Wits University received an R8.8 million donation from one of its alumnus professors and his wife, a statement from the university said on 18 November.
The university’s senior communications officer Kemantha Govender issued a statement saying that Professor Aubrey Sheiham and his wife Dr Helena Sheiham have donated R8.8 million to Wits University to support Vice Chancellor Professor Adam Habib’s focus on addressing inequality.
“Despite the significant progress since democracy, South Africa remains one of the most unequal countries in the world,” the statement said. “While much of the research on inequality has focused on its link with poverty, what has been missing is an understanding of the political forces and social conditions that allow inequality to increase.”
First, funds will be used to enhance the skills and capacity of Wits staff to teach, research and develop policies on social determinants of health and health inequality. From 2016, the fund will support doctoral students in social epidemiology, advanced epidemiology and biostatistics. The couple has also pledged to donate more in their wills, so that the university’s research is sustained.
Professor Laetitia Rispel, head of the Wits School of Public Health, welcomed the gift. “At the end of September, a high-level UN meeting ratified the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” she explained. “These SDGs demonstrate the scale and ambition of this new universal agenda to eradicate poverty and to reduce the unacceptable health inequalities that continue to exist within and among countries. The donation will complement recent large grants obtained by the School of Public Health to build advanced biostatistics capacity in South Africa and the Africa region, and to commence the first post-graduate degree in implementation science in sub-Saharan Africa.”
The donation will also foster Wits’ links with other international universities in this field. “Inequality is a scourge worldwide but especially in South Africa,” said Prof Habib. He praised the Sheihams for their gift, adding “It shows us how concerned and caring individuals can make a profound commitment to research for a better future for South Africa.”
Professor Aubrey Sheiham is Emeritus Professor of Dental Public Health at University College London. Dr Helena Sheiham is co-director of the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science at the London School of Economics. Over the years, they have shown a strong commitment to issues of social good in South Africa and the UK.
