Wits University has welcomed Dr Judy Dlamini as their new chancellor.
One of Africa’s premier institutions of higher learning, Wits University, is proud to announce that they have installed Dr Judy Dlamini as their new chancellor. She is the first women in the history of the university to hold this position. She will be taking over the reins from the outgoing chancellor, former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke. Her installation was attended by honorary guests including Minister of Science and Technology Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubani, chair of the university’s council Dr Randall Carolissen and many others.
In her acceptance speech at her installation, she took a strong stand for women in leadership positions in South Africa. She stated that all institutions in the country need to recognise female leadership more and that failure to do so is abuse. Dlamini said, “Ignoring women’s contributions to different spheres of our lives, ignoring their talent, paying them less and refusing them leadership positions when deserved, is a form of abuse which is no less than killing. Eroding people’s dignity and their self-confidence is tantamount to killing their soul and dignity, which, in my view, is worse than physical abuse.”
She went on to say that South Africans need to fight gender supremacy and inequality with the same energy that was used to fight racial supremacy.
Dlamini, a medical doctor by profession, is also a business leader, philanthropist, entrepreneur and author. She is the founder and executive chairperson of the Mbekani Group. The group has operations and investments in pharmaceuticals, facilities and property management, tourism, surgical instruments management, and luxury fashion retail sectors. She is also the former chairperson of Aspen Pharmacare Limited and has served on the boards of Anglo American, Discovery Holdings and Woolworths. Her diverse skill sets and her multiple academic qualifications, university degrees and diplomas across disciplines has blessed her with the experience of working in different sectors of the economy.
The well-known gender equity advocate honoured women leaders such as her mother Rita Dlamini, Albertina Sisulu, Lillian Ngoyi and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela as her pillars of guidance and strength as she goes into her new role. She was reminded that Wits is a critical institution in nation-building and that her role will exceed beyond the walls of the University. Wits and South Africa are looking forward to seeing how she will influence the future from her new seat.
