In a momentous celebration of South African scientific excellence, global tuberculosis (TB) research pioneer Professor Keertan Dheda has been awarded the prestigious Order of Mapungubwe by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Order of Mapungubwe is South Africa’s highest civilian national honor, reserved for citizens who have achieved international impact and excellence. Professor Dheda received the accolade alongside fellow University of Cape Town (UCT) scholar and world-renowned clinical cardiologist, Professor Karen Sliwa-Hahnle.
As the director of the Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity at the UCT Lung Institute, Professor Dheda has spent more than twenty years on the frontlines of policy-changing medical science, dedicated to lifting the heavy burden of TB from vulnerable communities worldwide.
“Receiving the Order of Mapungubwe is a tremendous honour and one that I accept with deep gratitude and humility. Above all, the patients and communities we serve remind us why the work matters and why we must continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible.” — Professor Keertan Dheda
Two Decades of Lifesaving Global Innovation
Tuberculosis remains the leading cause of death in South Africa and stands as one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers. Professor Dheda’s career is defined by practical, field-changing breakthroughs that don’t just stay in a lab, but actively save lives:
- Active Case Finding: Instead of waiting for sick patients to visit clinics, Dheda’s team revolutionized community screening. Using scalable, battery-operated DNA diagnostics, they have already screened over 150,000 people across four countries, catching hidden cases early.
- Rewriting WHO Guidelines: His landmark clinical trials directly catalyzed the World Health Organization’s first-ever global guideline on utilizing urine-based TB diagnostics.
- The Human Lung Challenge Model: Dheda is currently leading the development of the world’s first human lung challenge model for TB using live BCG. This serves as a vital platform to accelerate the creation of highly effective, long-overdue TB vaccines.
A Call for Urgent Investment in African Science
While celebrating the personal milestone, Professor Dheda holds that science is a collective engine driven by nurses, drivers, community health workers, laboratory scientists, and data teams.
He emphasizes that this national honor must serve as an urgent wake-up call for the state and the private sector to prioritize medical funding.
“At a time when research funding is increasingly constrained, this award serves as a reminder that South Africa can continue to produce world-class science and innovation with global impact. Sustained investment in science remains one of the most powerful ways to improve health and strengthen economies.”
