Wits has a job for its elders
-
Founders' Tea 2018
Wits’ elders played an important role during the difficult period of student fee protests. Their advice and support was appreciated and has helped the University to complete two calm and successful years since that time.
This acknowledgement of the vital contribution of senior Wits alumni came from a grateful Professor Adam Habib, Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal, in his address at Founders’ Tea on 29 November 2018.
Founders are alumni who graduated 40 or more years ago. More than 600 of these stalwarts arrived for the function on the Library Lawns, keen to meet old friends, revisit campus and hear the guest speaker, Public Enterprises Minister, Pravin Gordhan. (See video here.)
To loud applause, Professor Habib thanked Minister Gordhan for the way he had carried out his responsibility to the nation. The Minister was invited to speak at the function out of respect for his exemplary behaviour in difficult times, Prof Habib said.
Minister Gordhan received a standing ovation from the Founders. (“I hope that wasn’t just your morning exercise,” he joked.)
He spoke about dangerous trends, disruption and uncertainty around the world, and how to create stability. He said South Africa still needs to bind people into a common nationhood, and asked the Founders to use their wisdom and resources to ensure that a negative narrative doesn’t persist. “It’s people who make the Constitution a living document and give content to democratic values.”
Minister Gordhan warned that people who had benefited from corruption and state capture would not give up without a fight. “[It is a battle between] those who want to rebuild South Africa, and move it in the right direction, and those who want to hold on to the last seven or 10 years, and continue with the processes of extraction.”
He urged South Africans to make the economy more inclusive; to share skills and experience so as to create opportunities; to build a more competitive economy; to encourage more partnerships between government, business and civil society; to close the gaps between haves and have-nots; and to drive an ethical business culture. “There is a lot of work to do.”
Listen to his speech here.
Professor Habib told the Founders about his six-month spell at Harvard in 2018, writing a book about the fee protests. While out of South Africa, he said, he had been struck by the similarities between social and political trends in different parts of the world. “Our problems are global problems.”
Wits had a good year in 2018, he said, enrolling 37000 students and graduating a record 8400. Research output has risen 80% in five years and transformation in the student body and staff has continued. Wits has shown that an institution can achieve excellence at the same time as transformation, Prof Habib said.
See photos of Founders' Tea 2018 here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/witsalumni/sets/72157701077759382