Zeblon Vilakazi facts for kids

Zeblon Zenzele Vilakazi is a very important scientist and leader in South Africa. He was born on 3 April 1969. Since 1 January 2021, he has been the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa. This means he is the main leader of the university.

Professor Vilakazi is a nuclear physicist. This type of scientist studies the tiny parts that make up atoms. Before becoming the head of Wits University, he was the Vice-Principal. He also helped lead the university's research and studies for students doing advanced degrees. Professor Vilakazi is also amazing at languages! He can speak French, German, Russian, Xhosa, Zulu, Siswati (which is his first language), Sesotho, Afrikaans, and English.

Early Life and Studies

Zeblon Vilakazi grew up in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, South Africa. He was the youngest of eight children in his family. His mother was a housewife, and his father ran a small shop in their community.

He was one of the first students from Africa to do his advanced research (called a PhD) at the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN). CERN is a very famous science lab in Geneva, Switzerland. After his PhD, he continued his research at CERN with a special fellowship.

His Career in Science

After finishing his studies at CERN, Professor Vilakazi came back to South Africa. He became a lecturer at the University of Cape Town. There, he played a big part in starting South Africa's first group to study very tiny particles. This group focused on a special part of a huge experiment at CERN called the CERN-ALICE experiment. This experiment uses the Large Hadron Collider to learn more about the universe.

In January 2014, Professor Vilakazi joined the University of the Witwatersrand. He started as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Postgraduate Affairs. This role meant he was in charge of all the research happening at the university. He also looked after students who were doing advanced studies. In April 2020, he was promoted to Vice-Principal. Then, in January 2021, he became the Vice-Chancellor and Principal.

Professor Vilakazi is highly respected in the world of science. He is a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences. This means he is recognized as a top scientist by an important group in Africa. In May 2022, he was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very old and famous scientific group in the United Kingdom.