If there is an issue that incoming Wits Vice-Chancellor Professor Zeblon Vilakazi is looking to face and challenge head on, when he steps in next year, it will be inequality and exclusion, he said.

Professor Vilakazi was speaking to News24 on Friday afternoon after the institution's council announced on Thursday that he would become the university's 15th Vice-Chancellor, taking over from Professor Adam Habib.

Vilakazi said the university had gone a long way in taking steps towards increasing diversity and transformation, but it is still faced with challenges which would need to be worked on going into the next decade.

Although he has much planned, the professor, who is currently the Vice-Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Postgraduate Studies, said he is also anxious because every appointment comes with new challenges.

He said when his appointment was announced on Thursday, he immediately started thinking about what the future holds as he leads the institution towards a new decade.