More than 3 300 students attended the university’s first Witsies Got Talent competition, where sold-out crowds, cheering audiences, and standout performances transformed the Great Hall into a celebration of student talent
Ntando Qangule won the competition and R30 000, followed by Zinhle Zonke Bhebhe with R20 000 and Luke Scrase with R10 000.
Singing, poetry, dance, and audience participation turned the finale into a celebration of student talent and campus life.
Cheers echoed across the Great Hall on Saturday evening as students chanted Ntando Qangule’s name before she had even stepped onto the stage.
Moments later, the third-year Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Performance student delivered the singing performance that would win her the first Witsies Got Talent title and R30 000 in prize money.
The grand finale, hosted by Campus Housing and Residence Life on May 9, brought together the competition’s top 12 finalists after 137 students initially entered.
Qangule, who said she had been feeling ill before the performance, credited feedback from judges in previous rounds for helping shape her final act. “Perform. You’re not just here to sing. We know you have a voice, but perform,” she said, recalling the advice she received during the competition.
Poet Zinhle Zonke Bhebhe placed second and received R20 000, while second-year LLB student Luke Scrase secured third place and R10 000 for his tap-dancing performance.
The top three winners of Witsies Got Talent 2026 pose with their prize cheques at the Great Hall on May 9. From left are third-place winner Luke Scrase, first-place winner Ntando Qangule and second-place winner Zinhle Bhebhe alongside sponsors and organisers. Photo: Asisipho Lynette Mpahleni
Students fill the Great Hall during the sold-out Witsies Got Talent grand finale hosted by Campus Housing and Residence Life. Photo: Asisipho Lynette Mpahleni
Hosts Simon Bopape (left) and Khayalethu Xaba engage the audience during the Witsies Got Talent grand finale at the Great Hall. Photo: Asisipho Lynette Mpahleni
From left are judges Dr Moloi, Thembisile Mathebula, Vuyolwethu Matiwane and Sibusiso Mkhize during the Witsies Got Talent grand finale at the Great Hall. Photo: Asisipho Lynette Mpahleni
The winner of the Wooden Mic Talent 2026, Promise Ntshudisane, known as Dese Ke Star, shakes judge Sibusiso Mkhize’s hand. Photo: Asisipho Lynette Mpahleni
One of the standout moments of the night came from Scrase’s tap dancing routine, which left judge Vuyolwethu Matiwane admitting that she had forgotten to write down a score because she was so captivated by the performance.
“Audiences are not always open-minded enough to appreciate something like tap… but the judges and the audience really got into it, and I could not be more grateful,” Scrase later told Wits Vuvuzela.
The finale featured performances from Angelic Voices of Buffness, Luke Scrase, Kira Attfield-Fuchs, Zinhle Zonke Bhebhe, Munei Nthai, Nandi Moyo, Asibonge Ntuli, Ogomotseng Gaonathebe, Dineo Modisane, Raiders 6, Cebisile Banda, and Ntando Qangule.
Audience participation remained high throughout the evening as students sang, danced, and competed for prizes handed out by hosts Simon Bopape and actor Khayalethu Xaba. Fourth-year BA Theatre and Performance student Asibonge Ntuli also received a standing ovation before she even began performing her original song.
Celebrity performances from Aymos, Soweto’s Finest, and Clemour Ngobeni added to the atmosphere as judges Dr Moloi, Vuyolwethu Matiwane, Thembisile Mathebula, and Sibusiso Mkhize evaluated performances ranging from singing and poetry to dance and visual art.
Campus Housing and Residence Life organiser, Mr Maphumulo, said the initiative aimed to create opportunities for students beyond the classroom.
“The talent show is critical because it addresses several issues, such as alternative entertainment, raises awareness about drug/alcohol free residence communities, and most of all, mental health. The show not only gives a platform but also allows students to have a healthy competition amongst themselves,” he said.
Promise Ntshudisane, known as Dese Ke Star, won the Wooden Mic Talent 2026 category, a comedy-focused category created mainly for entertainment.
Alongside cash prizes, finalists also received Pick n Pay vouchers, sponsored trips, and opportunities to perform at future university events.
As the crowd slowly emptied from the Great Hall, students were still replaying performances, singing lyrics, and debating their favourite acts from the night.
FEATURED IMAGE: Witsies Got Talent 2026 winners Luke Scrase, Ntando Qangule, and Zinhle Bhebhe pose with their prize cheques after the grand finale at the Great Hall. Photo: Asisipho Lynette Mpahleni
What does it mean for queer individuals to see themselves on screen, and who decides how their stories are told?
Queer visibility is rising, but control of stories remains a challenge.
Panellists argue that outsider narratives still reduce queer lives to stereotypes and trauma.
The queer is encouraged to tell their own stories, and for audiences to engage more critically with queer content.
At a panel hosted during the Human Rights Festival on March 28, filmmakers, writers, and journalists argued that while queer visibility in South African media has improved, control over those narratives remains contested.
The discussion was organised by documentary filmmaker and narrative justice activist Bev Palesa Ditsie. It brought together creatives, including scriptwriter and director Oratile Mogoje, journalist Matuba Mahlatjie, film writer and activist Mondi Motadi, and reality TV director Olwethu Mlotshwa.
While queer characters appear on screen, panellists stressed that visibility does not equal representation. The panellists emphasized that stories are still often shaped by people outside the community, resulting in portrayals that lean on trauma, stereotypes, or side characters rather than full, complex lives.
“Visibility also comes with vulnerability,” said Mahlatjie. “If it’s not done thoughtfully, then we are vulnerable as queer people.”
These portrayals, the panel argued, do more than misinform audiences as they also shape how queer people see themselves. Narratives that frame queerness as tragic or marginal can discourage self-expression, particularly for those still navigating their identities.
But the issue is not only about creators. Audiences’ response to queer characters determines which stories survive.
Mogoje pointed to a cycle where authentic queer stories struggle to gain traction because they are not always embraced by mainstream viewers. “The biggest culprit is the audience,” he said, sharing that rejection at this level can limit what gets funded and produced.
For queer creatives, this lack of control is deeply felt. “We are not in charge of our own stories,” said Mlotshwa, highlighting the resistance that often meets narratives that challenge dominant or heteronormative perspectives.
Despite these challenges, the panel pointed to emerging alternatives. Platforms such as YouTube help queer storytellers bypass traditional gatekeepers, creating space for more nuanced and self-defined narratives.
30 years into democracy, queer people are no longer invisible on South African screens. But as the discussion made clear, the question is no longer just about being seen; it is about being fairly represented and being in control.
The answer, panellists suggested, lies in shifting power where audiences question the stories that they consume, queer creatives are supported, and space is created for communities to tell their own stories, on their own terms.
FEATURED IMAGE: A photo of panellists engaging in a discussion on queer representation in film, hosted by House of Ditsie. Photo: Bev Ditsie/Supplied
As South Africa marked the 20th edition of the Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism on March 27, the spotlight fell on the country’s top investigative reporters. Behind these award-winning stories, however, lies a less visible reality of newsrooms that are under increasing financial pressure and struggling to sustain the very work being honoured.
Jeff Wicks, an investigative journalist at News24, walked away with R200 000, while fellow investigative journalists Pieter-Louis Myburgh of Daily Maverick, Daneel Knoetze of Viewfinder, and John Eligon of The New York Times were named runners-up, each receiving R75 000.
Their work continues to hold power to account and demonstrate the courage that defines South African journalism. But behind every award-winning story is a newsroom under strain as editors, fact-checkers and institutional support goes somewhat unacknowledged.:
The Taco Kuiper Award has long celebrated individual brilliance and reinforced the importance of watchdog journalism in a democratic society. But investigative reporting is rarely the work of one person alone. It depends on the resources, time and editorial guidance that only a newsroom can provide.
Across South Africa, publications are downsizing or closing, advertising revenue is shrinking, and journalists are stretched thinner than ever. For example, Media24, the parent of News24, began consultations in February 2026 to close City Press, placing around two dozen newsroom staff at risk as part of its ongoing restructuring. The 43-year-old publication, which shifted to a digital-only model in 2024, failed to meet commercial expectations. Even digital platforms like News24, which are often held up as success stories, survive by absorbing talent and resources from declining print operations rather than from stable and well-funded growth.
This raises a critical question: while journalists are rewarded for excellence, who supports the environments that make such work possible? Recognising individuals without addressing the structural conditions of their workplace risks overlooking the challenges that threaten the future of investigative journalism.
Awards like the Taco Kuiper could evolve to reflect this reality, not by replacing individual recognition, but by expanding it to include newsroom support. This could take the form of grants for investigative teams, mentorship programs for emerging journalists, or formal recognition of editors and fact-checkers who make such reporting possible.
Celebrating great journalism is important but so is sustaining it. As we applaud Jeff Wicks and his peers, we must also ask: who celebrates the newsrooms that make their stories possible? Without these institutions, the brilliance we honour risks being an exception rather than the norm.
Beyond funding debates, deeper structural flaws in South Africa’s health system are becoming a barrier to NHI implementation.
Governance failures are becoming one of the risks to the NHI’s success.
Experts highlight a disconnect between decision-makers and those delivering healthcare services.
Proposed reforms aim to strengthen accountability, limit political interference, and align funding with real service needs.
Wits University hosted a symposium on the future of the National Health Insurance (NHI) on March 26, where experts cautioned that without fixing systemic governance issues, the country’s healthcare reform could fail to achieve its goal.
Since the signing into law of the NHI in mid-2024, and a court order issued on 24 February 2026 that has affected its implementation, debate over whether the policy will succeed has intensified.
Supporters argue that healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and view the NHI as a mechanism to reduce inequality by pooling funds to ensure more equal access to quality healthcare services across public and private sectors. On the other hand, critics continue to question how the system will be funded and what trade-offs may be required to sustain it.
A graphic representation of South Africa’s National Health Insurance (NHI), illustrating its universal healthcare goal alongside debates on funding and recent legal developments. Photo: Asisipho Mpahleni
While public debate around the NHI has largely focused on issues of inequality and funding, speakers at the symposium emphasised governance as a more immediate threat to the success of the reform.
Experts such as Professor Alex van den Heever, who specialises in healthcare systems and financing, examined the deeper structural problems within South Africa’s health system, warning that without addressing these, the NHI could fail regardless of its funding model.
“You’ve got a governance misalignment… [where] responsibility, authority, accountability [are] set in different places,” said van den Heever, pointing to one of the key structural weaknesses in South Africa’s healthcare system.
He explained that this misalignment means that those responsible for delivering healthcare services often do not have the power to make key decisions, while those with decision-making authority are removed from the realities on the ground. This disconnect, he argued, leads to inefficiencies, weakens accountability, and slows down service delivery across the system.
While much of the discussion focused on systemic governance failures, human rights and social justice activist Mark Heywood, brought the conversation back to its human impact. “Health is not pausing while we are sorting out the healthcare system,” he said, emphasizing the urgency of addressing these challenges.
The discussion concluded with several proposals to address these challenges. These included strengthening the decision-making power at local health districts and hospitals, while also making sure strong local boards hold them accountable.
Furthermore, the process of choosing leaders should be changed so that politicians can’t easily capture or corrupt public health institutions and procurement. Experts also proposed fairer funding rules and better regulation of private medical schemes, so money follows real service needs and incentives reward good, cost-effective care.
FEATURED IMAGE: A graphic representation of South Africa’s National Health Insurance (NHI), illustrating its universal healthcare goal alongside debates on funding and recent legal developments. Photo: Asisipho Mpahleni
Since her announcement as the Democratic Alliance’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, Helen Zille has dominated national headlines. In this bonus episode of We Should Be Writing podcast, hosts Lulah Mapiye and Bonolo Mokonoto dissect a media meet-and-greet with the mayoral hopeful. From her extensive political résumé to her controversial public utterance, we examine why the Democratic Alliance has chosen Hellen Zille as their candidate for the 2027 local mayoral elections. Additionally, […]
