List of award winners: South Africa Medal (Gold):

The list of recipients of the South Africa Medal, first awarded in 1908, reads like a who’s who of South African science. In twelve of the 105 years the medal was not awarded. In one exceptional case, namely the year 2005, two medals were awarded. Our records, particularly for the period 1970 to 1990, are not always complete as far as dates of birth (and where appropriate death) are concerned. Please help us to complete, and where necessary correct, the information.

Many of the award winners, particularly during the first half century, also served as President of the Association at one of its annual congresses. This is indicated by the letter “P” and the appropriate year in parentheses after the entry (a list of Presidents was published in the centenary edition of the Rudolf Marloth Brochure in 1902). An asterisk following a name indicates that a biography of the person has been compiled and included in the S2A3 Biographical database of southern African science. Biographical information on the more recent awardees, is published in the relevant year's Marloth Brochure.

1908 Dr Sir Arnold Theiler* (1867-1936) veterinary science (P 1912)
1909 Mr Harry Bolus* (1834-1911) botany
1910 Prof Sir John C Beattie* (1866-1946) physics (P 1928)
1911 Dr Louis A Péringuey* (1855-1924) entomology, archaeology
1912 Dr Alexander W Roberts* (1857-1938) astronomy (P 1913)
1913 Dr Arthur W Rogers* (1872-1946) geology (P 1922)
1914 Prof H W Rudolf Marloth* (1855-1931) botany, chemistry (P 1914)
1915 Mr Charles P Lounsbury* (1872-1955) entomology
1916 Dr Thomas R Sim* (1858-1938) botany, forestry
1917 Prof John D F Gilchrist* (1866-1926) zoology, marine biology (P 1923)
1918 Dr Robert T A Innes* (1861-1931) astronomy (P 1915)
1919 Dr James Moir* (1874-1929) chemistry, astronomy
1920 Dr Ernest Warren* (1871-1946) zoology
1921 Dr Sir Frederick S Lister (1876-1939) medical research
1922 Dr Illtyd B Pole Evans* (1879-1961) botany, mycology (P 1920)
1923 no award
1924 no award
1925 Prof Robert B Young* (1874-1949) geology
1926 no award
1927 Dr Annie Porter (1880-1963) parasitology
1928 Dr Henry H Green* (1885-1961) biochemistry, veterinary science
1929 Dr Robert Broom* (1866-1951) palaeontology (P 1933)
1930 Dr Alexander L du Toit* (1878-1948) geology (P 1934)
1931 Prof Harold B Fantham (1876-1937) zoology (P 1927)
1932 Prof John W Bews (1884-1938) botany (P 1931)
1933 Dr Adrianus Pijper (1886-1964) pathology (P 1943)
1934 Prof Petrus J du Toit* (1888-1967) zoology, veterinary science (P 1932)
1935 Dr Edwin P Phillips* (1882-1967) botany (P 1942)
1936 Dr John Hewitt* (1880-1961) zoology, archaeology
1937 Prof Cornelius G S de Villiers (1894-1978) genealogy (P 1940)
1938 Prof Percival R Kirby (1887-1970) history, musicology (P 1954)
1939 Prof Raymond A Dart (1893-1988) anatomy, physical anthropology (P 1953)
1940 Dr Austin Roberts* (1883-1948) mammalogy, ornithology
1941 Miss Dorothea F Bleek (1873-1948) ethnology, lexicography
1942 no award
1943 Dr Basil F J Schonland (1896-1972) physics (P 1952)
1944 Prof Clarence van Riet Lowe (1894-1956) archaeology (P 1950)
1945 Dr Keppel H Barnard (1887-1964) marine biology
1946 no award
1947 no award
1948 Dr Anthonie J T Janse (1877-1970) entomology
1949 Dr Gilles v d W de Kock* (1889-1973) veterinary science (P 1949)
1950 no award
1951 Dr Robert A Dyer (1900-1987) botany (P 1961)
1952 Dr Sidney H Skaife (1889-1976) entomology (P 1948)
1953 Prof Joseph Gillman (1907-1981) physiology, anatomy
1954 Prof Robert H Compton (1886-1979) botany (P 1957)
1955 Dr Botha de Meillon (1903-2000) entomology
1956 Dr Reginald F Lawrence (1897-1987) zoology
1957 Prof Matthew R Drennan (1885-1965) physical anthropology, human anatomy
1958 Margaret R B Levyns (1890-1975) botany
1959 Dr Albert J Hesse (1895-1987) entomology
1960 Dr S Meiring Naudé (1904-1985) physics (P 1956)
1961 Prof Frank L Warren (1905-1980) chemistry
1962 Dr Simon Biesheuvel (1908-1991) psychology (P 1963)
1963 Dr Ronald Elsdon-Dew (1909-1984) medical research (P 1959)
1964 Dr James E van der Plank (1908- ) plant pathology
1965 Prof Govert van Drimmelen* (1911-2003) veterinary science (P 1964)
1966 Dr Vivian F M Fitzsimons (1901-1975) herpetology
1967 Prof Phillip V Tobias, palaeo-anthropology
1968 no award
1969 Dr Charles Koch (1904-1970) entomology, ecology
1970 Dr Wilhelm O D M Neitz* (1906-1997) veterinary science
1971 Prof L H Ahrens (1918-1990) spectrochemistry, geochemistry
1972 Prof Frank R N Nabarro (1916- ) physics
1973 Dr Edna P Plumstead (1903-1989) geology, palaeobotany
1974 Prof J P Friedel Sellschop (1903-2002) physics
1975 no award
1976 Prof Adolf P G Söhnge (1913- ) geology
1977 Dr Leslie E W Codd (1908- ) botany
1978 Dr Eric C Halliday (1904-1996) physics
1979 Prof Wilhelm E Frahn (1926-1982) physics
1980 Prof T H Bothwell, iron metabolism in humans
1981 Prof Victor Pretorius, physical chemistry, chromatography
1982 Prof Daniel M Joubert (1928-1994) animal science
1983 Dr James H S Gear (1905-1994) medical research
1984 Dr W L Grant, engineering, uranium enrichment
1985 no award
1986 Dr Nico Stutterheim, concrete engineering
1987 Dr Frank J Hewitt, engineering research and advancement of science
1988 no award
1989 Prof Brian Warner, astronomy
1990 Dr Christoph F Garbers (1929- ) chemistry, advancement of science
1991 Prof Pieter N Stoker, physics
1992 Dr Reinhardt R Arndt, chemistry, advancement of science
1993 Prof George F R Ellis, applied mathematics
1994 Prof Michael C Kew, medical research
1995 Prof Cristopher F Cresswell (1933- ) plant physiology
1996 Dr David R Woods, microbiology
1997 Dr C K (Bob) Brain, palaeontology, prehistory
1998 Prof Johannes H van der Merwe, solid state physics
1999 Prof Peter E Cleaton-Jones, dental science
2000 Prof Kanti D Bhoola, pharmacology
2001 Prof Trevor M Lecher, physical chemistry, advancement of science
2002 Prof William F Harris, ophthalmic optics
2003 no award
2004 Prof Pieter S Steyn (1940- ) organic chemistry
2005 Prof Ralph Kirsch, internal medicine; and Prof Michael Wingfi eld, forest diseases
2006 Prof R Norman Owen-Smith, ecology, conservation biology
2007 Prof Wieland Gevers, medical research, advancement of science
2008 Prof Patrick G Eriksson (1952- ) geology
2009 Prof Richard M Cowling (1955- ) botany, nature conservation
2010 Prof Johannes van Staden (1939- ) botany
2011 Prof Casper J H Schutte (1934-2013), physical chemistry
2012 Prof Dan Joseph Stein (1962- ), neuroscience

The Pretoria Branch

The Pretoria Branch of S₂A₃ remains the only Branch of the Association. The branch’s function is to organize interesting lectures on a variety of scientific topics by persons well qualified in their specific fields. The lectures are generally held during the academic year at 17:15 on the first Wednesday of each month. The current venue is the Sci-Enza Science Centre, University of Pretoria. There is safe parking close to the venue. The Pretoria Branch also acts as host to the yearly awards ceremony that is held during November. The committee members of the Pretoria branch are:

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.