Wits Calls 98% Foreign Staff Claim Fake News, Says Only 9% Are International

• Wits University dismissed viral claims that foreigners make up the vast majority of its staff as fake news
• The university stated that international employees account for only 9% of its total workforce
• South Africans questioned the figure online, with some sharing personal experiences

The University of the Witwatersrand pushed back against a viral social media claim on 30 August 2026. The post, which spread widely online, alleged that 98% of Wits staff were foreigners. The university called it outright fake news.

In a Facebook post, Wits confirmed that international staff make up just 9% of its workforce. The institution urged the public to stop spreading misinformation that, in its words, "seeks to sow division in our community and our country."

Wits also addressed its approach to hiring, stating that its internationalisation strategy does not come at the cost of transformation or local talent development. The university described its goal as maintaining a strategically balanced institution that develops South African leadership while drawing on the very best expertise available globally, where necessary.

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What national data shows

The Wits response comes against a backdrop of ongoing national debate about hiring practices at South African universities. Data presented to Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training shows that foreign academics make up between 7.1% and 7.7% of staff across reporting public universities in the country. Wits's stated figure of 9% sits slightly above that national range but is far below the 98% being shared online.

The wider conversation touches on concerns about local graduate employment, critical skills shortages, and how universities balance global recruitment with local transformation mandates.

South Africans respond with scepticism

Not everyone accepted the university's 9% figure at face value. Commenters on the Wits Facebook post shared a range of reactions, with some drawing on personal experience to challenge the numbers.

@Mare Mountain wrote:

"Compare that 9% with other international universities such as Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, Peking University and Tsinghua University in China, and Lomonosov Moscow State University in Russia. You will NOT find that 9% anywhere in the world."

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@Isabella Schoeman Greeff said:

"In the school where I worked, it was 50% of academic staff."

@Sechaba Taunyane added historical context:

"In 2014, when I attended a debate between Prof. Habib and Mzwanele Manyi on transformation, the good professor indicated at that time Wits had 34% foreign staff."

@Happy Ngema Sthuli SaseNgweni kept it simple:

"There is no smoke without fire."

@Osphayo Manqele challenged Wits to be more transparent:

"Give us the list, we will calculate."

@Ntladi Matseke Precious called for official oversight:

"I think the DHET should pay them a nice visit tomorrow, and where there's a smoke definitely there's 🔥🤞"

See the Facebook post below:

More on Wits University

• Briefly News recently reported that Wits University study found that a different HIV treatment caused less weight gain than the standard option after a 48-week trial.
• Wits University researchers achieved a world-first breakthrough that could change how wireless data is transmitted over long distances.
• A Wits PhD candidate is heading to MIT and Harvard after securing a prestigious scholarship for research that could benefit millions across Africa.

Source: Briefly News