Hoosen (Jerry) Coovadia was cited for his leading role as a paediatric immunologist and as a world authority in the field of paediatric HIV/AIDS. He has made a substantial contribution in the field of paediatric diseases, including definitive work on nephrosis in South African black children, also on malnutrition and immunity, and on measles, more particularly on the effect of Vitamin A supplementation on children with measles and other infections. He is internationally recognised for his groundbreaking research in HIV/AIDS transmission from mother to child. He also played a prominent role in the struggle for a democratic South Africa.

Brian Warner, originally from Sussex in the UK, became Distinguished Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Cape Town. He was cited for his distinguished career spanning some 40 years with a prodigious scientific output of over 300 scientific papers and 11 books. His book on Cataclysmic Variable Stars is considered as the “bible” in its field. He has made enormous contributions to society by serving on crucial councils. He is also known as an academic historian and is a world expert on William and John Herschel.