Prof Sitas is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Cape Town and an Honorary Professor at the University of Stellenbosch, with a PhD in Sociology from the University of the Witwatersrand (1984). A social scientist, poet, dramatist and musician, he held senior academic roles at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and UCT, and served as President of the South African Sociological Association and Vice-President for Programmes of the International Sociological Association. He was the principal author of the Charter for the Future of the Humanities and Social Sciences, and served as Chair of both the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences and the South African BRICS Think Tank. He was awarded the Order of Mapungubwe in Silver in 2019 for his contributions to social science, policy and creative work.