The family behind the Wits sports complex worth millions
The Zylstra family sees it as important to aid the lives of students who will go on to make a difference in the world.
A world-class sports complex worth R250m will, in a few years, be an addition to how Wits students see their lives positively impacted.
After it broke ground on the Wits Brian and Dorothy Zylstra Sports Complex, the institution spared no measure in showing how grateful they were to the forces behind this project, Zylstra family and Skye Foundation.
But who are the Zylstra family members and why was it so important to them to have their name associated with Wits and Wits sports?
Phil Zylstra, one of the children of Brian and Dorothy, spoke of his parents with great admiration. He shared that while studying at Wits, the pair, who were both from small towns, met. “Their years at the institution was transformational and Wits was the common thread in the passage of their lives,” said Phil.
His father was a proud Witsie (a name given those who attended Wits) whose life was transformed by his time on campus. When life finally saw that he leave Wits, a thankful Brian made sure to give back to it before he passed away about 11 year ago. Phil best describes his father as a humble man from a humble background, who – he does not think – would have in his wildest dreams imagined the coming together of this sports complex.
Dorothy is said to have enrolled at Wits when she was 17 years old and from then started a life-long love of learning that went well into her 70s. “She was more of a sports supporter than a participant though she did run the City2Surf , a popular race in Sydney, Australia and the last time she ran the race she was 70 years old.”
Phil described his mother’s first love as being art and literature. She brought into the family her appreciation and value for these two art forms. Sadly, she now has dementia, a disease Phil describes as a cruel blow, one that makes you lose what makes you special, your memories.
Phil and his siblings followed in their parents footsteps, also studying at Wits, a time, he said, ultimately prepared them in many ways for the challenges that life threw at them.
For the family, the greatest gift and privilege is education and for them the only way to make a difference is to find and help those who will change the world. Something they ensure happens through the Skye Foundation, an organisation established by Brian in 1995. It funds postgraduate students in any field of study. All the foundation looks for is excellence.
Today the foundation has joint scholarships with both Oxford and Cambridge Universities, as well as sports scholarships at Wits. They also have an honour scholarship programme at Wits and University of Cape Town which has seen 300 students be funded over the past 28 years.
Phil sees this sports complex as being a fitting tribute to their parents who have made a significant contribution to the university and wits sports, “My mother and father epitomise the sort of values the institution aims to instil in the students, being hard work, dedication and excellence.”
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