Governance Matters: A New Year Message from the WSG

Greetings WSG Staff, Students, and WSG Stakeholders,

As we step into 2026, we do so with pride, purpose, and profound appreciation for the year behind us. 2025 was a year of transformation, resilience, and remarkable achievement across every corner of the Wits School of Governance.

To our academic staff, thank you for your thought leadership and public engagement. Your expert commentary and research enriched national conversations on governance, policy, and development. Through media platforms, public dialogues, and scholarly publications, you helped translate complex ideas into accessible insights that shaped public understanding and informed decision-making.

To our students, congratulations on your milestones. We celebrate your academic success, as well as your commitment to the public service and ethical leadership. You are now part of a growing network of alumni making meaningful contributions across government, civil society, and the private sector.

To our executive education participants, we salute your dedication to lifelong learning. From short courses in Municipal Finance Management and Monitoring and Evaluation for Governance, to our flagship Executive Development Programme – Corporate Affairs, you embraced the challenge of upskilling in a rapidly changing world. Some of you joined us on our Global Immersion Trip to the University of Cambridge, connecting with international peers and expanding your strategic horizons.

To all our partners and stakeholders, including Wits Plus, thank you for walking this journey with us. Our collaboration has expanded access to executive education, bridging academic rigour with real-world relevance and ensuring that our programmes remain responsive to the needs of public sector leaders. Our new partnership with with UONGOZi, (Tanzania), University of Zambia, The International Institute of Social Studies (University of Leyden, Netherlands, University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership, and the University of Tokyo will see us delivering joint programmes that will cement our role as a truly global institution.

As we look ahead to 2026, we reaffirm our commitment to excellence, innovation, and impact. Together, we will continue to learn, connect, and deliver and build communities of practice, fostering peer learning, and empowering leaders to serve with integrity and vision. We will continue to invite practitioners such as senior policy and decision makers to deliver guest lectures in all our classes to bridge theory and practice.

Thank you for being part of the WSG community. We look forward to another year of growth, collaboration, and transformation.

Professor Themba Maseko