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Support for Professor Glenda Gray

- Wits University

Statement of Support for Professor Glenda Gray and the Principle of Academic Freedom of Speech.

Professor Glenda Gray, Full Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences, has pioneered advances in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, which has saved thousands of lives. She is an alumna of Wits Medical School and established the Wits Perinatal HIV Research Unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in 1996. She has been awareded South Africa's highest honor, the Order of Mapungubwe (Silver); and in 2017 TIME Magazine named Professor Gray among the top 100 most influential people in the world.

She is an NRF A-rated scientist, CEO and President of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and involved in HIV vaccine research.

Professor Glenda Gray

Statement of Support for Professor Glenda Gray and the Principle of Academic Freedom of Speech:

“As scientists, academics and policy experts, we are committed to being part of the complex policy response and debate on dealing with the epidemic of SARS-CoV-2 (the cause of COVID-19) in South Africa. We recognize that it is impossible to have perfected the response to the epidemic, but course correction should be rapid and not defensive. With that in mind, we condemn the specific threat made against Professor Glenda Gray for expressing her opinion in public, which is totally out of step with the public pronouncements made by the President, welcoming criticism. We uphold the right to academic freedom of speech, and call on the South African government to engage openly with alternate views, and for all of us to urgently work towards constructive solutions regarding policy, in the interests of the country"

Current signatures (alphabetic order): (note, this list was assembled on Saturday evening, and finalised at 6.45 pm; additional names may be added)

  • The Wits Senate Academic Freedom Committee (SAFC):
    • Associate Professor S Laryea (Chairperson)
    • Professor M Byrne (Senate representative)
    • Professor J Dugard (Senate Representative) 
    • Dr B Johnson (Acting Director: Transformation Office)
    • Professor E Sideras-Haddad (Senate Representative)
    • Mr A MyIchreest (Legal Office Representative) 
    • Professor R Osman (DVC: Academic and Vice-Principal)
    • Dr T Augustine (Academic Staff Member)
    • Adjunct Professor F Cachalia (Academic Staff Member)

 

  • Professor Cathi Albertyn, School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Professor Lucy Allais, Professor of Philosophy, University of the Witwatersrand, Henry Alison chair of the History of Philosophy, UCS
  • Professor Linda-Gail Bekker, Director, Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, University of Cape Town
  • Dr Duanne Blaauw, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Professor Keith Breckenridge, WISER, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Professor Catherine Burns, Associate Professor of Medical History; Adler Museum of Medicine; Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Professor Nithaya Chetty, Dean, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Professor Usuf Chikte, Emeritus Professor, Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University
  • Professor Jason Cohen, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Dr Francesca Conradie, Clinical HIV Research Unit, University of Witwatersrand
  • Dr Aslam Dasoo, Progressive Health Forum
  • Prof Joel Dave, Head of Division of Endocrinology, University of Cape Town
  • Professor Ames Dhai, Professor of Bioethics, University of Witwatersrand
  • Professor David Everatt, Wits School of Government, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Dr Dean Gopalan, President Critical Care Society of South Africa
  • Professor Adam Habib, Vice Chancellor, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Professor Shireen Hassim, WISER, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Professor Ian Jandrell, Dean, Faculty of Engineering the the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Professor Bavesh Kana, Personal Professor, Wits University
  • Professor Kathy Kahn, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Professor Uma Kollamparambil, Head, School of Economics and Finance, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Professor Naomi Levitt, Emeritus Professor of Endocrinolgy, University of Cape Town
  • Professor Gary Maartens, Head of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Cape Town
  • Professor Shabir Madhi, Professor of Vaccinology and Director of the MRC Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Dr Gloria Maimela, Director: Health Programmes, Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Dr Moeketsi Mathe, private practice, lecturer, University of Witwatersrand
  • Professor Marc Mendelson, Head of Division of Infectious Diseases & HIV Medicine, University of Cape Town
  • Prof James McIntyre, School of Public Health & Family Medicine, University of Cape Town
  • Professor Shaheen Mehtar, Emeritus Professor, Stellenbosch University
  • Professor Mike Morris, Economics, University of Cape Town
  • Dr Jeremy Nel, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Professor Ntobeko Ntusi, Head of Medicine, University of Cape Town
  • Dr Regina Osih, Senior Technical Expert, Aurum Institute
  • Prof Peter Raubenheimer Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town
  • Dr Haroun Rhemtula, Head of Clinical Unit and Head of Obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, CMJAH and University of the Witwatersrand
  • Professor Guy Richards, Emeritus Professor, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Mr Fana Sibanyoni, Chief Operations Officer, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Professor Mark Sonderup, Division of Hepatology, University of Cape Town
  • Professor Jantjie Taljaard, Head of Divison of Infectious Diseases, University of Stellenbosch
  • Professor Steven Tollman, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Prof Imraan Valodia, Dean, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Professor Alex Van Den Heever, Chair in the field of Social Security at the Wits School of Governance
  • Professor Martin Veller, Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand
  • Professor Francois Venter, Ezintsha, sub-division of Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Prof Zeblon Vilakazi, DVC Research, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Professor Jimmy Volmink, Dean Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch university
  • Professor Sean Wasserman, Infectious Diseases. Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town
  • Prof Nicola Wearne, Division of Nephrology, University of Cape Town
  • Professor Edward Webster, Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Professor Robin Wood, Director, Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, University of Cape Town
  • Dr Adrienne Wulfsohn, Emergency and Disaster Medicine, KZN

Correspondence to Professor Francois Venter, fventer@wrhi.ac.za, venter.francois@gmail.com 

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