ASSAf Annual General Meeting 2020

In terms of its Constitution, it is mandatory for the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) to hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) where Council reports back to the ASSAf Members on its annual activities, strategies and annual financial statements and audits.

This year, the AGM was held virtually on 14 October 2020 and was attended by some 70 Members. Given the role that ASSAf Member, Prof Shabir Madi has played with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fact that at the time the country was entering Level 1 of lockdown, Prof Madhi was invited to give this year’s AGM keynote lecture. He was given the opportunity of the AGM to hear his views on the pandemic and where the country stands with respect to a vaccine and some of the public debates around these issues. His talk was titled, “The changing course of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa – hope or despair?”

Prof Madhi is a Professor of Vaccinology in the School of Pathology at the University of the Witwatersrand and Director of the world-renowned Medical Research Council Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit (VIDA). He is also the lead researcher on the COVID-19 vaccine trial that has started in South Africa,

The AGM is a valuable forum for Members to engage with the ASSAf leadership and it provides a vital discussion and information sharing platform. Members are entitled to ask questions and to raise for discussion any matter relevant to the business of the Academy. Although it is a formal meeting, it can also be a good opportunity to communicate with fellow Members.