Wits Theatre launches Pitso Ya Kalaneng 雷速体育_雷速体育直播 Festival
- Wits University
The Wits Theatre complex opens its doors to this student-led festival taking place from 06 to 10 February.
Wits Theatre is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and has relaunched its annual Orientation Week festival, initiated by Wits Theatre staff.
The festival seeks to facilitate collaboration and creative exchange within the Wits School of Arts with other performing arts institutions in the Gauteng province.
The Pitso Ya Kalaneng Festival will transform Wits East Campus into a cultural and creative hub, celebrating student talent and the performing arts. “The Pitso Ya Kalaneng festival contributes to a holistic student experience. The festival launch also provides an opportunity for friends of the Arts to join us in recognising four decades of the Wits Theatre. The event was conceptualised and organised by Wits Theatre staff, some of whom are Wits alumni, who observed the devastating impact of the 雷速体育_雷速体育直播 pandemic on theatres. The Wits Theatre remains an important hub in our arts and culture precinct,” said Prof René Smith of the Wits School of Arts.
Event organiser and Wits alumna, Lerato Sekele, explains: “Audiences can look forward to productions that profile student works from the Wits School of Arts, AFDA, Tshwane University of Technology, The Market Theatre Lab and Drama for Life, and reignite connections with alumni and special guests.”
Highlights of the Pitso Ya Kalaneng Festival include: 12 Theatre Productions, showcasing student talent; student film screenings; Digital Gaming Stations from student developers; a fine art exhibition of student works and Foyer Flavour Jam sessions. The Pitso Ya Kalaneng Concertfeatures Mashabela Galane, Jed Eye, Liso The Musician, Pertunia Msani, Leon John and iPhupho L’Ka Biko.
Entrances for visitors, theatre patrons and guests:
For day time shows – all visitors should park at the visitors parking on Yale Road at the Planetarium
Station Street Entrance & Solomon Mahlangu visitors parking will only be available from 17h00 onwards
For high schools coming to attend – all schools should report to Wits University an hour before the show, park busses at the visitors parking at the Planetarium and may their way to the Wits Theatre
For visitors on foot, please use the Sutton Close Entrance, to scan your ID and make your way to the Wits Theatre
For Uber drop off – please use Sutton Close Entrance, to scan your ID and make your way to the Wits Theatre
Vistors are advised to have their ID’s on hand when coming to the Festival to watch shows
For visitors driving they will have to present their drivers licence at the entrance for scanning
Wits welcomes freshers to embrace new academic chapter
- Wits University
Wits University officially welcomed 6 300 first-year students to its campus during the annual Welcome Day event.
The new Witsies were accompanied by their families for their final send off to start a new chapter in their academic journey. This annual introductory celebration showcased the vibrant Wits culture of spirited singing and dancing passed down through the decades.
Welcome Day traditionally serves to communicate the vision and ethos of the University as well as offer advice to new students as they embark on their academic journey.
Wits received over 140 000 applications from eager learners across the country. Those who excelled, secured their spots among the country's intellectual elite at one of the best institutions in Africa.
The Dean of 雷速体育_雷速体育直播 Affairs, Jerome September, took to the stage to congratulate the first-years who gathered at the Digs Field on main campus. "This is going to be an incredible journey for you. I hope you appreciate the privilege that you got to sit at a world-class university, having come through the front door,” said September.
In his welcome speech, the Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, congratulated the newcomers for selecting a university known for its intellectual rigor.
“What makes Wits truly exceptional is not only its rich history but also its legacy of excellence in academia. As we recently celebrated our centenary, we reflected on a hundred years of innovation, scholarship, and impact,” said Vilakazi. He also highlighted Wits' commitment to creating a safer environment in and around the campus.
“Through JoziMyJozi, Wits is partnering with industry and local stakeholders to breathe new life into Braamfontein and its surrounding areas. Our goal is to create a vibrant, inclusive, and safe environment where students, faculty, staff, and residents alike can study, work, and play without fear or hesitation.”
雷速体育_雷速体育直播s and guests were welcomed by an array of academics and change-makers from the Wits leadership. Mr. Isaac Shongwe, the Chairperson of the Wits Council, commended students for choosing Wits.
“I assure you that you have chosen well. By choosing Wits, you are entering a lively, challenging, diverse and very warm and exciting community,” said Shongwe, calling students to action to be the leaders of tomorrow to change the world.
Dr Judy Dlamini, whose role as Wits Chancellor is to serve as the moral compass of the University, encouraged new Witsies to give it their best.
“Education is everything, it allows you to pivot, but for you to be able to pivot, the marks matter. From day one, give it your best. Align yourself with people who take their studies as seriously,” said Dlamini.
The Chancellor’s speech was followed by the Wits SRC President Bukisa Boniswa who, like speakers ahead of her, hailed the newbies for making it to Wits. She also outlined some of the SRC’s fight against gender-based violence and financial exclusion, and encouraged students to approach the SRC leaders for assistance with regards to their university experience.
Guest speaker Nonkululeko Pitje, a Wits Alumnus and the Chief Executive Officer of Discovery Corporate and Employee Benefits, spoke on the importance of giving yourself 10 000 hours and chances to get it right.
"Understand the concept of opportunity using the art of play in this new playground called Wits. It's a playground where you should not stand on the sidelines; it will challenge you from various perspectives in education, sports, and social life, providing abundant opportunities for you to embrace who you are becoming,” said Pitje.
The journey to success and excellence for first-years continues with the Gateway to Success program from Monday, 29 January to Friday 9 February. It is a compulsory two-week program integrating academic content, skills development, student life, health and wellness, and orientation into Wits
Final curtain call for Targeting Talent Programme
- Wits University
The Programme celebrates a remarkable 16 years of excellence.
After 16 years of outstanding mentorship and learner support, the transformative Targeting Talent Programme (TTP) bowed out with a sensational record on academic and psychosocial support for learners.
Alumni and staff gathered to celebrate and reflect on TTP’s success as well as to honour Professor Loyiso Nongxa, credited as the vision behind TTP. He conceptualised, helped to establish, and supported the programme from inception to date.
Nongxa’s dream for TTP was informed by his childhood when South African education had been a separatist system that undermined the talent of black and African learners by robbing them of opportunities.
“All of us are born with a talent that is latent within us, that should be provided an environment in which to blossom” said Nongxa. “Irrespective of someone’s socioeconomic background, people can succeed if given the opportunity.”
Targeting Talent set out to empower learners from disadvantaged communities by giving them the opportunity to not only dream about accessing tertiary education, but to equip them with the skills to thrive in university and life.
Over the past 16 years, the programme graduated 3 493 students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have gone on to be exceptional in their respective careers. TTP identified high school learners with strong academic potential from disadvantaged communities across the country, nurtured and supported them throughout their Senior Phase of high school (Grades 10 to 12), focusing on mathematics, sciences, social sciences, and finance clusters of subjects.
The two-week residential enrichment programme took place annually from 2007 to 2023. The holistic programme included teacher support workshops as well as community involvement to support the success of the learners.
“I am proud to say I am a product of TTP,” said Lenox Baloyi. “Where I am today, what I studied, what I have achieved, is because of this programme. Thanks to TTP, I managed to step out of my shell and overcome my victim mentality.”
Baloyi is a TTP alumnus who joined the programme in 2018 as a shy young man from an under- resourced school in rural Limpopo. Today he holds a double major in Computer Science and Finance from Wits University and works as an investment banker.
The programme boasts a 94% access rate to university since it was established. TTP learners accessed the top universities in South Africa in either their first or second choice programme. "We would like to send our deepest gratitude to our funders without who none of this would have been possible", said Zena Richards Director of 雷速体育_雷速体育直播 Equity and Talent Management Unit (SETMU) at Wits.
A special thank you to our funders
The TTP was successfully launched in 2007, with a cohort of 267 grade 10 learners and 46 of their educators. The learners and educators were from 41 schools across three provinces, namely Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga, funded by Goldman Sachs and the Telkom Foundation.
For the 2010 intake, the TTP was jointly funded by Beyond Petroleum South Africa (Pty) (BP SA) and the South African National Roads Agency (Pty) (SANRAL) for the period 2010–2012. A total of 191 learners from three provinces, namely Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga, completed the programme.
During the same period, 94 learners funded by the Limpopo Department of Education successfully completed the programme. The cohort of learners were from Limpopo Province.
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) commenced their funding period from 2011 to 2016; DST funded 830 learners in the programme. The cohorts of learners were from all the nine provinces in South Africa.
In 2013, the BP South Africa Education Foundation Trust (BPSAEFT) independently funded learners from 2013 to 2022. BPSAEFT has funded 1328 learners, having completed their funding cycle in October 2020. Funded learners were from three provinces, namely Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga.
The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) commenced their funding for the TTP in 2011 with 21 learners from Limpopo. In 2015, the IDC re-invested in the programme and funded 47 learners from eight provinces. The cohorts of learners were from all provinces in South Africa except the Western Cape.
SANRAL independently funded a cohort of 49 learners from 2013 to 2015. The 49 learners were from three provinces, namely Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga.
In 2016, the Manufacturing, Engineering, and Related SETA (merSETA) funded 23 learners, who completed the programme in June 2018. The 23 learners were from three provinces, namely Gauteng, and Limpopo.
In 2017, PRIMEDIA and Standard Bank funded 17 and 47 learners, respectively. These learners completed the programme in June 2019. These learners were from Gauteng, Mpumalanga, the Free State, and the North West provinces.
In 2018, the African Explosives and Chemical Industries (AECI) funded nine learners. These learners completed the programme in October 2020. The funded learners were from the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga.
In 2019, the Education, Training, and Development Practices (ETDP) funded 99 learners. These learners completed the programme in August 2021. In 2021 and 2022, the ETDP SETA reinvested to fund a further 80 learners. Thus far, the ETDP SETA has funded 257 learners since 2019. Their funding cycle ends in 2023. The cohorts of learners were/are from Limpopo Province.
In 2021, Assmang and Boleng started their funding cycle and funded 50 learners. They reinvested to fund a further ten learners. Thus far, the Assmang-Boleng Trust has funded 60 learners. Their funding cycle ends in 2023. The cohort of learners are from the Northern Cape province.
In 2021, Cell C funded 60 learners. They reinvested to fund a further 14 learners. Thus far, Cell C has funded 74 learners since 2021. Their funding cycle ends in 2023. The cohorts of learners are from all provinces in South Africa except the East.
