Minister Blade Nzimande on the passing of Professor Roseanne Diab

The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Blade Nzimande is deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Professor Roseanne Diab.

She was one of South Africa’s most distinguished scientists and served our country in a number of capacities.

Through her long service at the Academy of Sciences of South Africa (ASSAf) and other national scientific and academic bodies, she contributed to enhancing the quality of our country’s research and thereby strengthening South Africa’s science, technology, and innovation policy.

She was also a strong advocate for gender equality in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and because of this, she served as Director of GenderInSite and chaired the Gender Advisory Committee of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).

She contributed to science policy formulation in such areas as emerging and transformative technologies, environmental sustainability, and equity in higher education and is also widely recognised for her pioneering research in air quality, atmospheric pollution, and climate change.

Professor Diab’s passing constitutes an incalculable loss for our South Africa’s scientific and academic communities.

We will remember her as a committed scientist, scholar, academic and mentor, whose work greatly enhanced our country’s standing as an emerging and global leader in several important scientific fields.

On behalf of the Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation and all the Entities in our National System of Innovation, I wish to convey my heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Prof Diab.

Enquiries: 

Veli Mbele (Media Liaison Officer and Spokesperson to the Minister) 
Cell: 064 615 0644 
E-mail: Veli.Mbele@dsti.gov.za

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