Bronwen Jones
The old academic slanging match between excellence and relevance took on a new form this week when a South African scientist condemned the new Academy of Science of South Africa (Assa) as “elitist and unrepresentative”.
Assa, launched this week as an initiative to unite South African scientists across ethnic lines, was lauded by Nobel Prize winners and scientific academies from around the world.
Until now, South Africa’s scientific community has been divided between the (white Anglo) Royal Society of South Africa, the (black) Science and Engineering Academy of South Africa (Seasa) and the (white Afrikaner) Suid- Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns. But Seasa chairman Dr Gordon Sibiya has issued a statement distancing himself from the new organisation, and denying earlier reports that Seasa had given its support to the formation of ASSA.
While Seasa represents some black scientists, it is primarily an educational body. In his statement Sibiya set out Seasa’s track record in providing science education to South African youth, an achievement acknowledged by Assa.
While Assa will, in the words of founder member Dr Reinhard Arndt, “be fearless in its principal mission to serve the community” it aims above all to harness the minds and energies of the most able practitioners of scientific thought in the country. Its closed, elected membership, common to science academies all over the world, appears to have drawn the charge of elitism from Sibiya.
Sibiya, a respected electrical consulting engineer, was invited to join Assa but declined. Had he joined, there would have been a higher percentage of black members, the lack of which he criticised. But for the past two years, Sibiya himself has been involved in the balloting procedure by which the founding members were selected. Sibiya was one of the five Temporary Nominations Committee members which shaped Assa as it now stands.
Khotso Mokhele (40) rocketed into the limelight, not only as the first president of Assa, but also as the new president of the Foundation for Research and Development.
The Bloemfontein-born microbiologist has specialised in studies of rock cod, mutant strains of Haemophilus influenzae, and biological controls to prevent plant disease.
Academies from around the world, came to pledge their loyalty at the inaugural meeting in Pretoria.
The previous South African academies and philosophical societies date back to 1825. Their co-existence was due to a society fragmented in its historical crucible. For now they will co-exist, but it is expected that in the end, only the academy will remain.