‘Source of profound national pride’

Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Professor Blade Nzimande has sent congratulations to Professor Liesl Zühlke on her recent women in science award.

Professor Zühlke was named the 2026 laureate for Africa and the Arab States in the prestigious L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards. She was recognised for her outstanding contributions to life and environmental sciences, as well as for her scientific excellence, leadership in global health, and role in building capacity in cardiac and cardiovascular sciences.

The award recognises Zühlke’s groundbreaking work in improving care for children with cardiovascular disease – particularly rheumatic heart disease (RHD) – a preventable condition that continues to affect poor and vulnerable communities disproportionately. She was officially honoured on 11 June at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

The minister said: “Professor Zühlke’s global recognition is a source of profound national pride and will go a long way in inspiring more young girls to take up careers in science. Her groundbreaking work in paediatric cardiology and rheumatic heart disease shows how South African scientific excellence can translate into tangible, life-saving interventions for our most vulnerable communities.”

“Her research is testament to the exceptionally high quality of science that is being conducted by South Africa’s public science institutions.”

Zühlke serves as vice-president of the South African Medical Research Council’s Extramural Research and Internal Portfolio. She is also a paediatric cardiologist in the Division of Paediatric Cardiology at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and the director of the Children’s Heart Disease Research Unit at the University of Cape Town (UCT).

She is recognised as one of the top three international scholars in rheumatic heart disease research. In 2020, she received the National Research Foundation’s Public Engagement with Research Award. In 2022, she received the Metrodora Award in Public Health Leadership in Science and Medicine, the American Heart Association Young Hearts Award, and UCT’s Alan Pifer Research Award.

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The minister added: “Her research is testament to the exceptionally high quality of science that is being conducted by South Africa’s public science institutions and reinforces the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation’s unwavering commitment to advancing women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”

In a recent interview with UCT News, Zühlke remarked: “I have endeavoured to be an example to other women in my field by sharing my journey – both the highs and the lows – to show that success does not come without hard work, sacrifice and the support of others, but that it does not have to mean losing who you are.”