Struggle veteran Jerry Coovadia dies

Leading scientist, HIV/Aids expert and longstanding activist Prof Hoosen Mahomed “Jerry” Coovadia died on Wednesday at the age of 83.   

President Cyril Ramaphosa, on behalf of the government and the nation, offered his condolences to Coovadia’s wife, Dr Zubeida Hamed, his son, Prof Imraan Coovadia, and daughter, Dr Anuschka Coovadia.   

“Jerry Coovadia was an outstanding scientist and committed anti-apartheid campaigner who dedicated himself to our liberation struggle,” said Ramaphosa.

Coovadia  was concerned about the physical wellbeing and social inclusion of people all over the world through his mission as a scientist and architect of public health policies, said Ramaphosa.

“His pioneering, globally acclaimed research into mother-to-child transmission of HIV has rendered an immeasurable legacy to humanity in terms of which people living with HIV are able to live long and healthy lives, subject to early detection and access to treatment.”

The Coovadia family said: “We were blessed to have him at our side — in tough and challenging times. We had the privilege of his wisdom, his words of encouragement and his mentorship.

“His frankness and depth of intellect have shaped our careers and commitment  to social justice. Jerry was an extraordinary human being, unwavering in his commitment to serve humanity.”

They said Coovadia was one of SA’s foremost intellectuals. Commitment to social justice, equity and fairness were central to his core beliefs.

“Beyond his science work he fought tirelessly against the cruel apartheid system and was forthright in his criticism of any form of corruption. His everlasting legacy was a principled one founded on his core beliefs of justice, fairness and equity for all.” 

Prof Salim Abdool Karim, director at the Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in SA, said SA has lost one of its greatest medical scientists, paediatricians and champions for freedom and justice.

“Quarraisha [Karim’s wife] and I were mentored by him. He was an unparalleled intellect and never compromised on anything less than world-class excellence. He supervised both our PhDs during which he had a major influence on our research, forcing us repeatedly to push the boundaries of knowledge. As a mentor to us and his many other students, he leaves a legacy to science and service to humanity,” said Karim.

Coovadia graduated from Grant Medical College, University of Bombay, with an MBBS degree in 1965.

There, he became politically active, and was instrumental in forming a political body called the SA Students Association. In the 1980s, he was also involved in the United Democratic Front and an executive member of the National Medical and Dental Association, which was  established by progressive doctors .

In the 1980s, he was a member a delegation that met the ANC in Lusaka before the organisation was unbanned. He took part in preliminary discussions and negotiations at the Congress for a Democratic SA. The apartheid regime targeted Coovadia for his political activities. His house was bombed during the political turbulence in the early 1990s.

He specialised in paediatrics at the University of Natal and became a fellow of the College of Paediatricians at the College of Medicine of SA in 1971.

In 1974, he obtained his MSc in immunology from the University of Birmingham. “His interest in paediatric HIV/Aids developed in the early 1990s as the extent of the tragedy in SA began to be recognised. His particular interest was the transmission of the virus from mother to child.”

He is internationally recognised for his ground-breaking research in HIV/Aids transmission from mother to child, especially through breastfeeding.

In July 2000, he chaired the 13th international conference on Aids, held in Durban. “This brought him national and international accolades, but also resulted in clashes with some prominent government figures at the time, especially president Thabo Mbeki and (then) health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.”

After retiring as head of paediatrics, Coovadia was appointed Victor Daitz chair in HIV/Aids research and director of biomedical science at the Centre for HIV/Aids Networking at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of Natal.

In 2010, he was appointed together with a group of experts to government’s National Planning Commission. “He was a fierce critic of maladministration and corruption in government and was vocal about how he felt that the struggle for a free and just country was being jeopardised by greed and incompetence,” said Karim.

TimesLIVE