If you’ve ever wondered who keeps the university’s complex daily rhythm flowing smoothly behind the scenes, meet Registrar Carol Crosley.
If you stepped into her office, you would find small clay art pieces, bright green plants along the windowsill, and wooden shelves holding small sculptures and figures that add a subtle artistry to the space. Photographs of friends and colleagues lined the room, alongside quieter moments of pride: her two sons, Jayson and Ryan Crosley. Moments frozen in time but alive with the bonds that have shaped her.
It’s 08:30 am, on Monday, August 31, and Carol’s day has already begun. She’s finishing a meeting with the deputy registrar, with emails and more meetings still ahead. In many ways, it was a normal day – except that it wasn’t. Some familiar touches are gone. The walls have been stripped naked of photographs, and the plants have disappeared. Instead, a September calendar sits unmarked on the desk. It is a quiet reminder of the month Crosley will no longer be coming to this office. This day, too, would be different. Letters introducing the university’s incoming registrar needed to be drafted, and goodbyes needed to be said to colleagues.
After almost three decades at Wits, Crosley was preparing to leave the university she had originally planned to spend only five years at. She had always believed in change. Before Wits, she moved between teaching and the corporate world, spending four years at Johnson & Johnson before returning to teaching. When she arrived at Wits, she was appointed head of functions and events in the Vice-Chancellor’s office.
Then came a venture she describes as her “baby”: the Student Enrollment Centre. At the time, the space was occupied by restaurants and ATMs. Crosley and her colleagues transformed it into a dedicated space where students could navigate enrollment, registration and the administrative business of becoming a Witsie.
When Carol started, the work was very different from today’s digital university. Applications were processed manually, with each offer typed, signed by hand and sent by post.
Crosley stayed because there was always something else to build. Over time, she rose from assistant registrar to deputy registrar, eventually serving as registrar for 12 years. She describes her role as guiding a student’s academic life-cycle: from application and registration to examinations and graduation – while quietly ensuring that the university’s rules, records and governance remain in order.
“Students who break the rules know exactly what the registrar does. If you have never been to the registrar’s office, then that is a good sign,” she says with a knowing smile.
During registration, when queues of anxious students stretched across the venue, Crosley did not remain behind an office door. Sershin Naicker, the Student Recruitment Manager who worked closely under her, remembers seeing Carol “walking the queues herself, speaking to students, answering questions and helping clear bottlenecks.”
For all her reputation as a hard taskmaster, there was another side to her leadership.
Ashleigh Davids, a Project Coordinator within the registrar’s division, recalls seeing Crosley help students who needed meals or somewhere to stay while trying to resolve their registration problems. Fahmida Abrahams, the Finance Manager for the registrar’s division, remembers bringing Crosley problems that seemed almost too strange to be true – like figuring out where a bank deposit of R23 million came from.
Nishi Sooful, General Manager for Communication and Publication, remembers Crosley arriving at work on crutches rather than taking sick leave. Mashudu Mafhenya, Manager at the Central Records Office, recounts her coming into campus as early as January 2, sometimes waiting for security to open the lifts. Sam Rangata, Head of the Academic Information and Systems Unit, reflects on Carol’s habit of visiting units after registration to personally thank staff.
Perhaps that is why Crosley chooses “perseverance” to describe her career. She calls herself disciplined, goal-oriented and serious about doing things properly. Her colleagues add their own words: integrity, courage, warmth, humility and care.
As Wits evolved, so did Carol. “When you’re young, I think you’re impatient, and you feel like you can change the world,” she says. She arrived with a clear sense of how things should be done, but learnt to loosen her grip on that certainty, understanding that different paths can lead to the same destination.
Somewhere between the rules, meetings and responsibilities is a woman whose happiest place, she says, is not really a place at all, but time spent with her sons and three siblings. Soon, she’ll relocate to the Western Cape to be closer to her sister and brother, trading the registrar’s routine for more time and fewer responsibilities.
On her final afternoon, the office no longer looked empty. Gift bags gathered with cake, cupcakes, and chocolates brought by colleagues across different departments. At 4:06 pm, Crosley was still on the phone with a colleague, laughing and promising to stay in touch. As she smiled, a tiny tear appeared at the corner of her eye. “It’s going to be hard to leave Wits,” she said, “but it’s also going to be very hard to leave my friends.”
She once imagined changing the world. She learned instead that sometimes the meaningful work is smaller: listening to someone, meeting a student and offering advice or pointing them in the right direction. If she could write one sentence to the next Registrar, it would be: “Trust your instincts.”
On her final day, Crosley did what she had done for nearly 30 years: She showed up. When asked how she hopes people remember her, she doesn’t mention the systems she changed or titles she held.
Members of Uthingo Lwamankosazana (Rainbow of Maidens) – the Wits society for young maidens – are preparing for Umkhosi Womhlanga, the annual Zulu reed dance ceremony honouring the king and celebrating maidenhood, while encouraging young women to embrace their cultural identities and traditions.
Uthingo Lwamankosazana aseWits prepares members for Umkhosi Womhlanga.
Students from different cultures celebrate their heritage together.
Members say young people are losing touch with tradition.
For some Wits students, preparing for Umkhosi Womhlanga, the annual Zulu reed dance ceremony set to take place September 5-6 2026, is about more than getting ready for a cultural ceremony: it is a chance to reconnect with traditions they fear young people are losing.
Uthingo Lwamankosazana is a society for maidens at Wits that brings together young women from different cultural backgrounds under the slogan ‘Maidens united in diversity.’ Second-year BCom Accounting student and chairperson Luthando Mdletshe said the society is not exclusively Zulu, and that women from any tribe are welcome to join. “We’re not just a Zulu maiden’s group,” she said.
For second-year BA Film and Television student Bulumko Ntluzo, who is Xhosa, being part of Uthingo has encouraged her to take pride in her own culture and traditions.
Umkhosi Womhlanga, held annually during the first or second week of spring every year, is a cultural festival in South Africa where tens of thousands of young women gather to celebrate womanhood and cultural identity. Members of Uthingo lwamankosazana pushed back on a common misconception that women who attend Umkhosi Womhlanga do so to be selected as wives.
Final-year BSc Astronomy and Astrophysics student Tania Nyanda said this, and other stereotypes have contributed to young people becoming disconnected from traditional practices. She said members attend the ceremony to pay their respects to the royal family and take part in prayer. Mdletshe described it instead as a celebration of ubuntombi (maidenhood), and a chance for maidens from different provinces to learn from one another.
An image of Uthingo Lwamankosazana at Umkhehlo Sanele Sithole
Uthingo Lwamankosazana members have been preparing for the ceremony through a ‘Siyaya eMhlangeni’ camp and amahubo, which are traditional song practices held on campus. Second-year Bachelor of Education Student Nosipho Makhalima said the camp prepares members by advising them on how to conduct themselves and reminding them of the significance of Umkhosi Womhlanga.
Beyond ceremony preparation, the society doubles as a support network for young women in their 20s, navigating university life away from home. Makhalima described it as a safe and educational space where members discuss issues around relationships, sexuality, and abstinence in line with the traditional values promoted by the society and at its centre is a sense of sisterhood.
Ntluzo said young women often become disconnected from their traditions once they arrive at university, driven by peer pressure and fear of appearing “too traditional.” She added that social media has also shifted young people’s attitudes towards culture.
As Uthingo Lwamankosazana members prepare for this year’s ceremony, Uthingo Lwamankosazana continues to give Wits students a space to engage with culture, support one another and hold on to tradition while navigating university life.
FEATURED IMAGE: An image of member of Uthingo Lwamankosazane by Sanele Sithole
“Solar Mind” innovation uses AI to detect changes affecting solar panels and improve electricity generation.
Ten university teams competed in the Tata Consultancy Services Sustainathon South Africa 2026 Grand Finale.
More than 1 200 registrations were recorded, with 65 submissions from students across more than 40 institutions.
Durban University of Technology’s, Still Lazy Tech team won the R30 000 top prize with Solar Mind, an intelligent MPPT system.
TCS Sustainathon competition winners celebrating on stage. Photo: Nqobile Mtshali
A solar system designed to maximise electricity generation, an app that detects water leaks and AI tools aimed at improving agriculture were among the solutions showcased at the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Sustainathon South Africa 2026 at the Radisson Blu, Sandton, on September 1.
The competition, themed “AI for Sustainable Futures”, challenged students to use technology to tackle problems linked to three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being, Quality Education, and Affordable and Clean Energy.
More than 1 200 registrations were recorded for this year’s competition, with 65 submissions from more than 40 institutions. Ten university teams progressed to the finale.
Tata Consultancy Services, has hosted the Sustainathon in South Africa since 2022, giving students a chance to use technology to solve problems they see around them.
This year’s R30 000 top prize went to Still Lazy Tech from Durban University of Technology (DUT) for Solar Mind, an intelligent Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) system. This system helps solar panels maximise electricity generation by continuously adjusting their operating point to capture the most power available under changing conditions. The team’s AI model identifies conditions that affect panel performance, such as when a building casts a shadow over a panel during part of the day.
Sipho Mokoena, a member of Still Lazy Tech, said the team wanted to create a more affordable solution.
“A lot of these big companies, when they make these imported devices, they build them for industrial applications. No one is really building it for the South African market,” Mokoena said.
The team faced challenges while developing the project,“Funding, and university politics mainly,” said Mokoena. So now, they are looking at securing more funding, pursuing a master’s programme and eventually patenting Solar Mind.
Prototype of AI powered waste management machine created by CO Coders Eco-Pulse, students from the University of Johannesburg. Photo: Nqobile Mtshali
Langa Dube, regional director at TCS, said the company continues to support students through mentorship, technical guidance and intellectual property support after the competition.
“We did not want it to end on the stage,” Dube said.
Dube said about five or six projects are currently at advanced stages of prototyping. Technical and intellectual property support is also extended to students who want to develop their ideas further.
The other finalists presented solutions focused on healthcare, mental health, water security, agriculture, renewable energy and waste management.
A viral social media claim that foreign nationals make up 98% of Wits staff has been rejected by the university, which says the actual figure is 9%.
Claims that Wits’ has foreign nationals make up 98% of Wits’ staff went viral on social media.
Wits dismissed these claims and said that the correct figure is 9%.
Wits further added that internet users should refrain from spreading information that aims to divide the country.
After trending on social media this past weekend, the University of Witwatersrand has dismissed the viral claims that 98% of its staff are foreign nationals. Wits went to Tik Tok, Twitter and Facebook to dismiss the claims, labelling it “Fake News” and stating that international staff make up 9%.
The list of names that circulated was a screenshot of one page from the Wits academic staff list. The screenshot showed names from a Wits academic staff list but contained no accompanying statistics on the nationality of the university’s staff. The university also warned that the false information could contribute to division within the country. In a response on social media, Wits said, “Please refrain from sharing misinformation which seeks to sow division in our community and our country.”
Wits Vuvuzela contacted the Communications department at the University of Witwatersrand for further comment and verification of the claims. In its response, the university confirmed that international staff account for 9% of its approximately 5500 employees. The department also reiterated its earlier statement that the social media posts are misinformation.
Wits said its objective is to balance the development of South African leadership with the recruitment of international expertise where necessary. “Our objective is therefore neither localisation nor internationalisation in isolation, but a strategically balanced institution that develops South African leadership while drawing on the very best expertise available globally, where necessary” Wits commented.
The claim comes amid renewed debate over the employment of foreign nationals in South Africa, including concerns raised by the March-and-March movement about undocumented migrants and employment.
However, it remains unclear where the 98% figure originated on social media and Wits has called on members of the public to refrain from sharing the claim as well as verifying information before circulating it.
FEATURED IMAGE: The Great Hall at the University of Witwatersrand. Image by Zebrena Ralph
A 12-year-old who never let go of her dream and is now a household name.
After two decades of chasing news, Chriselda Lewis is back in the classroom, now chasing assignment deadlines. Wits University was always her dream institution, but her parents could not afford to pay for the fees, so now she is paying her own way.
Born and bred in Mthata, Eastern Cape, where opportunities are scarce, Lewis was fortunate that her primary school came to her rescue.
“I was told that I was a shy kid; however, at the age of 12 years old there was a television scout that came to my school. My teacher selected me to become a children’s show presenter on Transkei Broadcasting Corporation.”
The moment she stood in front of the camera, she knew exactly what she wanted to be: “I liked the lights, I liked the camera, and I thought this is exactly what I’m going to become.”
Chriselda at the Drum Room, Wits Department. Photo: Dikeledi Ramabula
Lewis completed her undergraduate studies in 2002 at Border Technikon, now known as Walter Sisulu University. After completing her studies, she began her career as an intern at The Sowetan in 2003.
“Working at The Sowetan was very challenging, as it was where I applied everything I had learned in tertiary education. It was also exciting because I had the opportunity to work with veteran journalists who had worked during the apartheid era, such as John Dludlu,” she said.
‘While I may not remember the first story I worked on at The Sowetan, I do remember cracking my first big story in 2004. One of them was the kidnapping and murder of university student Leigh Matthews,” she says.
As her career progressed from The Sowetan, she went on to work at the South African Press Association, followed by Talk Radio 702, then the SABC, where she made her first television appearance on SABC Africa.
In 2023, Lewis won the Journalist of the Year award in the Television: In-Depth/ Features/ Interviews category. Other career highlights include her coverage of the fall of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, the Oscar Pistorius trial and reporting on the earthquake in Türkiye-Syria.
Lewis always wanted to return to school, but never got the opportunity because her work life is demanding:
“As I speak to you, I’m in Bloemfontein to cover the memorial service of the police officers whose bodies were found in the Hennops River. Due to workload and insane working hours, I just never thought I’d find the opportunity to go back to school”.
Lewis says despite having 22 years of experience in her field, it doesn’t hurt to equip herself with better skills so that one day she can be a leader in the newsroom, and to do so, she must equip herself with the necessary qualifications.
But being back in the classroom hasn’t been easy. “If you give me a report I can do it for you, if you want me on TV, I can do it. I’ve moved into a different terrain doing academic writings which is a scary process,” she says.
When asked to share wisdom for aspiring journalists, Chriselda says, “This is not child’s play! Journalism is hard work; it is long hours. You are not going to survive if you don’t love this job. You have to love what you do!”
FEATURED IMAGE: Chriselda Lewis standing outside of the Wits Centre for Journalism. Photo: Dikeledi Ramabula
Miss Universe 2019, Zozibini Tunzi, engages with Witsies in an online webinar series discussing topics of women empowerment, strong leadership and overcoming life’s challenges.(more…)
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, […]
