Directors

From left: Busisiwe, Jonas, King, Sibongiseni, Josias, Onica, Themba, Khanyisile, Patrick, Muhle, Vukile, Happiness.

The ASSIST is run by a dedicated team of undergraduate students at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

Featured

An enthusiastic, energetic, and driven fourth-year Chemical Engineering student, Busisiwe greatly values education for all. She has been involved with the ASSIST since her first year of study at Wits — first as a mathematics tutor, then as Learner Relations Director in 2016, before taking on her current role as Executive Director. She also conducts research on slow sand filtration systems for domestic use in an effort to address the challenges faced by water-scarce communities. She spends her spare time writing, reading, and singing.

Jonas Zibia | Vice Executive Director

Jonas is studying Education.

Muhle Mashale | Administrative Director

A second-year Accounting Sciences student, Muhle joined the ASSIST in his first year at Wits. He is a firm believer in joining motivation with empowerment, which is why he works so hard to serve disadvantaged youth.

Vukile Kamtala | Alternative Subjects Director

Passionate about linguistics and teaching, Vukile is studying towards a Bachelors degree in Education, with a specialization in teaching South African Sign Language and English. The ASSIST allows him to use his skills to uplift underprivileged communities. He first joined as an English tutor at the end of 2015 and is now in his second stint as Director of Alternative Subjects Curriculum.

Sibongiseni Mkhonta | English Curriculum Director

Josias Sekhebesa | Finances Director

A Mining Engineering student with a Wits Geology degree, Josias joined the ASSIST in 2016 and was subsequently named Learner's Choice Tutor of the Year. He truly enjoys spending time with young ones because they are the future of tomorrow; two years ago he founded a program at home that was inspired by the work of the ASSIST. Living by the principle that knowledge shared is knowledge multiplied, he seeks to share his experiences with younger generations in order to help them make their dreams come true.

Lucky Onica Mafa | Learner Relations Director

Studying Education, Lucky Onica joined the ASSIST during her first year at university. She initially tutored mathematics but displayed versatility in teaching English and natural science. She finds great joy in devoting her time to worthy causes, including serving as a First Year Experience Ambassador and part of the Emerging Leaders Programme. She also volunteers as a mathematics tutor in Soweto as a way to give back to her community, believing that if helping out another person takes nothing from your life or brings you no harm, then why not just do it?

King Kalima | Marketing & Public Relations Director

Happiness Klanisi | Mentorship Director

Defined by her own name, Happiness is a third-year Social Work student hailing from the rural Eastern Cape . Always displaying a positive outlook on life, she is part of leadership of the Social Work Student Association and the Sunnyside Residence Hall House Committee in addition to mentoring younger students. She joined the ASSIST in her second year at Wits as a tutor in mathematical literacy, business studies, and economics due to a desire to work with children and her personal understanding of the importance of assistance in life.

Sinethemba Msomi | Mathematics Curriculum Director

Khanyisile Vilakazi | Tutor Relations Director

Program Manager

Founders

From left: Patrick, Dennis, Ian, Harry Nakeng.

Dennis Zheng

A native of Granite Bay, Calif., Dennis studied History of Art and Architecture with a focus on architecture at Harvard College, where he also completed his premedical requirements. In his free time, Dennis served as Sports chair for The Harvard Crimson and spent four years reporting on men's basketball. A summer spent working with the Special Olympics South Africa inspired Dennis to return to Johannesburg after graduation to help found the ASSIST. Having graduated from the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, Dennis is now a general surgery resident physician at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Patrick Li
Patrick studied Psychology at Harvard College, where he also directed PBHA's Chinatown Afterschool Program, which provided academic mentoring to underserved elementary school children in Boston's Chinatown community. He combined this experience mentoring children with his love for basketball through the ASSIST. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, boxing, and of course, watching his beloved Boston Celtics. Patrick is now an internal medicine resident physician at New York University.

Ian Choe
Ian spent his undergraduate years at Harvard College as a student of Psychology. During his time there, he cultivated a wide range of interests, taking a year off to work at Samsung in Seoul, Korea and then at JYP Entertainment in New York, USA. He has loved basketball since he was two years old and has loved learning and education all his life. Ian has experience teaching/mentoring secondary school students in a classroom and has dunked a basketball on a regulation rim.