be hosted, allowing you to ask any questions you have about your specific application/s. Please note that attending this session does not constitute 'ethics training' which is still required for research ethics applications. 

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Anticipatory obedience and Ruptures of resistance: Academic (un)freedom in the US

The talk will review the long history of academic censorship in the U.S.

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MIND Seminar: Learning with photons and quantum machines

The MIND Institute hosts Dr Isaac Nape.

The MIND Institute hosts Dr Isaac Nape (Physics, Wits) discussing how quantum systems can perform machine learning tasks, what it means for a quantum machine to “learn” and using photons and matter to tackle real-world machine learning challenges.

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MineLives symposium: water, energy and food impacts of mining landscapes

Closing symposium for MineLives project (Wits/TU Delft/UniVen).

As the concluding event for the NRF/NWO funded research project, MineLives, this symposium brings together researchers and community workers involved in the Vhembe District of Limpopo and neighbouring areas.

It explores conflicts and symbioses between the past, present and proposed mining in the region, the Just Transition and bio-economy strategies, and indigenous knowledge. Keynotes by Kennedy Manduna (Rosa Luxembourg scholar), Mphatheleni Makaulule (Dzomo la Mupo), and Michael Solomon (UCT). Registration is essential.

Transport to Thohoyandou is not provided. 

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Film screening of the play: Forgotten Voices (about Eva Moorhead Kadalie)

Film screening of the play: Forgotten Voices - Inspired by the life of Eva Moorhead Kadalie followed by a discussion with playwright David Moorhead.

The History Workshop is hosting a screening of the play Forgotten Voices (inspired by the life of Eva Moorhead Kadalie) followed by a Q&A with the playwright David Moorhead About the play: Forgotten Voices is a one woman show based on the remarkable true story of Eva Moorhead Kadalie. Alongside her husband, Clements Kadalie (the first national black trade union leader of South Africa) Eva fought against racism from the 1920s to 1950s.

They paved the way for Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress. The play focuses on Eva's challenges, joys and, ultimately, her sacrifices. History has forgotten Eva as is often the fate of women, especially of colour. Shareesa Valentine gives an electric tour de force performance as Eva. Forgotten Voices is written by David Moorhead (Eva's grandson) and directed by Margaret Connell.

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Urban Latitudes Webinar Series (Storytelling & Community)

This webinar series brings together UK and Gauteng researchers to explore urban data, storytelling, heritage, and collaborative research across cities.

The TOWN Observatory launched in 2025 at Loughborough University, in partnership with Charnwood Borough Council in the United Kingdom. It is part of Healthy and Innovative Loughborough project, supported by the UK Government funded Loughborough Town Deal (2023–2026), aimed at creating jobs, supporting new businesses, and making local people healthier. click here for more information

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TechWomen@Wits

Connecting Global Women Leaders in Technology and Innovation.

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Memorial Service of Professor Deepak Kar

Professor Deena Naidoo cordially invites colleagues, students, alumni, friends, and family to attend a memorial service in honor of Professor Deepak Kar

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Walkabout at the Jack Ginsberg Centre for Book Arts

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear her insights and fresh perspectives at the last walkabout before the exhibition closes on 27 February 2026.

Direction to JGCBA: JGCBA is located inside Wits Art Museum in the Es’kia Mphahlele Building on the corner of Jorissen and Bertha Streets in Braamfontein.

Access is through the WAM Admin door. From the foyer, go behind the security desk and take the stairs up one floor, then walk along the mezzanine level above the WAM Café.

Just before the glass turnstiles, the entrance door to JGCBA will be on your left Free parking for the walkabout is available in the garage beneath the museum; please allow extra travel time due to extensive roadworks in the area. 

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Varsity Shield 2026

Join us as we rally behind the Blues as they kick off their first home game of the Varsity Shield campaign on home turf.

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Panel Discussion Reflecting on the 2026 Budget Speech

Assessing the Credibility of South African Fiscal Policy a Year After the GNU’s First Budget Speech.

This panel discussion will unpack the 2026 Budget Speech, analysing whether government’s fiscal strategy restores confidence in South Africa’s public finances. Experts will explore debt stabilisation, revenue performance, spending priorities, and the broader economic outlook.

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Injury: A Political Concept

A talk by Vivienne Jabri, Professor of International Politics, King’s College London, on her project Mapping Injury.

Vivienne Jabri, Professor of International Politics, King’s College London. For more information see: https://www.mappinginjury.org/ .

The concept, ‘injury’, is conventionally associated with war, but can have wider resonance, suggestive of scars and fractures carried across generations and manifest symbolically and materially across embodied and lived spaces, cultures and institutions, both domestic and international. This visiting seminar places the lens on injury as a political concept and considers its implications in rethinking the terms of global justice. There is no need to register your attendance. Light food and drinks will be served.

This seminar forms part of the ‘everything everywhere all at once project”, which is run by the School of Social Sciences. This project seeks to provide postgraduate students with guidance and instruction on multiple fronts (everything all at once).

This project has been running since 2023, and includes:

1) instruction on publications and presentations,

2) instruction on research methods and ethics,

3) guidance regarding Wits procedures and milestones associated with developing and submitting research dissertations,

4) a public lecture series that features both invited guests and Wits postgraduate students. This particular series is organised in conjunction with the Humanities Graduate Center. 

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Book launch –Technological Disruptions in Legal Education and Practice

Join the book launch of Technological Disruption in Legal Education and Practice.

Law schools and faculties are grappling with how to incorporate technology into their curriculum development, and practitioners are confronting unprecedented doctrinal questions raised by AI and digitalisation. Technological Disruption in Legal Education and Practice is a collection of contributions by 13 authors from the Wits School of Law and edited by Carika Keulder that addresses the impact of new digital technologies on the way that law is taught and practiced.

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Birthing survey report launch

The Extent and Nature of Obstetric Violence in South Africa.

For years women have shared their stories of disrespect, neglect and mistreatment in maternity wards in South Africa. Until now we've not been able to quantify just how many women have been affected by obstetric violence and how it has impacted their journey into motherhood.

If we want to improve maternal and child health outcomes, we need to care about how women experience the healthcare system. In 2025 Embrace commissioned the first prevalence survey of women’s birth experiences in Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu Natal.

We invite you to join us as we officially share the findings and engage in critical conversation on how, together, we move from policy to implementation.

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Career arduousness and [healthy] life expectancy in Europe

Join us for a Brown Bag Lunch Seminar presented by Prof. Vincent Vandenberghe from the Economics School of Louvain at UCLouvain in Belgium.

The primary policy response to population ageing has been to raise the statutory retirement age. This has reignited fierce debates over whether retirement ages should vary to reflect differences in the arduousness of work across careers. In this research, we empirically assess both the relevance and the feasibility of such differentiation using European microdata.

We construct a measure of career arduousness by combining four-digit ISCO occupational histories from SHARE Wave 7 with working-conditions data from the U.S. O*NET database, thereby creating an occupation-based index of physical job demands over the life course. Using SHARE follow-up data on health deterioration and mortality, we estimate life expectancy and healthy life expectancy by decile of career arduousness, integrating econometrics with life-table methods.

We find a Europe-wide life expectancy gap of approximately 4 to 4.2 years between the least and most arduous career deciles, while differences in healthy life expectancy are substantially larger, ranging from 6.9 to 9.1 years. We conclude by discussing the implications for retirement policy, the feasibility of arduousness-based retirement age differentiation, and alternative policy options.

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Strategically Free: Platform Competition and Pre-Commitment (joint with Eric Toulemonde, UNamur)

Join us for a Brown Bag Lunch Seminar presented by Prof. Paul Belleflamme from the Economics School of Louvain at UCLouvain in Belgium.

This paper examines competition between two-sided platforms that strategically commit to offering free access to one side of the market. Contrary to standard wisdom, commitment may target the group with weaker cross-side network effects.

This move, when adopted by competitors, relaxes price competition on the paying side, potentially raising platform profits. We derive equilibrium strategies and conditions under which commitment emerges, connecting our findings to the broader literature on platform pricing and market structure.

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The Economic Challenges of Ageing and the Ways to Address Them

Join us for a Postgrad Seminar presented by Prof. Vincent Vandenberghe from the Economics School of Louvain at UCLouvain in Belgium.

The rise in life expectancy is arguably the most remarkable by-product of modern economic growth and scientific progress. Over the past 200 years, advanced economies have gained roughly 2.4 years of life expectancy per decade. Together with sharply declining fertility rates, this has led to pronounced population ageing.

The central concern is the shrinking share of working-age individuals in the population. Since labour remains a fundamental factor of production — including in operating machines and digital systems — a simple approximation suggests that slower growth of the working-age population will weigh on economic output. This reasoning underpins pessimistic projections for living standards in rapidly ageing countries such as Japan, Italy or Germany. Yet this perspective often conflates demography with economics, implicitly assuming a fixed labour supply and unchanged institutions. In reality, societies adjust. Retirement ages can be indexed to healthy life expectancy, entry into the labour market can be accelerated, participation rates can increase, and productivity growth — enhanced by advances such as AI — can help offset demographic headwinds. Population ageing presents real challenges, but its economic consequences depend on policy choices and productivity dynamics, not on demography alone.

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Applying Conversation Analysis in Health and Social Care

We will use the methods of conversation analysis (CA) to examine real-life interactions in different health and social care settings.

We will explore how applied CA can be used to develop interventions that address everyday problems arising in talk between professionals and patients/clients. Practical data sessions utilising naturally occurring data will be run throughout the workshop, providing opportunities for participants to identify key interactional practices, develop their analytical skills, and to consider how CA may be utilised within their own areas of clinical and/or academic interest.

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Workshop: Applying Conversation Analysis in Health and Social Care

In this 2-day workshop we will use the methods of conversation analysis (CA) to examine real-life interactions in different health and social care settings.

We will explore how applied CA can be used to develop interventions that address everyday problems arising in talk between professionals and patients/clients. Practical data sessions utilising naturally occurring data will be run throughout the workshop, providing opportunities for participants to identify key interactional practices, develop their analytical skills, and to consider how CA may be utilised within their own areas of clinical and/or academic interest. 

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Johann van der Schijff: Destiny_02

The exhibition asks the viewer to see the Earth anew, to experience a moment similar to when the photograph Earthrise was taken.

The exhibition asks the viewer to see the Earth anew, to experience a moment similar to when the photograph Earthrise was taken or astronauts first stepped onto the surface of the Moon. It offers a glimpse of landscapes that, at a fleeting moment in history, were still largely unspoiled.

At the same time, it functions as a hand-crafted distress signal – a plea to future generations and possible extraterrestrial beings to heed the urgent call of the environmental movement before it is too late. It is both a gift and a warning, delivered in the hope that these magnificent places can be preserved forever. Free parking for the exhibition is available in the garage beneath the museum; please allow extra travel time due to extensive roadworks in the area.

Artist led walkabout: Saturday 07 March 2026, 12:00 Museum hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 – 16:00 Entrance is free and all are welcome Exhibition dates: 03 March 2026 – 09 May 2026 

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Walkabout @ WAM: 'Intersections: Bill Ainslie and the Johannesburg Art Foundation'

Join the walkabout of Intersections: Bill Ainslie and the Johannesburg Art Foundation

Join the walkabout of Intersections: Bill Ainslie and the Johannesburg Art Foundation led by curators Wilhelm van Rensburg, Senior Art Specialist and Head Curator at Strauss & Co, and Kagiso Pat Mautloa, artist and Johannesburg Art Foundation affiliate.

This walkabout invites you into a dynamic conversation with the curators as they reflect on the exhibition, share behind the scenes insights, and expand on the ideas shaping their thinking.

Parking for the walkabout is available in the garage beneath the museum. Please allow sufficient travel time as traffic is disrupted by roadworks on Jorissen Street and Bertha Street. Logistical support for the exhibition generously provided by Strauss & Co. Exhibition closes on 20 March 2026

Museum hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 – 16:00 Entrance is free and all are welcome. 

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"Sustainable & flexible GMP manufacturing capability in an academic environment"

Prof Sandy (Alexander) Douglas

Sandy trained clinically as a pharmaceutical physician. He leads a research group at the University of Oxford with interests in pre-clinical & early clinical development of novel vaccines, including against rabies & Epstein Barr virus, and in vaccine manufacturing. The seminar will discuss challenges and successes
in sustaining these capabilities in an academic environment, drawing on examples including the University's COVID vaccine programme.

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Pro VC Seminar Series - Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) and Inclusive Wealth

There is widespread recognition of the need to move beyond GDP and growth in GDP as a measure of progress.

While GDP summarises a vast amount of economic information in a single monetary metric making it easy to understand trends in the economy, GDP fails to measure many of the (non-market) contributions of nature to economic activity and human well-being. Here we develop a measure of Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) to calculate the value of nature’s contribution to people (ecosystem goods and services) and discuss the related measure of inclusive wealth as a relevant measure of sustainable development. We use extensive biophysical and economic data to calculate the quantity and price of thirty-five ecosystem services in 250 countries and territories using globally available data and standardised methods. We discuss data and methodological challenges in calculating GEP and inclusive wealth and opportunities to improve such calculations.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Stephen Polasky is a Regents Professor and the Fesler-Lampert Professor of Ecological/Environmental Economics at the University of Minnesota. His research interests focus on the intersection of ecology and economics and include the impacts of land use and land management on the provision and value of ecosystem services and natural capital, biodiversity conservation, and sustainability. He is a co-founder of the Natural Capital Alliance whose mission is to incorporate the value of nature into public and private decision-making. He served as co-chair of the Business and Biodiversity Assessment for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). He served as Senior Staff Economist for environment and resources for the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. He was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 2010. He received a PhD in economics from the University of Michigan in 1986. 

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Postgrad Professional Development: Putting together your postgraduate research proposal

An introduction to putting together postgraduate student proposals in the Humanities and Social Sciences, for circulation to postgraduate students.

Putting together your postgraduate research proposal Prof Joel Quirk, Wits Politics This seminar provides practical guidance and suggestions regarding how to put together a successful postgraduate research proposal. The seminar is targeted at students at all postgraduate levels – Hons, MA, PH.D – since the core components of a research proposal are pretty similar for every postgraduate level. This is primarily for Humanities students and adjacent fields.

In preparation for the seminar participants are asked to review the following documents:

1. Putting together your postgraduate research proposal (guidance template)
2. Humanities Proposal Submission form (2023) And if you have time please also look through the following: Thomas S. Mullaney and Christopher Rea, Where Research Begins: Choosing a Research Project That Matters to You (and the World), (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2022), pp. 19-42.  Wayne Booth, Gregory Colomb, and Joseph Williams, The Craft of Research, (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2008), pp. 35-50.  Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing (New York: W. W. Norton, 2021), index of templates regarding how to construct arguments. Nelson Maldonado-Torres, “Outline of Ten Theses on Coloniality and Decoloniality,” Frantz Fanon Foundation, 2016, http://caribbeanstudiesassociation.org/docs/ Maldonado-Torres_Outline_Ten_Theses-10.23.16.pdf. All of these materials can be accessed here: https://lnkd.in/dFphivEz

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Book talk: When Companies Rule: Corporate Power from the East India Company to Silicon Valley

When Companies Rule: Corporate Power from the East India Company to Silicon Valley (book talk – book forthcoming, Columbia University Press, 2026).

When Companies Rule: Corporate Power from the East India Company to Silicon Valley (book talk – book forthcoming, Columbia University Press, 2026) Dr Maha Rafi Atal, University of Glasgow The political power of corporations today is often theorized as a product of state weakness. Neoliberalism has rolled back regulatory capacity, while globalization has unleashed corporations into a transnational realm where no one state has jurisdiction. Corporations govern, so the story runs, in the gaps these changes create, shaping society to serve profit-seeking interests. This story, however, is a flawed one in two respects. First, corporate political power today is as much an ideological as a functional project, shaped by the moral vision that corporate actors have of an ideal society, a vision that is both richer and more idiosyncratic than mere neoliberalism would suggest. Moreover, people subject to corporate political control—whether in industrial enclaves or on the futuristic campuses of digital platforms—respond to it in ideological as well as material terms. Second, the “governance gap” account of corporate power overstates the novelty of contemporary private governance, and underplays the historical continuity of corporations’ status as public and political actors who long predate the modern state. As a result, efforts to curtail corporate power focus on reasserting the public regulatory authority of individual nation-states and restoring corporations to a private, economic realm. In fact, this lecture will argue, a more normative and historicized account of corporate power points to prospects for holding it accountable as a public authority at a transnational level.

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Precarity, Love, and Doomsday Militarism: Evangelical activism with the police in Brazil

Precarity, Love, and Doomsday Militarism: Evangelical activism with the police in Brazil, by Dr Rodrigo Campos, King's College London.

Title: Precarity, Love, and Doomsday Militarism: Evangelical activism with the police in Brazil. Dr Rodrigo Campos King's College London, co-hosted with WiCDS

Abstract: Evangelicals have an urgent message: the end of times is nearing, and you better be prepared for it. In violence-torn Brazil, precarious police officers are hearing - and increasingly accepting - the message: "More important than being a pacifier is to be pacified by the redemptive work of Jesus in the Cross". This presentation will explore the impact of Evangelical activism with the police forces and its relationship to far-right politics in Brazil and beyond. Bio: Rodrigo Campos is lecturer at the Department of International Development, King's College London. His work sits at the intersection between religion, security, and far-right politics, with a specific focus on the global dimensions of Evangelical activism within police and military institutions. Rodrigo concluded his PhD in Politics at the University of York and his thesis, The New Christian Militarism, is currently being prepared for publication with Manchester University Press. He has extensive ethnographic experience in Brazil, Western Sahara, Egypt and England. He is co-author of the book No Way to Gaza (MEMO, 2021) and directed the documentary "A Thread of Hope: Independence or War in Western Sahara". 

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Book Talk: The Colour of Inequality in South Africa and Brazil

Book Talk: The Colour of Inequality in South Africa and Brazil: Making Sense of Social Policy as Reparations, By Dr Madalitso Zililo Phiri.

Book Talk: The Colour of Inequality in South Africa and Brazil: Making Sense of Social Policy as Reparations, Dr Madalitso Zililo Phiri. Abstract: South Africa’s and Brazil’s social policies attempt to address the residues of institutional poverty, inequality, and unemployment. South Africa remains deeply unequal and polarized despite government commitments to undo centuries of social stratification resulting from colonial legacies and post-apartheid policy constraints. On the other hand, under the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT)—Workers’ Party, led government Brazil’s social assistance programmes like the Bolsa Familia was viewed as a model to reduce inequality to be emulated across most countries in the Global South. I answer the following questions: First, can social policy resolve the residuals and contradictions of transhistorical inequalities that have become systemic features of these aspirant democracies that aim to forge a new social contract under the epoch of a hierarchical racialised neoliberal capitalism? Second, what theoretical tools have those racialised as black deployed to imagine social policy as reparations? This book departs from the theoretical prism of studying welfare through the Eurocentric of the Welfare Regime Approach, rather proposes the view of thinking about social policy as reparations. Drawing from 90 in-depth interviewees I challenge hagiographic representations of social policies by centering the Black Radical Tradition and theorizing with my interlocutors, the beneficiaries of these countries’ social welfare regimes. I conclude that the commodification of social provisioning fails to challenge institutional legacies of anti-black racism which are foundational to citizenship in both South Africa and Brazil. The two countries offer a compelling comparison through shared histories of colonial domination, slavery, and anti-black racism. Thinking about social policy as reparations provides potent articulations of inaugurating a post-imperial world order.

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Varsity Shield 2026: FNB WITS VS FNB CPUT

Join us as we rally behind the Blues as they kick off their first home game of the Varsity Shield campaign on home turf.

All smiles for the Blues as they stay unbeaten after three matches in the Varsity Shield campaign, beating FNB UKZN last week Friday with the final score: Final Score: FNB UKZN 3 – 55 FNB Wits.

The Witsies return to home turf on Friday to take on FNB CPUT, let’s rally behind them in full force!

Unlock the full rugby experience and join the Wits Rugby Afterparty on Friday, 6 March 2026, featuring live performances by Eeque, DJ Sixby9ine, DJ Soulphobic, and DJ Debryan.

Match Details:

• Kick-off: 17:00
• Gates open: 15:00
• Afterparty Starts: 19:00 – 00:00
• Varsity Shield Tickets: R30 each via WebTickets
• Combo Ticket (Varsity Shield & Afterparty): R100 each via WebTickets
• Supporters T-shirts: R80 (available at the gate on match day)

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Facing the Heat in South Africa Photography Exhibition and Book Launch

Exhibition from 4 March to 6 May 2026

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Human Rights Day Debate

The debate explores the complex relationship between justice and human rights in South Africa

Wits University invites staff, students and the public to participate in a powerful Human Rights Day Debate and Discussion exploring the complex relationship between justice and human rights in South Africa.

Taking place on 21 March 2026 at the Apartheid Museum, the event commemorates Human Rights Day and reflects on the legacy of the Sharpeville Massacre of 1960, a defining moment in South Africa’s struggle for freedom and equality.

The debate will centre on the thought-provoking question: “When justice and human rights collide, what matters most?”

The programme will feature a live schools debate on the motion: “The pursuit of truth often undermines justice.”

The debate will be followed by reflections and responses from leading constitutional and academic voices, encouraging a rich and engaging intergenerational dialogue on justice, accountability and historical memory.

Featured Speakers

• Justice Steven Majiedt, Justice of the Constitutional Court

• Adv Dinkie Portia Dube, Deputy Public Protector of South Africa

• Dr Tshepo Moloi, Head of Historical Studies, University of Johannesburg

The event is hosted in partnership with the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill and the Lighting The Future Foundation, bringing together educators, scholars, learners and the public to engage with the ongoing meaning of human rights in democratic South Africa.

Through debate, discussion and reflection, participants will explore how history continues to shape contemporary understandings of justice, truth and reconciliation.

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Intersections: Bill Ainslee and the Johannesburg Art Foundation

Join the last walkabout of Intersections: Bill Ainslie and the Johannesburg Art Foundation before it closes on 20 March 2026.

Guest curators Wilhelm van Rensburg, Senior Art Specialist and Head Curator at Strauss & Co, and Kagiso Pat Mautloa, artist and Johannesburg Art Foundation affiliate will reflect on the exhibition, share behind-the-scenes insights, and expand on the ideas that shaped the project. Don't miss this final opportunity to engage with the curators as we bid a sad farewell to this wonderful exhibition! Parking for the walkabout is available in the garage beneath the museum. Please allow sufficient travel time as traffic is disrupted by roadworks on Jorissen Street and Bertha Street. Logistical support for the exhibition generously provided by Strauss & Co. 

For more information on the show and museum please email julia.charlton@wits.ac.za

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Webinar | Grooming Minors through Gambling-Like Gaming Practice

The Mandela Institute hosts Prof van Eck on a webinar on how gaming may groom minors into gambling-like behaviour and the legal protections in South Africa.

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Back to the Future: “English” relearning its ABCs

English Academy of Southern Africa in partnership with the Wits School of Education invites you to the 2026 English Academy Percy Baneshik Memorial Lecture.

This talk will begin with some reflections on “English” – as an academic subject, as a scholarly field and as a spur to creative practice – along with the language of English (or Englishes) in multilingual contexts and in the age of Large Language Models. Professor Thurman will place these reflections in dialogue with aspects of Percy Baneshik’s career, especially his work as an arts critic and as a radio broadcaster. The lecture will conclude by taking a – hopefully unpredictable – South African Shakespearean turn.

Guest speaker: Professor Chris Thurman (Department of English, School of Literature, Language and Media, Wits University).

The event includes the presentation of the English Academy Gold Medal Award to Professor Mbongeni Malaba (University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg Campus) for his outstanding service to English over a lifetime. 

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Varsity Shield 2026: FNB WITS VS FNB SPU

Join us as we rally behind the Blues as they kick off their first home game of the Varsity Shield campaign on home turf.

FNB Wits delivered another impressive performance in front of their home crowd, making a strong start against FNB CPUT and securing a commanding 66–22 victory.

The team will host their final home game of the round robin on 20 March 2026 at 19:00, where they will face FNB SPU.

We extend our gratitude to the Wits community for their continued support and look forward to seeing fans at our next home fixture.

• Kick-off: 19:00
• Gates open: 17:00

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World Social Work Day Celebration 2026

The Wits Department of Social Work cordially invite the Wits community to the World Social Work Day celebration.

The theme for this year, ‘Co-Building Hope and Harmony: A Harambee Call to Unite a Divided Society’, highlights the vital role of social work in bringing people together across communities, cultures, and systems to shape a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow.

The programme brings together student activities, a keynote address by esteemed social work academics, and the awarding of certificates to outstanding social work students.

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Exclusionary Cohesion? Rethinking the Nexus between Social Cohesion and Xenophobic Violence in South

ACMS senior researcher and co-director Dr Jean Pierre Misago examines the relationship between social cohesion and xenophobic violence in SA.

This article examines the relationship between social cohesion and xenophobic violence in South Africa. It challenges the conventional wisdom that social cohesion is inherently a panacea for violence by demonstrating that, under certain conditions, social cohesion, enacted through collective efficacy, drives xenophobic violence rather than preventing it. It argues that intersections between migration-induced diversity, severe socio-economic deprivation, and local governance deficits transform pervasive bonding cohesion into “exclusionary cohesion,” under which, aspects of social cohesion become drivers of xenophobic violence. It makes a three-fold scholarly contribution: i) it introduces the concepts of “exclusionary cohesion” and “deprivation-induced cohesion” (an extension of Weber’s ‘social closure’) that capture the essence of aspects of social cohesion making it a driver of xenophobic violence; ii) it provides empirical evidence that supports calls to reconceptualise social cohesion as its conventional understandings become increasingly anachronistic; and iii) it extends the debate on the social cohesion – violence nexus by beginning to identify factors linking specific forms of cohesion to specific forms of violence.

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Harvard Health Systems Innovation Lab Hackathon

The theme of the Hackathon is Building High-Value Health Systems: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence.

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Ethics Alive Symposium 2026

Building a policy consensus on universal health coverage in South Africa.

The Wits School of Governance (WSG) and the Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics invite you to broader policy conversation on the future direction of universal health coverage reform in South Africa. South Africa’s health system faces deep structural challenges. Persistent governance failures, uneven access to services, and stalled reform processes have undermined progress towards universal health coverage. At the same time, the National Health Insurance framework which has been the dominant policy proposal, has little chance of implementation while critical reforms across the health system remain delayed. Adjunct Professor Alex van den Heever (WSG) will present an overview of the structural weaknesses in South Africa’s health system and the reforms required to address them and in this facilitated policy discussion, Mark Heywood will guide a structured conversation with participants on the policy issues raised in the presentation. 

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Public Lecture: Professor Kamalesh Newaj

Irregular migrant Workers in South Africa: Navigating Legal Status, labour rights and regional perspectives.

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Staff Sport Tournament

A staff wellness tournament hosted by the Wits Staff Sport Club and the Johannesburg North District Employee Health and Wellness Unit.

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Meeting of the MINDS with Professor Yurii Vlasov

Seminar titled Integration of Engineering, Machine Learning, and Neurobiology to study the brain.

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'Johann van der Schijff: Destiny_02' Exhibition at WAM

Don't miss the chance to see this engaging exhibition running at WAM from 03 March - 09 May 2026.

The exhibition asks the viewer to see the Earth anew, to experience a moment similar to when the photograph Earthrise was taken or astronauts first stepped onto the surface of the Moon. It offers a glimpse of landscapes that, at a fleeting moment in history, were still largely unspoiled. At the same time, it functions as a hand-crafted distress signal – a plea to future generations and possible extraterrestrial beings to heed the urgent call of the environmental movement before it is too late. It is both a gift and a warning, delivered in the hope that these magnificent places can be preserved forever.

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Free Family Make-and-Create meets Make-a-Book

Bring the whole family to the Wits Art Museum for a time to create imaginative folded landscape collages.

Bring the whole family for a morning of creating imaginative folded landscape collages in a special crossover between our Free Family Make-and-Create and Make-a-Book workshop.

Inspired by Johann van der Schijff's exhibition Destiny_02, this workshop invites us to see the Earth anew. Join JGCBA librarian Ciara and experienced WAM docents Pam and Elona as they walk you through the exhibition.

Together they will guide you in designing your own interactive folded artwork which reveals multiple landscapes that open up a hidden world in between. Using drawing, collage, and cut-out elements, you will create your own composition, a celebration of the beauty of our planet and a gentle reminder to care for it. We hope each artwork becomes both a gift and a message

This hands-on workshop is perfect for kids, teens, and families — no experience needed, just your imagination. Explore playful ways to tell stories through landscapes, textures, and colour, and take home your own unique creation. All materials are provided. No booking is required and entrance is free. We can’t wait to see you there! Museum hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 to 16:00 JGCBA hours: Tuesday - Friday 10:00 to 16:00

Free parking is available in the garage beneath the museum. 

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A discussion on Japan’s partnership with South Africa in a changing global world order

Join a discussion on Japan–South Africa relations and how the changing global order is shaping their evolving partnership.

The Wits Association of International Relations Scholars and the Afro-Asia Program are delighted to host a discussion on Japan–South Africa relations in a changing global world order. We welcome Mr Takamitsu Hida, Second Secretary at the Embassy of Japan, and Mr Priyal Singh, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Security Studies (ISS). The speakers will engage with students on the evolving dynamics of Japan–South Africa relations and explore how shifts in the global order are influencing these ties.

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Online training session: Using news media archives for research

Online training for postgraduate students who are interested in using news archives as a research resource.

Digitised news archives, which represent published news any time from a few hours ago to a couple of centuries ago, can be an incredibly valuable source of information for researchers looking to study not only journalism and media, but also how different issues – from public health to the environment – were understood, covered or reported on at different times. The session will cover different news archives and databases currently available through the Wits Library (students should already know how to access the online library resources), together with other public digital archives. Various archive sources will be discussed in terms of what they do and don't feature (e.g. language, region/s and time period covered, limitations of the database), together with a discussion on how to conduct effective and replicable searches in different platforms, and how to document important and relevant information from your searches. Different study approaches and outcomes will also be discussed, using recent case examples from published work produced by Wits scholars. 

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Building National Identities by Professor Alessandro Barbero

Professor Alessandro Barbero explores how national identity has evolved over time.

The renowned Italian historian will focus on the concept of “us” and “them”.

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Double vision: the anteater and the signs of all times by Prof Pippa Skotnes and Prof Isabel Hofmeyr

In Conversation with Professor Pippa Skotnes and Professor Isabel Hofmeyr.

The Origins Centre is delighted to welcome Pippa Skotnes and Isabel Hofmeyr to lead conversations focussing on the Double Vision exhibit.

The Bleek and Lloyd archive, storytelling and the formation of stories and narratives. Within these conversations we welcome interactions and engagements with the audience. Through this event, we also launch the revamped ‘Double Vision’ exhibit at Origins, created by Pippa Skotnes and Malcolm Payne. The exhibit received new life thanks to the Digital Fabric and 24/7 Architects teams, with support from the Wits Science Faculty and an exciting artwork donation by Pippa Skotnes.

Professor Pippa Skotnes is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She is an artist, curator, scholar, and former director of the Centre for Curating the Archive, at Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town. Isabel Hofmeyr is Professor Emeritus at the University of the Witwatersrand currently based at WISER, and was Global Distinguished Professor at New York University from 2013 to 2022.

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PUBLIC LECTURE. Remembering Eeyore: Archaeological perspectives on the donkey in human history

This talk seeks to raise awareness of the historical significance of an association between people and Equus asinus that is now some 7000 years old.

Donkeys are the only mammal to have been uniquely domesticated within Africa and, like African archaeology in general, they have frequently been neglected by most archaeologists and archaeozoologists. 

Considering the evidence for donkey domestication in Africa, it illustrates the historical importance of donkeys through three case studies: their association with kings and other elites in the Bronze Age of the Near East; their role in the economy and armies of the Roman world; and their significance in funding Spain’s colonial empire.

Brought to you in collaboration with Origins Centre and the Archaeological Society Northern Branch (the talk will take place after the Arch Soc AGM ending 18:45). 

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be served.

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Treasure Hunt at Origins

Join us for a museum treasure hunt - all ages welcome!

Visit Origins Centre on Saturday 4^th and Monday 6^th April and you can take part in a museum treasure hunt! Find the hidden items around the museum and you get an easter egg (and can keep the treasures too).

All ages welcome (adults can do the treasure hunt too)

Tickets: standard museum prices, R50 kids, R75 pensioners & Wits staff, R95 adults. This gives you access to the full museum experience, temporary exhibition (Facing the Heat) and treasure hunt. Tickets sold at the door.

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Atlas of Uncertainty exhibition opening at Origins Centre

The exhibition features thirty artists from Accra, Johannesburg, and Nairobi, this travelling exhibition changes how we see African cities.

It’s part of the Atlas of Uncertainty, an interdisciplinary collaboration remapping migration and urban spaces across the continent — and showing what that means for the world’s future cities. 

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Mental wellness session with Dr Kirti Ranchod. Mastering Focus: Music & neuroscience

In this session we will explore the neuroscience of music specifically how it can optimise focus.

Join an interactive session with neurologist and brain health specialist Dr Kirti Ranchod.

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Activating social capital among young people in South Africa

Join our next Brown Bag Lunch presented by Prof. Malcom Keswell.

We study the behavioural and psycho-social impacts of a novel empowerment programme targeted to young people living in distressed neighbourhoods in South Africa. By the end of the programme, participants that are initially randomly assigned to the programme are more altruistic, less risk averse, less pessimistic, and less likely to be at risk for depression. We then investigate whether these changes serve as effect modifiers for social capital outcomes; specifically, for trust and trustworthiness. We find no evidence that risk aversion explains the impact of the programme on trust but robust evidence of a belief updating channel that works through trustworthiness. These findings have implications for targeted interventions in low trust societies. We discuss some of these implications.

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Quantum perspectives: WitsQ & IBM seminar series

We are excited to welcome Satish Nrusimhadevara from Accenture to the WitsQ & IBM seminar series.

Title: Looking Ahead: Timelines for Quantum to be a mainstream Technology for Business

Abstract: The path taken by Technology to travel from Labs to Business is a long one. While new tech seems to be available and is discussed, it takes a very long time to become mainstream and reach a widespread level of adoption that would create a real impact. This session aims to explore the barriers to tech becoming mainstream and what needs to be done to shrink the journey from labs to business.

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From Big Data to Big Materials

Autonomous Multimodal Microscopy for Materials and Physics Discovery.

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Double vision: the anteater and the signs of all times by Prof Pippa Skotnes and Prof Isabel Hofmeyr

IN CONVERSATION. Double vision: the anteater and the signs of all times by Prof Pippa Skotnes and Prof Isabel Hofmeyr

We are delighted to welcome Pippa Skotnes and Isabel Hofmeyr to lead conversations focussing on the Double Vision exhibit at Origins Centre, the Bleek and Lloyd archive, storytelling and the formation of stories and narratives. Within these conversations we welcome interactions and engagements with the audience. Through this event, we also launch the revamped ‘Double Vision’ exhibit at Origins, created by Pippa Skotnes and Malcolm Payne. The exhibit received new life thanks to the Digital Fabric and 24/7 Architects teams, with support from the Wits Science Faculty and an exciting artwork donation by Pippa Skotnes.

Professor Pippa Skotnes is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She is an artist, curator, scholar, and former director of the Centre for Curating the Archive, at Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town. Isabel Hofmeyr is Professor Emeritus at the University of the Witwatersrand currently based at WISER, and was Global Distinguished Professor at New York University from 2013 to 2022.

Tickets: R40/R70; on webtickets or at the door. Light refreshments will be served.

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TREASURE HUNT AT ORIGINS

Join us for a museum treasure hunt - all ages welcome!

Visit Origins Centre on Saturday 4^th and Monday 6^th April and you can take part in a museum treasure hunt! Find the hidden items around the museum and you get an easter egg (and can keep the treasures too).

All ages welcome (adults can do the treasure hunt too)

Tickets: standard museum prices, R50 kids, R75 pensioners & Wits staff, R95 adults. This gives you access to the full museum experience, temporary exhibition (Facing the Heat) and treasure hunt. Tickets sold at the door.

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Slow Poison: Colonial Legacies and the Unfinished Project of Decolonisation

This event also marks the launch of Mahmood Mamdani’s new book.

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SCIS-WIEGO Hybrid Roundtable on the Regulation of the Platform Economy in South Africa

This roundtable webinar is hosted by the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies in partnership with Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing.

The hybrid roundtable will look at the regulation of the platform economy in South Africa.

It's convened ahead of the International Labour Organization’s forthcoming Convention on the Platform Economy. The discussion will feature inputs from the National E-Hailing Federation of South Africa (NEFSA), the Department of Employment and Labour, the Department of Transport, and the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI).  Join Ruth Castel-Branco (SCIS) and Pat Horn (WIEGO) as they discuss the regulation of digital labour platforms and the advancement of decent work in South Africa with key stakeholders from government, labour, and academia.

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Varsity Shield 2026: FNB Wits vs FNB Madibaz

Join us as we rally behind the Blues as they kick off their first home game of the Varsity Shield campaign on home turf.

FNB Wits Rugby has officially booked their place in the Varsity Shield semi-finals following an impressive run in the competition. The team’s consistent performances and determination throughout the season have paid off, placing them among the top contenders.

In addition to reaching the semi-finals, the team has also secured automatic qualification for 2027 Varsity Cup Rugby, a significant milestone that reflects the squad’s hard work and growth.

The focus now shifts to the semi-finals, where FNB Wits will look to continue their strong form and push for a place in the final as they take on FNB Madibaz.

Kick-off: 19:00

Gates open: 17:00

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Global Change Institute Monthly Lunch-time Seminar

Dr Auther Maviza will present on the Historical and projected summer rainfall onset changes using high resolution kilometre-scale (k-scale) climate data.

Historical and projected summer rainfall onset changes using high resolution kilometre-scale (k-scale) climate data over South Africa. Current climate research indicates that the onset of South Africa’s primary summer rainy season is likely to be delayed under future climate scenarios. Such a shift would have profound societal and ecological consequences, requiring significant updates to the scientific guidance provided to government bodies and agricultural stakeholders. Under the Methods to Enhance Capability in High-resolution information for AdaptatioN (MECHANICS) project, this study evaluates the utility of kilometre-scale (k-scale) climate data in the analysis of rainfall onset alongside existing evidence. While rainfall onset definitions vary globally to accommodate diverse climatic zones, this study adopts the agrometeorological index of Tadross and Hewitson (2003). This index has been widely used in South Africa and was selected for its specific focus on crop-water requirements and its compatibility with the Climate Projections for Africa (CP4A) dataset. We introduce the k-scale data and present preliminary findings on the spatial dynamics of annual and monthly climatologies, comparing historical (1997–2007) and future (2095–2105) rainfall onset days across South Africa’s summer rainfall region (srr). Finally, we discuss ongoing work comparing the k-scale rainfall onset outputs with the coarse-resolution ERA5 and CMIP6 Global Climate Model (GCM) projections, to determine if the k-scale data improves the detection of shifts in rainfall onsets days over South Africa’s srr. Results have potential implications on future climate adaptation strategies in the country’s agricultural sector.

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Reclaim Our Streets

For one Sunday, we're taking Main Street in Marshalltown back for the people - no cars allowed!

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Australopithecus

Written and Directed by Dr Kgafela oa Magogodi.

Australopithecus is a satirical play inspired by some professors. In a 1936 Pretoria kitchen, Professor Robert Broom is conducting a 'scientific' experiment: his wife Mary's soup on the left; a Korana skull in the middle; Black Damara feet on the right, Broom's two-pot system When Prime Minister Smuts arrives to recruit him for an expedition o select Bushmen as "living fossil" displays, Broom proposes simply extending the two-pot system to the exhibition subjects once they die in the city. Smuts is appalled but cannot satisfactorily explain why this differs from what Broom is already doing. It has fallen to Elisa Mokoena, the new housemaid, on her first day to mind all three pots. She has been watching. She is done Australopithecus exposes the dehumanizing logic of colonial anthropology and the way institutions simultaneously enable and disavow their own brutal practices With Sibusiso Mkhize as the musical director. Sinenhlanhla Mgeyi as the Movement Director and Sinenhlanhla Q Zwane as the stage designer - this production is one that you cannot miss.

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JoziMyJozi | Main St. Sundays

JoziMyJozi | Reclaim our Streets

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Fixed Systems, Mobile Lives

Fixed Systems, Mobile Lives: Structural Misalignment and the Negotiation of Sexual and Reproductive Health Care among Mobile Adolescents and Young People in JHB

South Africa has strong legal and policy commitments towards universal health coverage (UHC) and the protection of sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR). However, mobile adolescents and young people (mAYP) continue to face significant challenges in accessing SRHR services, particularly in rapidly urbanising contexts characterised by high levels of internal and cross-border mobility. This paper draws on rapid ethnographic assessments conducted in Johannesburg, including inner-city and Soweto township sites, to examine how mAYP experience and navigate access to SRHR services. It argues that SRHR service delivery in urban South Africa is structurally misaligned with the lived realities of mAYP, requiring them to continuously negotiate their access to care. These findings have implications for achieving UHC and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in relation to health, gender equality, and reducing inequalities.

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Varsity Shield 2026 | FNB Wits vs FNB WSU

Join us as we rally behind the Blues as they kick off their first home game of the Varsity Shield campaign on home turf.

FNB Wits Rugby has secured their spot in the Varsity Shield final after a dominant victory against FNB Madibaz last Friday.

Let’s show up and make this final count, Witsies! FNB Wits faces FNB WSU on home ground. 

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LITASA Turns 21: Join Us in Reading the Future

"Reading the Future, Ukufunda Ikusasa, Ho Bala Bokamoso: Literacies for Transformative Education,"

The Literacy Association of South Africa (LITASA) is celebrating a milestone, our 21st Annual Conference, and we couldn't be more excited to host it right here at the Wits School of Education from 4 to 6 September 2026. 

This year's theme, "Reading the Future, Ukufunda Ikusasa, Ho Bala Bokamoso: Literacies for Transformative Education," invites us to reimagine literacy's role in building equitable, multilingual, and socially just futures. In a moment marked by challenging PIRLS findings, widening inequalities, and rapidly advancing AI technologies, literacy remains a powerful tool for transformation. 

We're calling for contributions that explore innovative research, classroom practice, community work, and policy directions across all career stages and contexts—from early years foundations to higher education, from assessment practices to community literacies, and from technological innovation to multilingual pedagogies. Whether you're interested in how AI is reshaping literacy education, how home languages can strengthen early learning, or how universities can cultivate epistemic justice, there's space for your voice. 

The deadline for abstract submissions is 30 April 2026 - that's soon! We welcome submissions in all twelve official South African languages, and presentation formats include individual papers, workshops, posters, panels, and community project showcases. 

Visit https://www.litasa.org.za/conference2026 to submit your abstract, or contact us at info@litasa.org.za for more information. 

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Acoustically-mediated optical tomography: How acoustic forces enable optical imaging

Talk by Professor Monika Ritsch-Marte - Director of the institute of Biomedical Physics Medical University of Innsbruck.

Large bio-samples, such as organoids or cancer spheroids are often optically too opaque for imaging under illumination from only one side. Rotating or re-orienting the sample for multi-angle illumination is a solution to this problem, enabling 3D tomographic reconstruction of the refractive index distribution. Tailored optical and acoustic waves can both exert controlled forces on microscopic biomedical samples in suspension in a non-contact way. However, large and therefore heavy particles can only be levitated by acoustic forces - optical tweezers would be either too week or induce damage. By tuning standing MHz ultrasound waves it is possible to rotate or re-orient a sample inside a micro-fluidic chamber, thus avoiding the ‘missing-cone’ problem which commonly leads to artifacts. As examples, the 3D reconstruction of a levitated zebrafish larva by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and of cell clusters by optical diffraction tomography (ODT) will be presented.

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MASTERING FOCUS - Music & Neuroscience. Mental wellness session with Dr Kirti Ranchod

MASTERING FOCUS - Music & Neuroscience. Mental wellness session with Dr Kirti Ranchod

Join an interactive session with neurologist and brain health specialist Dr Kirti Ranchod. In this session you will explore the neuroscience of music specifically how it can optimise focus.

Tickets: R40/R70 (webtickets or at the door)

Please bring ID to get onto Wits campus

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Staff Wellness Tournament

The Wits Staff Sport Club continues to engage in competitive friendlies with teams equal to the task.

The below matches will be held at Sturrock Park. 

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Healthcare Law and Policy Masterclass | Masterclass 3: Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Regulation

Mandela Institute at Wits, with SA Association for Bioethics and Health Law, hosts a four-session masterclass to deepen insight into healthcare law and policy.

The discussion will be presented by Val Beaumont, Executive Officer, Marketing Code Authority, Pharmacist and regulatory compliance expert in pharmaceutical marketing and medicines governance.

Inez Naidu, Head of Medicine Unit, Discovery Health (Pty) Ltd, Managed healthcare pharmacy strategist with 25+ years’ industry experience.

Julie Oppenheim, Partner & Head: Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Sector Group, Bowmans, Specialist in healthcare transactions, medicine pricing, and regulatory compliance.

Facilitator: Daven Dass, Senior Lecturer, University of the Witwatersrand, President, South African University Law Clinic Association and experienced supervising attorney.

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International Courts and Africa | Masterclass 3: Adaptation from Policy to Legal Obligation

International Courts and Africa: Navigating Global Climate Jurisprudence | Masterclass 3: Adaptation from Policy to Legal Obligation

This third masterclass in the Mandela Institute’s four-part series examines how international and regional courts have reframed climate adaptation as a justiciable, enforceable legal obligation — not merely a policy aspiration. Drawing on global jurisprudence from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), the Inter American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the session distils key legal principles and connects them directly to South Africa’s adaptation framework, implementation challenges, and Africa’s regional obligations. 

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MIND Seminar with Dr Farai Mlambo

The (X) of Artificial Intelligence: for all (x).

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Free Family Make-and-Create

Bring the whole family to WAM this Saturday 18 April 2026 from 11:30 to 13:00 as we explore clay sculpture in our Free Family Make and Create workshop.

Free parking is available in the garage beneath the museum. Inspired by Theresa-Anne Mackintosh’s exhibition NOW IS NOT FOREVER, this workshop invites us to explore the human figure and the many emotions and stories it can hold. Join WAM docents Pam and Elona as they guide you through the exhibition and into a hands-on making session. Together, you will create your own clay sculpture, experimenting with form, texture and expression. Whether you shape a figure, an abstract form or something in between, each piece becomes a way of capturing a feeling, a moment or a memory. This hands-on workshop is perfect for kids, teens and families, no experience needed, just your imagination. Come and enjoy the process of making, exploring and creating something uniquely your own. All materials are provided. No booking is required and entrance is free. We can’t wait to see you there!

Museum hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 to 16:00 JGCBA hours: Tuesday - Friday 10:00 to 16:00

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Wits Choir Concert

Themed: Tides Awaken - prepare to be lifted by rhythm as voices rise to awaken your soul.

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Meeting of the MINDS with Dr. Evian Gordon

Total Brain AGI: The inevitable future of human brain-aligned AGI

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Walkabout @ WAM: Johann van der Schijff: 'Destiny_02'

Join a walkabout of Destiny_02 led by Professor Christo Doherty.

Professor Christo Doherty the acting Angela and David Fine Chair of Innovation at the Wits Innovation Centre/Wits School of Arts who also contributed to the exhibition catalogue, which is available for purchase, will lead this walkabout. It offers an opportunity to engage with the exhibition by discussing the ideas, processes, and concerns that shape the work. It invites an in-depth way of looking and a deep consideration of the questions the exhibition raises.

Parking for the walkabout is available in the garage beneath the museum. Please allow sufficient travel time as the road upgrades are not yet completed Museum hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 – 16:00 Entrance is free and all are welcome Exhibition dates: 03 March 2026 – 09 May 2026.

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Webinar on Parental Leave Equality

Join the Mandela Institute for a Webinar unpacking the Constitutional Court’s ruling in Van Wyk and Others v Minister of Employment and Labour [2025] ZACC 20.

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Pre-Book Launch and Discussion: What Could Be, If Not?

Friday lunchtime Pre-Book Launch and Discussion from author, Klaas Phaka.

Klaas Phaka will give a lunchtime talk on his second book, What Could Be, If Not?.  Klaas is a professional toolmaker and senior technician in the School.

He is also a passionate writer who takes delight in pouring and expressing his thought, ideas, convictions, outlooks and beliefs through writing. As he shares his views through this avenue, he aims to inspire and make a meaningful impact on his readers.

He is also the author of the self-published book From Faith to Fate, which explores themes of Christian faith. What Could Be, If Not? invites you to reconnect with the hopeful, unfiltered vision of who you can become. While life’s setbacks may have buried that sense of possibility, this book reminds you that it’s never too late to rediscover your authentic self—and reclaim the future you once imagined.

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The Sixth International LCT conference

Are you using Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) in your teaching or research? Join the Wits LCT Hub for the Sixth International LCT Conference in November.

LCT is a practical framework that offers ways of understanding and changing social practices to solve real-world problems. It is used over a wide range of fields and contexts, including engineering, law, media, teaching, nursing, sports, language learning and so much more. Present a paper or come along to learn more about LCT and how scholars around the world are using LCT to Check out the conference website. Deadline for abstract submissions: 29 May. See https://lctconferences.com/

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Artificial Intelligence as a Gateway towards Advanced Metallurgy and Alloy Design

Join Dr Dierk Raabe, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Sustainable Materials for a webinar on AI as a Gateway towards Advanced Metallurgy and Alloy Design

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Economic Early-warning Signals of Accelerated Climate Change and Earth-System Tipping-points

This presentation aims to address the lack of adequate early-warning systems for accelerated climate change and tipping-points.

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Yebo Gogga Yebo amaBlomo 2026

The need for ‘food’ and water is characteristic of all life.

This year Yebo Gogga is about who eats what and how living things have developed a range of strategies to avoid being eaten.   

Broadly, there are two groups of living things. Those, such as plants, able to utilise inorganic chemicals for growth and reproduction and those like animals and fungi that require organic material for their life functions. Living things strive to get the food they need while avoiding becoming food for some other.

Event details. 

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to, fail to

to, fail to is a collaborative exhibition by Damon Botha and Lesego Forbes (@thisthingisthere @gr4venim4ge @ldoubleff.art)

The show is motivated by the will to think about resonances in both our modes of working and an attempt, as any exhibition might be, to react to the time and place in which it comes to be.

The bodies of work that are displayed here think with differing gestures of failure. Failure that thinks with play, collapse, ruin or incompleteness. That functions through in-betweenness and limbo, unfixed impulses. Failure that points at empty space and nothing-place. Failure that is transitional. Mortal failure. Temporal failure. Thinking alongside time, . Pockets of time . . I know that this thing is there . . to sit within a – sitting in moments of collapse, it explores what it means to yellow tape …

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Walkabout at the Jack Ginsberg Centre for Book Arts

Join a walkabout of Thoughtforms: The Page as a Liminal Field led by curator Ciara Struwig in the JGCBA.

Don’t miss the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the exhibition, sharing fresh insights and new perspectives. The exhibition explores the book as a site of active thinking and not as a container for finished knowledge. The artists’ books selected for this exhibition invite you to enter a liminal space - a threshold where the private spark of an idea meets the permanent mark on the page.

Direction to JGCBA: JGCBA is located inside Wits Art Museum in the Es’kia Mphahlele Building on the corner of Jorissen and Bertha Streets in Braamfontein.

Access is through the WAM Admin door. From the foyer, go behind the security desk and take the stairs up one floor, then walk along the mezzanine level above the WAM Café. Just before the glass turnstiles, the entrance door to JGCBA will be on your left Free parking for the walkabout is available in the garage beneath the museum; please allow extra travel time due to roadworks in the area.

The exhibition closes on the 5 June 2026.

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RE-READING CAMÕES: Ocean Worlds, Contact and the Indian Ocean from Southern Africa

This event is organised by the Embassy of Portugal and the Camões Institute (Portugal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in partnership with Wits University.

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Wits Standard Bank Piano Festival

This three-day festival presents eight leading pianists across four double-bill concerts, celebrating South Africa’s rich jazz and classical piano traditions.

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Policy Dialogue: Governing AI Across Africa

This webinar gives centre stage to African voices and the African regulatory landscape.

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School of Oral Health Sciences Memorial Lecture

This lecture will kick start the celebrations of the Wits School of Oral Health Sciences' 100th year anniversary.

Lecture topic: "The Active Statue: A historical perspective of 100 years of dentistry at Wits". To be delivered by Professor Bill Evans. There will be a Centenary Exhibition at 16h00 – 17h15, followed by the lecture at 17h00. 

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The Homeowner Ideology

The Homeowner Ideology: Why Support for Homeownership Persists Despite Its Failure to End Income Poverty.

This presentation examines why homeownership remains a favored poverty intervention in African cities despite decades of evidence challenging its effectiveness. The conventional view, advanced by market fundamentalists, holds that formal property rights improve economic prospects for the urban poor and can eradicate poverty. This book challenges that narrative.

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Witsies Got Talent

Witsies Got Talent is an Arts and Culture initiative powered by the Wits ResLife Office within the Campus Housing and Residence Life.

Student across residences and private accommodation have been competing fiercely to showcase their talents and skills as part of student development. Come witness the best of the best on 9 May 2026.  All welcome.

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Queering the Archive: Indenture Aesthetics and South African Blackness

SARChi Distinguished Lecture with Jordache A. Ellapen.

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Parallel worlds of the energy transition: African realities

Are we, perhaps, trading one form of ecological harm for another?

The global energy transition promises to decarbonise the planet. However, in the regions that supply its critical materials, such as the solar-rich coastlines of South Africa’s Northern Cape and the lithium fields of Zimbabwe, what is the ecological reality on the ground?

Are we, perhaps, trading one form of ecological harm for another, with the costs concentrated in ecologically sensitive and politically marginalised landscapes of the Global South, while the benefits accrue to energy consumers elsewhere? Drawing on the socio-ecological systems framework and the emerging theoretical lens of multispecies justice, this talk presents two contrasting case studies from interconnected research projects: ENLENS (Energy Transition Through the Lens of SDGs) and The Emancipatory Potential of the Right to a Healthy Environment. These projects are undertaken in collaboration with Linda Musariri and Eileen Moyer at the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research, University of Amsterdam. The talk argues that environmental science has a specific and urgent role in this moment: to document and critically engage the ecological consequences of the transition itself; to advocate for cumulative socio-ecological systems assessments that current EIA frameworks do not adequately capture; to integrate local ecological knowledge into transition infrastructure planning; and to operationalise multispecies justice as a governance framework, rather than treating it solely as a theoretical construct.

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Close Encounters

The Wits Anglo American Digital Dome invites you on a breathtaking virtual safari, bringing you face‑to‑face with Africa’s most iconic wildlife.

Africa Day Special for Close Encounters, discounted price of R65 per ticket. Close Encounters is an 8K fulldome wildlife film that takes audiences on an immersive virtual safari, bringing them face-to-face with Africa’s most iconic animals. Directed by Telmo dos Reis and produced by VR Capture, it offers a unique perspective on nature and conservation through breathtaking visuals, spatial surround sound, and expert storytelling by ranger Shane Raw. Filmed in South Africa, the film captures intimate encounters, from a lion reaching for the camera to a herd of elephants surrounding the lens. Using cutting-edge technology and wildlife expertise, it delivers a powerful conservation message, highlighting the importance of protecting fragile ecosystems. Set for international distribution in planetariums and immersive theaters, Close Encounters brings the wonders of African wildlife to audiences worldwide.

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Kancica and Kwasukasukela Show

Celebrate Africa Week with Kancica and Kwasukasukela, a magical storytelling experience inspired by rich African folklore.

These captivating tales come alive in the Wits Digital Dome through immersive visuals and sound, honouring wisdom, imagination, and the power of storytelling passed down through generations. Join us for a joyful celebration of African stories, culture, and heritage.

Kancícà ("link" in Fongbe) is an immersive art and film experience that traces the journey of Na Agontimé, queen-mother of Danxomè's Kingdom, and the living cultural heritage she carried across the Atlantic through generations.

Kwasukasukela ("in the beginning" in Zulu) is an African contemporary creation myth, embodying various African spiritual deities that are reimagined as contemporary characters. This unique origin story and creation myth serves as a new imagining of how African mythology may be seen to reimagine our past, present and the future. This doesn't include a live night sky viewing.

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!Aitsa

Africa week special, discounted combo tickets at R120 for !AITSA and Origins Centre Museum full access.

Dane Dodds’ documentary, !Aitsa, is an immersive journey that transcends the boundaries of tradition, science and spirituality. The film explores the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project in the Karoo, which seeks to unravel the mysteries of the universe through radiology. However, it is not merely a scientific exploration, as Dodds takes the viewer on a historical expedition, delving into the traditional roots of the Khoi and San populations of the region. Through the film’s lens, we witness the enigmatic convergence of scientific and traditional knowledge, as we are reminded of the sacred value that the land holds for the early inhabitants. The film’s loving portrayal of the Karoo landscape serves as a poignant reminder that the history and traditions of a place are intertwined with its scientific discoveries. Dodds’ curious direction invites us to reflect on the fine line that exists between the exploration of modern science and ancestral practices, whilst also bringing into question the juxtaposition of cultures in a most captivating and compassionate documentary.

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Sida Tsoatsoas

The shows combines live-action and animation sequences to transport audiences to the iconic red dunes and expansive saltpans of the Kalahari in Southern Africa.

Sida Tsoatsoas combines live-action and animation sequences to transport audiences to the iconic red dunes and expansive saltpans of the Kalahari in Southern Africa. We share in the unique storytelling techniques of the Khomani people who share insight into their culture. We find out how the Sun gave the mischievous Jackal his ash-burnt markings on his back during this journey. This subsequently imparts a valuable lesson about our connection to each other and the cosmos.

The 13-minute film is accessible to all ages and is in Afrikaans and Nama with English subtitles. Combining with a traditional night sky viewing before the show, the experience will be for an hour.

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Breakfast Dialogue: Beyond the Fence – How Community Environments Shape Health and Safety in Mining.

Please join the WMI for a breakfast dialogue on Community, Health and Safety in Mining.

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Sonic Cartographies: Sound, Rhythm, Movement and the Composition of Space

How might we encounter the city through listening? This public session, part of the Atlas of Uncertainty, moves from the census to the senses.

It asks what sound tells us about urban life that surveys, statistics, and maps cannot. Sound does not simply accompany the city, it structures it. Sonic cues guide movement, signal belonging and exclusion, mark territories of labour, worship, leisure, and protest. To listen is a way of knowing the city. The evening opens with a panel conversation moderated by Muhammad Dawjee on the sonic life of cities and listening as method. Participants will then be taken through a series of immersive listening passages drawn from works in the exhibition and from contributions by sound practitioners, tracing how rhythm, resonance, and voice shape the spatial and emotional textures of urban life.

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Lunchtime Talk | CDC Dust Control - Arehone Nedzanani (Engineering and Quality Manager)

Join the School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Aeronautical Engineering for a Friday lunchtime talk by Arehone Nedzanani from CDC Dust Control.

Arehone is an Engineering and Quality Manager with extensive experience across automotive manufacturing, aerospace, power generation, and defence related industries. Arehone holds a BSc in Aeronautical Engineering (Honours), and a Government Certificate of Competency (GCC) and a BCom in Financial Management degree. Currently a final year MBA candidate, strengthening strategic, financial, and executive leadership capability. The CDC Dust Control are a proudly South African company specialising in the design, manufacture, supply and research & development of integrated dust suppression systems and services. Wits are looking to further collaborative research opportunities, and so this is the perfect opportunity to connect. 

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'Sociology Hesitant: Du Bois and the Multiple Consciousnesses of Being Black'

Part of the WiCDS Wednesday series.

The discussion featuring Mosa Phadi (Stellenbosch) in conversation with Cole Meintjies (WiCDS), chaired by Sandra Mbewe (WiCDS). 

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World IP Day 2026

World IP Day 2026 celebrates how creativity and innovation, backed by IP rights, keep the world of sport thriving, dynamic and accessible for everyone.

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Data Governance, Privacy, and Cross-Border Flows

This Policy Dialogue is convened by the African Cyber Law Conference (ACLC), in partnership with the Mandela Institute at the School of Law.

The Conference will be presented by Professor Syliva Papadopoulos, Advocate Lebogang Stroom and  Siyabonga Skosana. 

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Creative Practice on the Outside: In Person and Online Conversation

This session sits with an open question: what does it mean to work with aesthetics? What can [...] ellipses be?

This session sits with an open question: what does it mean to work with aesthetics? What can [...] ellipses be? Not just as a journal, but as a space, one that holds and hosts aesthetic discourse, experimentation, and ways of thinking that don’t always fit neatly within disciplinary or institutional frames. How might Ellipses function to open, rather than close, the possibilities of creative research? 

We’ll spend time with the processes behind the texts, how contributors move across and against form, authorship, and method, and what kinds of knowledge emerge through those aesthetic practices. We’re also interested in how these approaches begin to produce forms of aesthetic solidarities, ways of being in relation through shared sensibilities, political commitments, and creative methods that resonate across contexts. 

Through presentations and conversation, contributors reflect as much on method as on outcome, tracing how aesthetics entangle with politics, experience, and ways of knowing. Featuring presentations by Parsa Sajid, Ruuska Jaakko, Maria Luiza de Barros Rodrigues, Jerónimo Reyes-Retana, and Alex Arteaga, followed by a moderated conversation with Sinethemba Twalo and Stacy Hardy. 

Join us for an open exchange on creative practice as a site of resistance, disruption, and speculative method, and as a way of collectively asking what spaces like [...] ellipses can become and how they might hold us in relation.

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WALKABOUT: ATLAS OF UNCERTAINTY

Explore the Atlas of Uncertainty exhibition up close and personal during this walkabout with Carina Tenewaa Kanbi, one of the contributors to the exhibition.

The interdisciplinary collaborative project remaps migration and urban spaces across the continent.

Entrance to the walkabout is Free. 

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‘SILENT MASTERY - The Everyday Brilliant Brain’ with Dr Kirti Ranchod

Join us for the first session of this three-part series exploring the incredible potential of the brain.

These interactive sessions with neurologist and brain health specialist Dr Kirti Ranchod combine neuroscience with various art forms. The session on Saturday 9 May will explore what we can learn from the brain from seemingly ordinary activities. All ages welcome.

Tickets R40/R70. Available on webtickets or at the door.

SPECIAL OFFER: Buy tickets for all 3 sessions in THE BEAUTIFUL BRAIN series and get 25% discounted entry! Taking place on 9 May, 27 June and 18 July. Attend all, some, or just one; each is a complete and independent session. 

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!AITSA May Combo – Digital Dome & Origins Centre experience

To celebrate Africa month in May, experience the journey of humanity like never before!

With a special combo featuring "!AITSA" at the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome, WITS University and a visit to the Origins Centre Museum.

Bringing together ancient spiritual knowledge and cutting-edge science, !AITSA is a transcendental film about humans in the Great Karoo desert of South Africa seeking meaning in the infinite darkness surrounding us all (the documentary is about 90 minutes; suitable for ages 13+; it is not a full dome show).

With the same ticket, get full access to the Origins Centre museum and temporary exhibitions - anytime in May (Monday - Saturday: 9:00 - 16:00)! Combo tickets only available on webtickets
!AITSA show times at the Wits Digital Dome: Saturday, 16 May: 14:00 (combo tickets: R150); Wednesday, 27 May: 18:00 (combo tickets: R120)

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EXHIBITION OPENING: Ubugqi Bethongo by Mzwanele Tshishonga

Ubugqi Bethongo by Mzwanele Tshishonga

A ceramic and photographic journey by Wits Master of Fine Arts student, Mzwanele Tshishonga.

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INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM DAY

International Museum Day!

Monday 18 May - Visit Origins Centre for free on International Museum Day!

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PUBLIC LECTURE: Milk, egg, but no custard! The first synapsid egg and the origin of mammalness

Milk, egg, but no custard! The first synapsid egg and the origin of mammalness by Prof Julien Benoit.

For two hundred years, palaeontologists have looked for mammalian ancestors' fossilized eggs, but they remained elusive. It took great efforts and almost 20 years for Julien Benoit and his colleagues to find, identify and describe the first egg of a pre-mammalian synapsid from the Karoo. This talk will explore the implications for the origins of viviparity and milk production in the mammalian lineage.

Julien Benoit is an Associate Professor at the Evolutionary Studies Institute at Wits University. He studies the evolution of therapsids from the Karoo, the origin of mammals and how they developed their defining traits, such as hair, lactation and endothermy using innovative approaches and 3D imaging.

Tickets: R40/R70 on webtickets or at the door. In person only.

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CV and Cover Letter Presentation

The Counselling and Career Development Unit invites all postgraduate students to a CV and Cover Letter Presentation.

Through its Journey to Employability and Economic Participation (JEEP) programme, this presentation will provide students with practical guidance on crafting outstanding CVs and cover letters for prospective employers. The session will help you tailor your application documents, reflect on your career journey, and effectively position yourself as an ideal candidate.

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New Exhibition at WAM: 1976 at 50: 'Silent Witness' and 'Wits 76'

Join WAM for the opening of ‘1976 at 50’ on Tuesday 19 May 2026 @ 18:00 for 18:30.

The event will include short addresses by filmmakers Kevin Harris and Paul Laufer, and by Wits Emeritus Professor Yunus Ballim. We look forward to welcoming you to this special evening of art and reflection.

16 June 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the Soweto uprising and presents an important opportunity to reflect on the events of that time and their impact on our lives today. 

Wits Art Museum presents two bodies of work as part of this reflection, a short film by independent South African filmmaker Kevin Harris, and a photographic essay by cinematographer Paul Laufer, the Chief Photographer in 1976 for Wits Student newspaper. 

Kevin Harris's film ' Silent Witness' is comprised of footage from his extensive archives and is structured through historical interviews with people who witnessed the devstating events of 16 June 1976, featuring photo-journalist Peter Magubane; student leader Murphy Morobe, Rand Daily Mail newspaper editor Raymond Louw; family members and colleagues of social worker Dr Melville Edelstein; Hector and Antoinetter Pieterson's mother Mrs Dorothy Molefi; Mbuyisa Makhubu's mother Mrs Nombulelo Makhubu; and John Rees and Peter Storey from the South African Council of Churches (SACC). 

'Wits 76' is a substantial photographic essay by Paul Laufer, the Chief Photographer at the time for Wits Student newspaper. The essay comprises images of schools in Soweto taken for a newspaper assignment in late May 1976, and photographs taken a few weeks later in Braamfontein of Wits students protesting in suport of the Soweto school students: mass gatherings on campus; crowds being addressed by anti-apartheid activits; poster demonstrations on the streets; protest marches; student spies and government informers; counter protesters; the police reaction and the university's official response. 

Together 'Silent Witness' and 'Wits 76' offer additional perspectives to existing narratives of that time. 

The exhibition is curated by Julia Charlton. 

Free parking for the exhibition is available in the garage beneath the museum. 

The last day to view the exhibition is Saturday 20 June 2026. 

Museum hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00 -16:00 

Entrance is free and all are welcome. 

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Strengthening South Africa's Future AI Policy: A Reflexive Policy Dialogue

This Policy Dialogue is convened by the African Cyber Law Conference (ACLC), in partnership with the Mandela Institute at the Wits School of Law.

Speakers:

Dr Nicolene Steyn (Wits School of Law)

Dr Alison Gillwald (UCT)

Mr Nathan Ross - Adams (IT Law Co)

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Parallel worlds of the energy transition: African realities

Parallel worlds of the energy transition: African realities

The global energy transition promises to decarbonise the planet. However, in the regions that supply its critical materials, such as the solar-rich coastlines of South Africa’s Northern Cape and the lithium fields of Zimbabwe, what is the ecological reality on the ground? Are we, perhaps, trading one form of ecological harm for another, with the costs concentrated in ecologically sensitive and politically marginalised landscapes of the Global South, while the benefits accrue to energy consumers elsewhere? Drawing on the socio-ecological systems framework and the emerging theoretical lens of multispecies justice, this talk presents two contrasting case studies from interconnected research projects: ENLENS (Energy Transition Through the Lens of SDGs) and The Emancipatory Potential of the Right to a Healthy Environment. These projects are undertaken in collaboration with Linda Musariri and Eileen Moyer at the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research, University of Amsterdam. The talk argues that environmental science has a specific and urgent role in this moment: to document and critically engage the ecological consequences of the transition itself; to advocate for cumulative socio-ecological systems assessments that current EIA frameworks do not adequately capture; to integrate local ecological knowledge into transition infrastructure planning; and to operationalise multispecies justice as a governance framework, rather than treating it solely as a theoretical construct.

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The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: Old and new

Many ethical questions have been raised by current artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, join the MIND seminar as we examine some of the ethical questions

Many ethical questions have been raised by current artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Plausibly, some of these are questions that human beings have already asked, but which now have a new object in the case of AI. Others seem genuinely new.

This MIND seminar examines these ethical questions and, on the basis of moral philosophy (ethics) and philosophy of mind, attempts to distinguish which are old and familiar and which are indeed new and (perhaps) more pressing. The seminar is part of the MIND Institute's discussion on the South African Government's Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy.

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Data Governance, Privacy, and Cross-Border Flows

This Policy Dialogue is convened by the African Cyber Law Conference (ACLC), in partnership with the Mandela Institute at the School of Law.

Presenters:

Prof Syliva Papadopoulos

Adv Lebogang Stroom

Siyabonga Skosana

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Astronomy and Wellbeing: Relax with the night sky

Memorability, in collaboration with the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome, presents the Astronomy and Wellbeing series with neurologist Dr. Kirti Ranchod.

Relax with the night sky is a practical visual experience for relaxation to support brain health and mental wellness. Using immersive night sky experiences, the session combines meditation, art, and storytelling to support wellbeing, including a 20-minute guided meditation and a neuroscience talk with Q&A.

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Masterclass: The Role of Competition Law in Advancing Economic Justice

The Mandela Institute is proud to present a Masterclass led by Professor Yasmin Carrim, offering a dynamic and practical exploration of SA Competition Law.

Through a compelling case‑study approach, Prof Carrim will guide participants through the competition law framework, with focused insights into merger enforcement, abuse of dominance, and cartel conduct. The masterclass will also unpack recent developments, including Market Inquiries and the regulation of digital markets, highlighting the critical role of competition authorities in driving market transformation.  A key highlight of the session will be an interactive fireside chat with special guest Mpumi Tshabalala, examining recent controversial and landmark decisions of the Competition Appeal Court and the Constitutional Court. Designed to be highly interactive, the masterclass will provide participants with ample opportunities to engage directly with presenters.

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Digital Dome Festival

Bringing African stories to the forefront of immersive technology in the Dome.

We're back and bigger than before!

After the incredible response to our first Digital Dome Festival in 2025, we couldn't stop at one. So we're doing it again, and we want you there. This is the first callout for all digital artists to create a unique dome experience to share at our festival.

This year's theme: "Stories Spoken, Stories Seen."

Africa has always been a continent of storytellers. From oral traditions passed down through generations to the wisdom woven into everyday life. This festival is a retelling of those stories, reimagined for the digital age.

Think ancient narratives meeting cutting-edge technology. Think culture, creativity, and connection - all under one dome.

What to expect:

• Immersive experiences
• Dome animations
• VR Experiences
• Worskshops
• Projections

Venues across South Africa, including the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome in Johannesburg, Naval Hill Planetarium in Bloemfontein, Sutherland Planetarium in Sutherland, Nelson Mandela University Digital Dome in Port Elizabeth, and Iziko Planetarium & Digital Dome in Cape Town.

Come experience stories like never before. Save the date and share with someone who needs to be there.

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FOR DIGITAL ARTISTS

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