Alumni in the spotlight March 2021
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Catch up on Witsie newsmakers, appointments and awards.
Appointments
Dimension Data appointed Nompumelelo Mokou (BAcc 2007) as its managing director for its Southern African business from 1 April 2021.
ING appointed Andrew Bester (BAcc 1992) as head of Wholesale Banking and member of Management Board Banking. He was most recently CEO of the Co-operative Bank in the UK, leading the turnaround of the bank from 2018-2020.
Green Hygienics Holdings appointed Ian Subel (BCom 1991, BAcc 1992) as chairman to the new financial advisory board.
Robinson Ramaite (PDM 1993, MM 1998) is a non-executive director of Wescoal and has been appointed interim Group Chief Executive Officer with effect 15 March 2021.
Phindile Baleni (BProc 1988, LLB 1995) was appointed as Director General in the Presidency by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Donovan Harvey (MBA 2015) was named as managing director of F&I Insurance.
Gordon Wylie (GDip Min Eng 1999) was appointed to Silverton Metals Corp’s Board of Directors. He is a geologist and mining executive with over 40 years’ experience in precious metal exploration and mining.
Gudani Mukatuni (BSc 2004) has been appointed Chief Information Officer at Glacier by Sanlam with effect from 1 March 2021.
The board of the National Research Foundation appointed Professor Fulufhelo Nelwamondo (BSc Eng 2005, PhD 2008) as its new CEO from 1 April 2021.
Ivan Doku (MSc Eng 2007, GDE 2010) was appointed new country manager for SRK Consulting in Ghana.
Melissa McNally (MA 2010) has been appointed to the board of the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC). The BRC is a non-profit industry body which operates as an independent entity to commission and oversee the delivery of broadcast industry research.
Professor Daryl Glaser (BA 1982, BA Hons 1983, MA 1989) was appointed to a Ministerial Committee to advise on the amendment of the Electoral Act by Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. This comes after a July 2020 Constitutional Court ruling found that the Electoral Act (Act 73 of 1998) was unconstitutional.
Newsmakers
Nthabeleng Likotsi (MM 2014) is founder of Young Women in Business Network. The Reserve Bank announced on 23 March 2021 that it approved her licence to own a mutual bank.
Professor Penelope Moore (BSc 2006, BSc 2007, MSc 2000) from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and Network for Genomic Surveillance SA was profiled by New Frame. She recently released a paper with colleagues at NICD on the pre-print server, bioRxiv, which shows that the 501Y.V2 (B1.351) variant triggers antibodies that can block many old and new variants.
Wits University’s Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit (AGTRU), with Wits Commercial Enterprise also partnered with Biovac to develop skills capacity to produce viral vector vaccines. AGTRU, under the leadership of alumnus Patrick Arbuthnot (BSc 1982, BSc Hons 1984, MBBCh 1985, PhD 1993) has specialised expertise in advancing gene therapy for viral infections. Viruses can be genetically engineered for gene therapy to treat genetic diseases, viral infections, develop vaccines and boost immunity.
Raees Carim (BSc Construction Studies 2020) developed an app PharmaGo to deliver medication after hours.
Athol Williams (BSc Eng 1992) talked to Kieno Kammies in a radio interview on Cape Talk about his life as a whistleblower.
John Caesar Mwangi (MBA 1995) who is CEO of ICEA LION Insurance Holdings and coordinates synergies across eight insurance and financial services companies in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, was profiled in The CEO Magazine.
Elsa Oliveira (MA 2011, PhD 2018) who is Life in the City fellow and postdoctoral researcher at the African Centre for Migration & Society at Wits, co-wrote an article with Rebecca Walker in Daily Maverick arguing that government must support and protect all who live in South Africa.
Justine Limpitlaw (BA 1989, LLB 1993) wrote an opinion piece in Daily Maverick on Dali Mpofu’s outburst at the Zondo Commission.
Dineo Lioma (BSc Eng 2011, MSc Eng 2019) was cited as one of the top influential women to watch and she was chosen as one of Forbes Africa's Top 20 Wealth Creators. She has a Master’s Degree in Micro and Nanotechnology Enterprise, from the University of Cambridge.
Dr Robert Gess (PhD 2011) based at the Albany Museum in Makhanda published a paper in the prestigious journal Nature, which challenges scientists’ ideas of the origins of vertebrates.
For their novel cannabis cultivation technologies Constant Beckerling (BSc Eng 2020) and Anlo van Wyk earned special recognition in the Biosciences category of the Gauteng Accelerator Programme. The competition is aimed at tech entrepreneurs who develop technologies that can benefit the Gauteng, South African and African economies.
Awards and honours
Former Justice of the Constitutional Court Edwin Cameron (LLD honoris causa 2010) chatted to Dennis Davis about comparisons between the country’s responses to HIV/Aids and to the COVID-19 pandemic, its lack of adherence to a public health model during the pandemic, and “over-policing, securitisation and militarisation in South Africa”. He will deliver the Stetson University College of Law commencement address and be presented with an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from that university in May 2021.
At the 7th South African Medical Research Council Scientific Merit Awards held on 4 March 2021 Professor Linda-Gail Bekker (DTM&H 1992) and Professor Heather Zar (MBBCh 1985) received Platinum Medals. Professor Michèle Ramsay (PhD 1987) and Professor Karen Sliwa (DTM&H 1995, PhD 2001) received Gold Medals.
Carolyn Steyn (BA DA) received an honorary Global Impact Award from the Global African Awards on 24 March for making a positive impact in different parts of the world.
Professor Charles van Onselen was awarded the 2021 Academy of Science of South Africa Humanities Book Award for his book titled The Night Trains: Moving Mozambican Miners to and from South Africa, circ 1902-1955.
In memoriam
Alumni Relations extends condolences to family and friends of the following alumni: Ebrahim Kharsany (MCom 1971, MBA 1971), Sabelo Ngubeni (BA 2018, LLB 2020), Chris Mann (BA 1971) and Professor Christof Heyns (PhD 1992). See more here.