Dr Judy Dlamini named the next Chancellor of Wits University

Dr Judy Dlamini has been elected as the next chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand.

Dlamini will take up her new post on December 1‚ replacing the current chancellor of Wits‚ former deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke who served two six-year terms as chancellor.

In a statement issued by Wits on Tuesday night‚ the university quoted her as saying that it was an honour and a pleasure to be elected as chancellor of Wits.

"I would like to thank convocation for its confidence in me. I look forward to working with all sectors of the Wits community‚" Dlamini said.

Dr Judy Dlamini is a qualified medical doctor, author, accomplished businesswoman with an MBA and PhD in business leadership. Taking charge of her own destiny and refusing to be held back by limitations has been her driving force. In her past she has worked in investment finance at a large global bank, holding various board positions at blue chip companies, including that of chairperson of the major pharmaceutical group Aspen Pharmacare.

Currently with her husband‚ Sizwe Nxasana‚ the chairperson of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme‚ she founded the Sifiso Learning Group‚ the holding company for Future Nation Schools. She also serves as the executive chairperson of the Mbekani Group.

Her doctorate, researching the impact of race, gender and social class on female CEOs in SA, was the inspiration for her book Equal but Different. On the book she is quoted as saying “It is easy to sell something you completely believe in, and that’s what I am selling; a conversation about gender equality. It’s a passion of mine that the book has allowed me to live.”

In an interview with the Sunday Times last week, Dlamini said that "I am passionate about education. There isn't a decade of my life that I haven't studied and I have studied at different universities in this country."

"I always say it's an honour to serve and whether I'm the chancellor of Wits or not‚ I will continue to serve because my purpose in life is to serve."