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Anton Paar
BRUKER
SACI News August - October 2020
We hope that all our members and their families are keeping well and healthy. Despite the many challenges
this year has brought, there have also been some firsts for SACI. This year we had our first online Council
Meeting and AGM. We hope the online AGM allowed more members to participate, especially those who usually
miss out because they do not live in Johannesburg. The various SACI Awards were announced at the AGM, and
we wish to congratulate all the awardees for this outstanding achievement! Keep up the excellent work and
the face of chemistry in our country. In this newsletter, we have included more recollections of the Institute
from our long-serving members. We hope you enjoy reading about the “good old days”!
On behalf of SACI, we wish all our members continued good health.
Bice Martincigh
Content
SACI office address and times
Advertising in the SACI newsletter
Pay your SACI membership fees with SnapScan
Salary Survey
Congratulations to our young chemists!
Of interest: Beirut Catastrophe
Down Memory Lane
SACI Statement on Tertiary Training in Chemistry
Diversity and Inclusion in the Chemical Sciences
Congratulations to our SACI Award Winners
Sections and Divisions News
Commonwealth Chemistry
RSC News
PACN News
NSTF News
SAYAS Blogging Competition
SACNASP News
IUPAC News
FASC News
CAIA Newsletter
OPCW Research Funding
South African Journal of Chemistry
African Journals of Chemistry
SACI and SACI-related conference events
Other Conferences
GC and GC-MS online training courses - NMISA
Vacancies
SACI office address and times
The SACI office, run by Laila Smith is located on the 1st Floor of Gate House, room 124. The telephone number is
011 717 6705 and e-mail address is: saci.chem@wits.ac.za. The cell number is 061 282 3477.
Office hours are from 8.30 am till 1.00 pm. She can be contacted at any time during her office hours.
Advertising in the SACI newsletter
The newsletter provides a means of getting messages to our membership. Currently the SACI membership
stands at over 1000. This newsletter thus provides a means of advertising employment opportunities,
conferences and workshops, and even for companies/Universities to promote themselves. We encourage
members to use the Newsletter for advertising purposes. All SACI related conferences and events are
advertised for free; if not a SACI related event there could be a small charge. For advertising costs contact Laila
at the SACI office.
Pay your SACI membership fees with SnapScan
For those wishing to pay via credit card please let Mrs Laila Smith know so she can generate an online payment
and email you a link.
Salary Survey
Dear SACI Member
Please go to the below link and complete the survey before 31 December 2020
http://www.saci.co.za/salary_survey.html
We need these statistics so we release the correct figures annually.
The survey will be available to all SACI paid up members
Congratulations to our young chemists!
Congratulations to Dr Jeffrey Baloyi, who completed his PhD under Dr John Moma last year. Jeffrey, a scientist
at Mintek, has been named as one of the Mail and Guardian’s 200 most outstanding Young South Africans
https://200youngsouthafricans.co.za in the category of Science and Technology.
Siwela Jeffrey Baloyi, 31
Science researcher
Mintek
@BaloyiJeff
Science researcher Jeffrey Baloyi says it’s his moral obligation to find innovative solutions that aid South Africa
and the world in reducing poverty, inequality and unemployment. Growing up in a village where there wasn’t
much in terms of inspiration, he never imagined that his work could play such an important role in improving the
quality of life for the people around him. He wants to help eliminate fuel emissions and make sure that all South
Africans have access to safe and clean water through his research.
Baloyi admits he hasn’t always been this determined; the road to obtaining his master’s degree came with
some hesitation that led to him dropping out. But that only lasted three months and he returned before anyone
noticed.
“One of my proudest moments was dedicating my PhD thesis to my late mother, who never went to school,” he
says.
It’s in times like those when he remembers that victory is always nearby. He’s at a place where he is
comfortable with his journey now, even bagging an award that brought him international recognition for
outstanding achievement in technical research. And the cherry on top was being able to inspire people from his
village with his success story in an interview on Munghana Lonene FM.
South Africa is moving towards generating and storing zero-emission fuel such as hydrogen, which can
ultimately lead to enormous environmental and social benefits and encourage better international economic
competitiveness, as per Baloyi’s vision.
Congratulations are also due to Dr Mzamo Shozi, a Senior Lecturer at UKZN. Mzamo has also been named as
one of the Mail
and Guardian’s 200 most outstanding
Young South Africans
https://200youngsouthafricans.co.za in the category of Science and Technology.
Dr Mzamo Shozi, 35
Senior lecturer
University of KwaZulu-Natal
@doc_mza
Not many people even know what catalysis and organometallic chemistry are. But Mzamo Shozi is an expert in
the field, and his knowledge will help push us into a green energy future.
His work involves the conversion of sugar alcohols found in plants to valuable chemicals used in the fuel
industry.
This wasn’t what Shozi first decided to learn: he applied to study medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
But when he was accepted, he turned it down and decided to study chemistry instead.
“Over the years, I came to realise that my passion was actually chemistry, which saw me progress all the way
to a PhD. I had only wanted to do medicine because it is one of the more sought-after degrees.”
In 2018, Shozi was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to spend time doing research at the University of California
in the United States — a long way away from where he grew up in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal.
He says: “I grew up in a township. And I guess I see myself as one of the examples of ‘it doesn’t matter where
you come from’. You can be what you want to be when you work hard for it.”
Shozi says the future South Africa he wants to see is one in which “young, black candidates in the fields of Stem
[science, technology, engineering and mathematics] are not only afforded more career opportunities, but also
taking up space in more senior positions”.
To that end, he is now working towards becoming a professor before he turns 40. “I know what is required of
me to get there. So every day I’m driven to achieve this and continuously work towards it.”
Of interest: Beirut Catastrophe
With acknowledgement to Liz Anderson
Down Memory Lane
To add to the history of SACI it was decided to get some of the older SACI members to relate about their
experience of SACI in years gone by me. To do this a letter was sent out to the SACI membership form the then
President, Prof Vincent Nyamori, in late 2017. The letter requested that those members with 40 + years of SACI
membership write a few paragraphs on their remembrance of SACI in times past.
F o r a variety of reasons, these anecdotal comments are only now being collated in mid-2020. These
remembrances of times past provide a small window on the times that the members recollect. Below are listed
(virtually unedited) the comments from these members.
If there are any others who would still like to add to this article – please do so. Send your information to me.
Prof Neil Coville
July 2020
The letter of invite
Dear SACI Member
You have been a SACI member for over 40 years. We are trying to record some early history of SACI. Could you
write a paragraph for us (10 lines; or longer) on (i) an early memory relating to SACI and (ii) what you doing now.
Thanks
Prof Vincent Nyamori
Response from Dr Ken Buchanan
I’m embarrassed to say that, despite my best efforts to organize and preserve my academic, industry and SACI
paper documents, many of those items for the period 1973 to 1997 have been lost in about 15 house moves
during my working career and 3 moves post retirement! In fact, I’m still unpacking again after we moved back
into our current home after moving out for 3 months’ renovations.
Thus, I’ve lost key paperwork from 1977 to 1997 (40 to 20 years ago) that would trigger the memories to
answer your question (i). I say key, because all of this happened BC (before computers and mass data storage
was available to individuals) and the wide-spread distribution of information across the internet from about
1997. If organizations or individuals like me have thrown out or lost their paper archives without scanning /
digitizing the documents, much history is irretrievable.
Thus, I’m doubly embarrassed to say that, while I was the Secretary / Treasurer for the 26th SACI National
Convention in 1979 in Port Elizabeth, I have no paperwork to prove this or to trigger memories of who the
plenary speakers were or even what social outings we organized!
Also lost are my copies of the minutes and activities of the Eastern Province Section of which I was a Committee
Member from 1976 to 1984, and Chairman from 1983 to 1984!
Even worse, given man’s pre-occupation with material things, I don’t think I’ll easily find the publications (was it
“ChemSA”?) with my “Annual SACI Salary Survey” which I edited (i.e. did everything from data processing to
writing up the publications) for the years 1983 to 1988. The results probably contributed to my move in mid1984 to industry from academia!
I am currently also unpacking my boxes to find archival information to assist Cedric McCleland to complete his
history of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Port Elizabeth / Nelson Mandela University, my alma
mater and first employer. Thus, I may send you bites of history in a forthcoming email.
More to the point, to answer your questions with what I have readily available at home:
1.
An early memory relating to the SACI:
About 40 years ago in the SACI Eastern Province (EP) Section, we strove (a) to get chemists together from all
over the EP and the Border region, (b) to involve chemists from industry in our activities, and (c) to involve
students. As academics, I think we were the first, or one of the first Sections, to coerce two selected Honours
students from each university to present their Honours degree research topics at a combined “Annual Honours
Meeting” of the Universities of Port Elizabeth, Transkei, Fort Hare and Rhodes University, the latter in
Grahamstown being the most “central” venue in the Section. The students presented lectures during the
afternoon session, which was followed by a supper, and the day rounded off in the evening by an invited
speaker. You may wonder why I’ve highlighted such an apparently mundane event, but you must remember that
the EP universities were / are very small and far from the large academic zones of Johannesburg-Pretoria,
Durban-Pietermaritzburg and Cape-Town-Stellenbosch (generally, only two academic staff for each of the three
major chemistry sub-disciplines, and one for Analytical Chemistry) and we really appreciated the opportunity to
hold face-to-face meetings with other academics. For those academics at U of Fort Hare and U of Transkei, this
feeling was particularly acute). One may debate whether these meetings were actually university-arranged or
SACI functions. In those days our extra-mural lecture and mini-course programs were really a merger of our
life’s work – chemistry (or was it academic freedom?)! Prof Trevor M Letcher, head of Chemistry Department at
Rhodes University (RU) (where I’d moved in 1980 from UPE), placed great emphasis on publicity of departmental
activities in proper A5-size brochures. Fortunately, the 1981 and 1982 copies of the RU Chemistry Department
Newsletter are crammed in amongst my treasured chemistry text book collection dating back over 50 years! I
have attached 2 pages, page two of which details the 1982 “Annual Honours Meeting” and the “SACI Affairs”.
1.
What are you doing now?
Late in 2014 I retired from Sasol Polymers after over 30 years in industry (1984-1993 AECI Ltd. R&D and
Technical Dept., and AECI Chlor-Alkali & Plastics Ltd., 1994-1999 Polifin (Sasol-AECI joint-venture), and 20002014 Sasol Polymers). Adding my decade in academia (1974-1980 UPE, 1980-1984 Rhodes University), I w a s
fortunate to have a career in chemistry and related spheres spanning just over 40 years.
The scientific organizing side of me finds expression these days in that I’m the meeting organizer for the Natural
Science Section of the Cape Town Branch of the University of the Third Age (U3A). Coincidently, on the day you
sent this email, our invited speaker was Emeritus Prof. James R Bull, formerly Mally Professor of Organic
Chemistry at UCT, and former President of the SACI (1986-1988). He gave a splendid talk on “Poisons and
Potions”, combining chemistry, history, literature and human intrigue. He has a great presentation manner and a
great ability to recall / retell anecdotes. On Saturdays, James and I often meet at the Rondebosch Common in
Cape Town, where we’ve both completed well over a hundred Parkruns.
The history of chemistry is one of my favourite interests and reading / research topics. For about 3 years I’ve
been writing a history of Sasol Polymers, and its predecessor and related chemical companies, dating back
nearly a hundred years in South Africa. However, this task always seems to suffer (as other writers know) when
it comes to setting priorities when faced with the load of activities pensioners labour under (i.e. walking the dog
in Newlands Forest, entertaining the grandchildren, tidying the garden and pool, going to SACI/RSC or U3A or
Botanical Society Kirstenbosch lectures, coffee with friends, shopping with one’s spouse, getting back to
marathon-distance road-running, drinks at the running club, watching too much television, etc.)! No wonder I’ll
have to let you know if / when I get this book published.
SACI Statement on Tertiary Training in Chemistry
Statement from SACI Council on tertiary training in chemistry as a result of disruptions to the 2020
academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the professional body representing the interests of all chemists in South Africa, we recognise the challenges
that the current COVID-19 crisis presents to all our members in academia, research and industry. We also
acknowledge the challenges the current situation presents to our tertiary institutions and specifically the
challenges presented by moving to online teaching. We applaud the efforts of all our members who work at
tertiary institutions who have adapted and innovated to ensure that we can continue as far as possible with
our teaching and learning of chemistry even when on campus face-to-face contact is not possible. Our tertiary
institutions play a critical role in not only training the next generation of chemists, but they are also tasked with
the important responsibility of ensuring that many people from other professions and disciplines are trained in
the fundamental principles of chemistry.
We reaffirm our belief that this training is essential, as chemistry is one of the central sciences. Key to this
training is the practical component and laboratory based skills development. While we accept that this critical
component of our training is not possible under the current situation, we strongly urge that plans be put in
place to preserve this component of training as part of the curriculum as far as possible. In some cases, virtual
laboratory tools can facilitate learning, but we believe that “in laboratory practical training” particularly for
senior level courses should be preserved. SACI strongly recommends that at least a critical minimum practical
experience should form part of the plans to complete the 2020 academic year at our tertiary institutions. We
believe that this is essential to preserve the validity and integrity of the academic training programmes in
chemistry.
Statement issued on behalf of the SACI Council, June 2020.
Professor Peter Mallon
President of SACI
Diversity and Inclusion in the Chemical Sciences
There is currently a renewed international debate with regards to inclusion and diversity within the chemical
community that has been triggered by the recent opinion article published by Angewandte Chemie “Organic
synthesis—Where now?” is thirty years old. A reflection on the current state of affairs” by Prof. Tomas Hudlicky.
This paper has subsequently been withdrawn, however, that whole incident has highlighted that there is still a
lot of work to be done to ensure inclusion and diversity.
SACI were approached by the RSC to see if we would support a clear statement of the stance of International
Chemical Societies against all forms of discrimination and exclusion. On behalf of SACI, our President, Professor
Peter Mallon, was happy to commit and endorse the statement.
You can follow the link
https://www.rsc.org/news-events/articles/2020/jun/id-joint-societies-statement/ t o r e a d t h e
statement.
Congratulations to our SACI Award Winners
We wish to congratulate all the winners of the 2020 SACI Awards. This is a wonderful achievement!
The 2020 winners are:
THE GOLD MEDAL – Prof Charles de Koning, University of the Witwatersrand
THE MERCK MEDAL – Vincent O. Nyamori, as the senior author for the publication: S. Afr. J. Chem., 2016,
69, 51-66, entitled: “Synthesis, Physical and
Antimicrobial Studies of Ferrocenyl-N(pyridinylmethylene)anilines and Ferrocenyl-N-(pyridinylmethyl)anilines” and authored by Eric M. Njogu,
Bernard Omondi and Vincent O. Nyamori*.
THE CHEMICAL EDUCATION MEDAL - Dr Margaret Blackie, Stellenbosch University
THE SACI POST-GRADUATE AWARDS - Mr Adam Shnier, University of the Witwatersrand
Ms Jean Lombard, Stellenbosch University
Dr Ayomide H. Labulo, University of KwaZulu-Natal
THE RAIKES MEDAL - Prof. Tricia Naicker, University of KwaZulu-Natal
THE JAMES MOIR MEDALS:
Mr I.J. Minnie
University of Witwatersrand
Ms A. Kritzinger
University of Pretoria
Ms S.A. Fraser
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Ms L. Amod
University of Cape Town
Ms P Maseko
North-West University
Ms B. Khuzwayo
Durban University of Technology
Mr G. Ramaremisa
University of Limpopo
Ms L. Mbonzhe
University of Venda
Mr M. Maritz
Nelson Mandela University
Sections and Divisions News
SACI Council and Annual General Meetings
The Council and Annual General Meetings of SACI were held on Thursday, 20 August via Zoom. At the AGM the
new Life Members of the Institute were presented. These are:
Name of
Member
Date joined the Institute Years of Membership
Section
Dr KJ Buchanan
Prof GE Jackson
Mr DJHP Reyskens
Prof JP Michael
1971
1982
1980
1975
Western Cape
Western Cape
Western Cape
Central
49
37
40
45
Collectively, they have served the Institute for over 171 years!! That is a phenomenal achievement and we
wish to congratulate them and thank them profusely for their loyalty and dedication to the Institute!
The new Fellows of the Institute were also presented. These are:
Name of Member
Section
Professor John Bradley
Central
Professor Bette Davidowitz
Western Cape
Professor Charles de Konning
Central
Professor Patricia Forbes
North
Professor Perry Kaye
Eastern Cape
Professor Selwyn Mapolie
Western Cape
Professor Vincent Nyamori
KwaZulu-Natal
Professor Marissa Rollnick
Central
We also congratulate them on this wonderful achievement.
The SACI Council for the next two years 2019-2021 is as follows:
POSITION
Administrator
President
Immediate Past President
Vice President
Executive Secretary
Executive Treasurer
Co-opted Member
Co-opted Member
Co-opted Member
Co-opted Member
Co-opted Member
SACNASP
IUPAC
Webmaster
Publicity
Student Representative
Publications
Eastern Cape Section
KwaZulu-Natal Section
Central Section
North Section
Western Cape Section
ChromSA
SAAMS
Analytica
Molecular Modelling
ElectrochemSA
Environmental Chemistry
Carman (Physical Chemistry)
Organic Chemistry
Inorganic Chemistry
Industrial Chemistry
Chemical Education
Green Chemistry
ThermSA
NAME
Mrs Laila Smith
Prof Peter Mallon
Prof Vincent Nyamori
Prof Willem Van Otterlo
Prof Zenixole Tshentu
Mrs Suzanne Finney
Dr Michael Booth
Prof Bice Martincigh
Prof Helder Marques
Dr Caren Billing
Prof Nikoletta Bathori
Prof Ernst Breet
Prof Peter Mallon
Mrs Laila Smith
Prof Bice Martincigh
Megan Matthews
Prof Patricia Forbes
Prof Rui Krause
Prof Bernard Owaga
Prof Comfort Nkambule
Prof. Nikoletta Báthori
Prof Patricia Forbes
Ms M Linsky
Prof Matthew Nindi
Dr CGCE van Sittert
Prof Omotayo Arotiba
Prof OJ Okonkwo
Vacant
Dr Clinton Veale
Prof TJ Egan
Dr Michael Booth
Dr Helen Drummond
Dr Rosalyn Klein
Dr Liezel van der Merwe
The financial statements of the past year were presented by the Treasurer, Suzanne Finney, and we are
pleased that SACI is on a sound financial footing.
The AGM concluded with a very interesting lecture from Dr Banothile Makhubela of the University of
Johannesburg entitled: “CO2 hydrogenation and N-formylation of amines catalysed by platinum group metal
complex bearing bi- and tri-dentate ligands”.
Report from Western Cape Section
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89989038463?pwd=NXVTQXE0akV1LzRZWjV0Vk1NR2djZz09
Meeting ID: 899 8903 8463
Passcode: 607855
Young Chemists’ Symposium 2020 at the Western Cape
30 September – 1 October 2020
The annual Young Chemists Symposium (YCS), an event focused on promoting student research and
networking, was held on 30 September – 1 October 2020. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings,
the symposium took place in the format of a webinar series. The symposium was open to all students and postdoctoral researchers for presentations as well as academics for attendance and approximately 37 people were
in attendance over the course of the two days. The symposium included presentations by students and postdoctoral fellows, shorter flash-talks as well as an online poster competition which took place on our social media
platforms. The event was sponsored by the Western Cape sections of the South African Chemical Institute
(SACI) and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).
The organising committee consisted of Junia Malapile (CPUT), Larnelle Garnie (UCT) and Megan Matthews (SU).
The programme comprised two half-day sessions from 9:30 to 13:00. On the first day, short presentations were
delivered by the sponsors (SACI and RSC) followed by the keynote address by Dr Bathabile Ramalapa, an
expert in nanomedicine from the CSIR. She delivered an insightful talk about the importance of the role of
chemists in creating a sustainable future for the rest of the world. Subsequently, the oral presentations took
place, with 20 minute presentations from students and post-doctoral researchers from UP, UCT, SU and UKZN.
(As a result of our public online advertising platforms applications were also received from UKZN and UP.) The
winners for the oral presentation category were Farooq Kyeyune in first place and Keletso Maepa and Randy
Cunningham in joint second place. The second day consisted of 5 flash talks. The winners for the flash talk
category were Farhaan Dobah with first prize and Stephen de Doncker with second prize. The poster
competition took place online via Twitter and Instagram, running from the start of the first session to the start
of the second session. Out of 5 poster applicants, Kamini Govender from UKZN received the majority of the
votes. After the flash talks, the prizes for each category were presented. The winner and runner-up o f a
presentation category each received a Takealot voucher.
The first online YCS was a successful event using MS Teams as a webinar platform. Our attendees enjoyed our
programme and the committee feels that this event was critical in creating a sense of student involvement
which ensures that members of both the RSC and SACI stay active during the demanding times.
By Megan Matthews
Report from Central Section
The SACI Central Section Committee will hold its VIRTUAL AGM on December3rd 2020 @ 4pm (1 h). The main
order of business will be the election of a new committee who will stand for two years (2021/2022). An interim
committee has been established, and they are all prepared to stand for election at the AGM.
However, there may be other SACI members in the region who may also wish to work on the committee. Anyone
interested, please send me your details in the form below (neil.coville@wits.ac.za).
At the AGM all new committee members will formally be elected. A Chair/Vice-Chair/Treasurer/ Secretary will b e
determined by the incoming committee, once the committee has been elected at the AGM. The other elected
m e m b e r s w i l l a s s i s t w i t h n u m e r o u s c h o r e s w i t h i n t h e Section. Portfolios will include: Events/Young
members/RSC representative/Industry/
We invite you to stand for nomination.
Interim committee:
Dr Caren Billing; Dr Phumlani Msini; Dr Sadhna Mathura;
Alida-Louise Henning.
Ms Bianca Davids; Dr John Moma; Dr Mark Smith; Ms
We look forward to you attendance at the meeting where the election will be held.
Prof Neil Coville
Commonwealth Chemistry
To bridge the gap between now and the rescheduled Commonwealth Chemistry Congress in 2021, the Scientific
Organising Committee arranged a virtual poster competition from 25-27 August 2020. This event was open to
early career chemists selected to attend the 2020 Congress on behalf of each Commonwealth country. The
competition aimed to bring together the early career chemists from across the Commonwealth in a virtual format
to share their research, network and engage in scientific debate.
The poster competition was entitled “Bridging Chemistry Across the Commonwealth to Tackle the SDGs”. The
event was held online and was extremely well organised. SACI was represented by three of our younger
chemists: Wade Petersen of UCT, Banothile Makhubela of UJ and Sadhna Mathura from Wits. The posters were
of an extremely high standard and our young representatives did us proud.
We are very pleased to announce that Sadhna was one of the 20 awardees of the poster prizes. Well done
Sadhna!
Sadhna Mathura who won one of the poster prizes.
Dear Colleagues,
Commonwealth Chemistry is keen to support chemical societies and their members across the Commonwealth
at this difficult time. The Executive Board, chaired by Dr Vicki Gardiner, has been looking at different ways of
doing this and would like to propose the following:
Access to Chemistry World Magazine
The Royal Society of Chemistry would like to offer unlimited access, free of charge, to its flagship
magazine Chemistry World until the end of December 2020.
Chemistry World covers science news, research, reviews, features and opinions, providing a wide range of
information relevant to chemical scientists globally. It is also provides access to a variety of free webinars
through the same site.
This is available to all members of the individual Chemical Societies part of Commonwealth Chemistry and so
please do promote to your membership. Gaining access is simple, each individual member just needs to create
an account at this link: www.chemistryworld.com/commonwealth-chemistry.
Accessing RSC Education Resources
For Commonwealth Chemistry societies who have members based in the education sector, a variety of
resources are available to access at www.edu.rsc.org including the Chemical Education Research and
Practice journal.
Additionally, all online PD courses are free until the end of August 2020, however please note that the content
for these educational resources is focused primarily on the UK curricula.
We hope you will find these offers useful.
With kind regards,
Commonwealth Chemistry Secretariat
Dear member,
We are delighted to announce a partnership between our society and the Royal Society of Chemistry, working
together as part of the Commonwealth Chemistry, Federation of Chemical Sciences Societies, that allows you to
access Chemistry World magazine online for free for the duration of 2020.
Chemistry W o r l d i s t h e f l a g s h i p m a g a z i n e o f t h e R o y a l S o c i e t y o f C h e m i s t r y , a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e a t
www.chemistryworld.com. It publishes a wide range of content covering the latest research, new and views
from across the global chemical sciences community.
You can sign up to receive your free access by going to https://www.chemistryworld.com/commonwealthchemistry and following the instructions on screen.
This access is available until the end of the year so we encourage you to sign up as soon as possible to get the
maximum benefit.
With best wishes,
Commonwealth Chemistry Secretariat
RSC News
Royal Society of Chemistry Events Website
Our website can be used to advertise events from across the world – not just those organised by the Royal
Society of Chemistry, www.rsc.org/events/africa.
So, if you need a simple website for your event, or want to reach a wider audience, then please submit your
event to our website. Simply click on this link and follow the instructions: www.rsc.org/events/submitevent
PACN News
Please find below a link and further information on two webinars being run by the Pan Africa Chemistry
Network. Both events are free to attend. Do feel free to join these and promote them to any colleagues
or contacts who may be interested.
https://www.rsc.org/events/detail/45451/pacn-webinars-poor-quality-medicines-and-subsaharan-africa
Title: PACN Webinars: Poor Quality Medicines & Sub-Saharan Africa
Webinar 1 - 30/11/20, 11am (UK Time)
The reality of combatting poor quality medicines in Africa - global trends & industry response
In the first webinar we will explore the current global situation on the widespread problem of poor-quality
medicines and the impact COVID-19 is having on this serious health problem. Experts will delve into what
is a poor-quality medicine, how common are they and who is most affected. We will then take a closer
look at the reality of combating poor quality medicines in Africa, highlighting local and international efforts,
and explore how a multi-national company such as GSK is responding to this problem.
Professor Paul Newton, Oxford University, UK
Prof Wilson Eruhn, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Adefunke Evbodaghe, Legal Senior Counsel, Anti-Counterfeiting EMEA, GSK
Webinar 2 - 1/12/20, 11am (UK time)
Detecting & distinguishing poor-quality medicines/analytical approaches & new technologies
In the second seminar our experts will focus on the vital role the chemical science can play in the
detection of poor-quality medicines and in the advancement and discovery of new technologies. There will
be an emphasis on the analytical techniques available and the challenges faced, plus a look at new
technologies involving advanced molecular tags to identify counterfeits. Industry leader Domino will then
share how as a business they are continually developing their anti-counterfeiting coding and printing
technologies.
Dr Harparkash Kaur, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Prof Sunday Okeniyi, Atiba University Oyo, Nigeria
David Izuogu, University of Cambridge
Craig Stobie, Director – Global Sector Management, Domino
NSTF News
For the latest news see: http://www.nstf.org.za/news-category/nstf-news/
CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS: STEMulator e-learning platform
AYCN
NEW!! African Younger Chemists' Network (AYCN)
It is an exciting time to be an early-career chemist on the African continent - we are establishing the African
Younger Chemists' Network (AYCN)! The need for a unifying "Afro-centric" early-career chemistry network is
essential to showcase the unique talents and ideas from this region. AYCN’s vision is to promote and establish
global standards for the empowerment of early-career chemists and to prepare them for a sustainable future
with constructive engagements and collaborations with stakeholders from across the globe. It is the intention
to establish the AYCN in collaboration with other major African and global chemistry societies.
The criteria:
This group will comprise African Early-Career Chemists (AECC) who are either under the age of 35 or who are
within 5 years of their terminal degree.
The purpose of this group is to:
1) encourage networking and create a community among AECCs,
2) create a space for collaboration between emerging researchers,
3) to share opportunities, including funding calls, conferences, job listings and writing workshops,
4) to promote leadership and development of AECCs.
This form serves as an expression of interest. Please complete this form if you meet the criteria listed above,
and are keen to join this group. You will then be invited to join us during this establishment phase of the AYCN
where the group's activities will be discussed. To receive an invitation for this meeting, we need a completed
form with your email address.
Attached please find the Google form link introducing the AYCN (African Younger Chemists' Network) and
requesting for volunteers to populate the various subcommittees.
https://forms.gle/hVAM8UeEY57hjusPA
Form will be open until the end of the year.
Contact email: aycn.chemists@gmail.com
Contact people: Ms Bianca Davids, Dr Sadhna Mathura
SAYAS Blogging Competition
SACNASP News
Dear SACI Member
We kindly request your participation in the HSRC survey of natural scientists on page 3. Completion of the
survey will earn you CPD points on category 1.
Please find here: https://www.sacnasp.org.za/news/2020/sacnasp-newsletter-october-2020
IUPAC
For the latest IUPAC news see: http://www.saci.co.za/iupac.html
We are very pleased to announce the candidates chosen to serve as the representatives of South Africa on the
International Younger Chemists Network for the period of 2021-2022.
The SACI committee carefully evaluated the excellent applications submitted and finally settled on the following
two persons:
Dr Mabuatsela V. Maphoru, a lecturer from Tshwane UoT, and
Ms Alida-Louise Henning, a senior scientist from Impala Platinum Ltd.
All the applications were at a very high standard and it was a great challenge to select the final nominees.
We wish to thank all who applied for their time and effort and we wish you all the best for the future with your
careers in different areas of chemistry. It is very promising to see how much effort and interest you, the 'young
people' of South Africa, are investing to promote chemistry.
Congratulations to Mabuatsela and Alida!!
FASC News
ABC Chem Conference 2021
This event will be held at the Palais des Congrès –Marrakech, Morocco from 14-18 December 2021. FASC will be
hosting the event. Please diarise the date.
We are hoping to have an excellent turnout from member countries at this event. More information will be made
available in the months ahead.
CAIA Newsletter
The latest issue of CAIA news is available. Go to: http://www.caia.co.za/news/chemnews/
or e-mail: caia@iafrica.com for pdf files of news and information.
OPCW Research Funding
INVITATION TO APPLY FOR RESEARCH PROJECTS IN AREAS RELEVANT TO THE CHEMICAL WEAPONS
CONVENTION.
Download application
South African Journal of Chemistry
The South Journal of Chemistry is now 102 years old and we are pleased to note that the impact factor of
the Journal is now 1.2 (and has a CiteScore of 2.2)."
We encourage all SACI members to submit
manuscripts to the Journal. Journal submission details can be found at http://saci.co.za/journal.
Details of the journal and the editors can be seen at http://www.journals.co.za/sajchem/.
All manuscripts since 1918 are electronically available online at
http://journals.co.za/content/journal/chem/browse?page=previous-issues
This Journal is published electronically. The webpage is: http://www.saci.co.za/. The South African Journal of
Chemistry, published by the South African Chemical Institute, has been publishing high quality papers, in all
fields of Chemistry for over 100 years. The Journal went fully electronic in 2000 and is freely available through
o p e n a c c e s s o n l i n e (http://reference.sabinet.co.za/sa_epublication/chem) . I t i s a C A S - a b s t r a c t e d
publication and is listed in Current Web Contents. It is also part of the Scielo group. It has retained its status
as an accredited publication with the South African Department of Higher Education and Training.
We encourage South African chemists to publish in the journal!
African Journals of Chemistry
African Corrosion Journal (online). Commenced in 2015 – a peer reviewed corrosion journal. This
j o u r n a l m a y b e o f i n t e r e s t t o t h e “ p r a c t i c a l ” c h e m i s t s a m o n g s t t h e S A C I membership.
https://view.publitas.com/icp-1/african-corrosion-journal
African Journal of Chemical Education
Enquiries and manuscripts should be addressed to the Editor-in-Chief: email eic@faschem.org, PO Box
2305, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AJCE, 2016, 6(1) ISSN 2227-5835 The online version appears in the FASC
website (www.faschem.org) and in the AJOL website (www.ajol.info)
Papers on any aspect of Chemistry Education such as teaching organic, analytical, physical, inorganic,
polymer, green, climate change/environmental chemistry, ICT in chemistry and chemistry curricula as well
as assessment in chemistry are acceptable for publication. We also encourage issues on chemistry and
indigenous knowledge/practice, chemical safety, natural products and related areas.
Nanonews in South Africa
SAASTA newsletter. nanonews@npep.co.za. Prof Janice Limon, NPEP Nano News Editor
South African Journal of Science
TOC@assaf.org.za
Journal of the Chemical Society of Nigeria
csnjournals@gmail.com; csnjournals@yahoo.com; editor@chemsocnigeria.org
Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Ethiopia
http://www.ajol.info/index.php/bcse/index
South African Journal of Chemical Engineering
A fully open access journal in 2016, all authors can publish their papers on an open access basis in the
South African Journal of Chemical Engineering at the reduced rate of $400 (USD).
http://www.journals.elsevier.com/south-african-journal-of-chemical-engineering/
Journal of the Kenya Chemical Society (JKCS)
This is a peer-reviewed multi-disciplinary chemistry journal published by the Kenya Chemical Society
(KCS). JKCS publishes findings from all areas of chemistry including organic, inorganic, physical, analytical,
materials chemistry and nanoscience, computational chemistry and environmental chemistry. JKCS also
publishes reviews in all areas of chemistry. Published articles are available at
https://kenyachemicalsociety.org/journals.
Manuscripts should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief at eic.jkcs@gmail.com for processing and peerreview.
Chemistry Africa
A Journal of the Tunisian Chemical Society
https://www.springer.com/chemistry/journal/42250?utm_source=hybris&utm_medium=e
mail&utm_content=internal&utm_campaign=JFTT_2_aww_2018newjournals
Journal of the Mauritanian Chemical Society (JMCS)
Publishes research articles and conference proceedings in English or French.
This is published online at: http://www.scmauritania.org/journal-scm;
M A Sanhoury, JMCS Coordination Editor
Scientific African
Published by the Next Einstein Forum in collaboration with Elsevier.
https://www.journals.elsevier.com/scientific-african
SACI and SACI related Conference events
ChromSAAMS 2020 - Conference Postponed
26th IUPAC International Conference on Chemistry Education
Conference Postponed
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to profound changes in the way we work and live. The current steep increase in
cases as well as the uncertainty about international travel means that it is no longer feasible to host the 26th
IUPAC International Conference on Chemistry Education in Cape Town in January 2021. The IUPAC Committee
for Chemistry Education has agreed to a further postponement of the conference to July 2022. The conference
will be known as ICCE 2022. Preliminary information about ICCE 2022 is given below.
Dates: 18-22 July 2022
Venue: Lagoon Beach Hotel and Conference Venue
Abstracts
The call for abstracts will be re-opened on 4 October 2021. If you have already submitted an abstract, you will
be invited to resubmit your abstract when the submission process re-opens.
Registration
Registration will re-open on 4 October 2021. Should you have already paid your registration fee, we are
pleased to advise that we will honour the 2020 registration fees. All unpaid registrations will be carried over to
the 2022 event and re-invoiced at the revised registration fee. You are free to cancel your registration and to
re-register for ICCE 2022 at the new rates. Please click on the link below to submit your response.
ICCE 2022 RESPONSE FORM
We would appreciate a response by 31 August 2020.
Accommodation
Delegates who have booked and paid their accommodation will be contacted by our booking office to arrange
for the monies to be refunded. If you have booked directly with the hotel, (i.e. not through our secretariat), we
ask you to please contact Lagoon Beach Hotel directly.
We look forward to seeing you in Cape Town in July 2022 and ask you to circulate this notice to your colleagues
who may not be members of SACI.
Please address any questions
to
icce2022@allevents.co.za a n d c o n s u l t t h e
https://www.icce2022.org.za/, for regular updates.
website,
Regards,
The Local Organising Committee for ICCE 2022
For registration queries:+27 (0)21 910 1913 • email: icce2022@allevents.co.za
Event Organiser office: +27 (0)21 712 0571
email: icce@eventmanagmentsolutions.co.za
First Commonwealth Chemistry Congress – Conference Postponed
Other Conferences
NanoAfrica 2020
8th International Conference on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Africa – Conference Postponed
The South African Raman Workshop 2020
GC and GC-MS online training courses - NMISA
Vacancies
Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry – Rhodes University
contentntent