Servant leader: Salim Abdool Karim says he serves on the ministerial advisory committee on Covid-19 because he loves doing it and he sees it as his duty. (Madelene Cronjé/M&G)
Engineering was your first choice. What motivated you to pursue a career in science and medicine instead?
I was heavily influenced by my physics and mathematics teachers in high school, and I did well in both subjects. They inculcated a curiosity in me to explore and understand the world.
I felt it [was] a good fit for me to study engineering, but due to my poor background, there was a lack of funding for university studies. Despite applying at several companies, I couldn’t secure financing.
In 1978 I went to the University of Durban Westville and started attending classes for three days in engineering [Karim laughs], just like that. But on the third day, I was offered a scholarship and started my studies in medicine at the University of Natal. It was a good decision, and I never looked back.
In my third year of medical studies, I also enrolled at Unisa for a computer science diploma because I felt I needed to do something more. I subsequently obtained a diploma in data matrix.
How would you describe your responsibility of leading the ministerial advisory committee on the Covid-19 pandemic?
I ensure that I read and learn enough about this virus and provide the best scientific advice that I can. I’m not looking for promotion, I don’t work for the government and, importantly, I’m not trying to please anybody. I do this because I love doing it and because I want to do it. I see it as my duty. Although he might not always like what he hears, the minister wants to hear what I have to say.
It’s an honour for me to lead the committee I work with because they are committed and hardworking, despite not receiving any remuneration. I always think carefully about what I do and say, because I want to minimise the errors. Who would have guessed we’d have a new variant spreading so much faster in the second wave? Not me, I can tell you that much! It’s so uncertain, and things are changing all the time.
Is South Africa capable of developing its own Covid-19 vaccine, and why has this not been done?
We do have the capability to produce a vaccine. My colleagues, including Professor Lynn Morris, wrote an article in which they confirm that we can produce a vaccine. They do make coronavirus vaccines for animals, because it also affects animals. The trouble is we don’t have a facility that makes it to the standards required for a human vaccine.
I consider that to be one of the areas where I should have done better. I should have fought harder for South Africa to develop a vaccine. I was, however, not convinced that a vaccine could be made in that time frame. But now that I’ve seen other vaccines’ success, I realise that we should’ve made our own. It’s too late now: I can’t cry over spilt milk.
Professor “Slim”When this issue was raised with me between June and July last year, I should’ve encouraged and helped the government raise money to start working on the vaccine. Although it’s not entirely my fault, I do shoulder some of the responsibility.
Some argue that your nickname ‘Slim’ refers to your level of intelligence. Is there another story behind the name?
I got the nickname when I was in standard 8 (grade 10) from my Afrikaans teacher. I didn’t like Afrikaans, and I used to be quite cheeky in class. One day she said to me: “Jy dink jy is slim”, which in English means, “you think you are clever”. My correct name is Salim and if you drop the “a”, it becomes “Slim”. So, because I was clever at school, and the teacher’s words always stuck with me, my two-syllable name became one. [Karim laughs].
In 2020 you and your wife, Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim, received the John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award. You often work side by side in research. How would you describe this marriage and partnership?
We just celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary. Our offices are next to each at work, and we share a secretary, who plans both our diaries. She is an amazing scientist in her own right, and my children think she is the better scientist, which I agree with. We often do our research independently, but at least half of it [our research] is done together. Our combined studies have been far more valuable and important than the research we have done separately. I think it’s just a question of good chemistry. Our children have always been exposed to science, even at the dinner table.
How do you juggle your responsibilities at different universities and find time to relax and spend time with your family?
I’m currently a professor of global health at Columbia University, an adjunct professor of medicine at Cornell University and an adjunct professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard University. I spend two to three months in America, and I balance my time between South Africa and the United States to ensure that there’s enough family time. We love to take walks on the beach and enjoy watching movies. My children love to cook, and that’s also when we listen to music and have three-hour-long lunches. It’s about drawing on that social contact.
Professor Salim Abdool Karim
Speaking of listening to music while cooking, what is your favourite music genre?
I grew up in the era of songs like Papa was a Rollin’ Stone and artists like Smokey Robinson. My preference is Motown and old school songs like Rumours by Fleetwood Mac and any song by The Temptations. I love to listen to lighthearted old school songs. One of my favourite feel-good songs by The Temptations is My Girl [Karim starts singing] … I appreciate the beautiful things in life, including good food and music.
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