South African Association of Botanists

The South African Association of Botanists (SAAB; Afrikaans: Suid-Afrikaanse Genootskap van Plantkundiges) is a South African scientific society and professional association for botanists. It was established in 1968 to advance botany, to promote and uphold the status of the botanical profession across all sectors of the population, and to represent the interests of botanists. The association states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, creed or class and is committed to removing barriers to the exercise of the profession. SAAB grew out of a movement in the 1950s and 1960s, when South African botanists presented research through bodies such as the South African Association for the Advancement of Science (S2A3), the Royal Society of South Africa, the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, the Biological Society of South Africa, and smaller specialist societies including the Society for Plant Physiologists and the Limnological Society of South Africa. No single association yet represented the professional interests of botanists as a whole. On the initiative of Hermanus Philippus van der Schijff, a meeting was held at the University of Pretoria on 13 February 1968 to found a professional organisation for botanists. A follow-up assembly at the University of the Free State on 2 September 1968 established an autonomous society; its 47 delegates are regarded as SAAB's founding members, representing the Botanical Research Institute, several universities, Kirstenbosch and other botanical and scientific institutions. SAAB is governed by a Council of nine members and holds an annual congress, usually hosted by botanical and plant-science institutions in different parts of South Africa. Student participation is strongly encouraged, and those who attend the SAAB Conference become automatic members for the year of attendance and receive SAABNet emails. SAABNet is the association's list server for communicating SAAB matters, advertising botany-related bursaries, jobs and conference announcements. A dedicated Student Committee (SAABSC) represents Honours, MSc and PhD students and organises the Annual Postgraduate Symposium. The association also awards master's scholarships and bursaries, and maintains obituaries and governance records on its website. In 1982, with SAAB's support, the South African Journal of Botany (SAJB) was founded; in 1985 it merged with the older Journal of South African Botany and continued under the SAJB name, adopting the older journal's volume numbering from volume 51. In 2005 SAAB agreed with the publisher Elsevier for SAJB to be published on the association's behalf. Under editor-in-chief Johannes van Staden the journal grew in size and international standing and became a financial asset of the association. SAAB remains an active society representing academic botanical disciplines, with members at South African universities and academic and research institutions across the country.

In the 1950s, South African botanists presented their research through the publications of the South African Association for the Advancement of Science (S2A3), the Royal Society of South Africa, the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, the Biological Society of South Africa, and smaller specialist societies such as the Society for Plant Physiologists and the Limnological Society of South Africa. However, no independent association yet represented the professional interests of botanists as a whole. On the initiative of Hermanus Philippus van der Schijff, a meeting to found a professional organisation for botanists was held at the University of Pretoria on 13 February 1968. Besides van der Schijff, the meeting was attended by Petrus Johannes Botha, Leslie Edward Wostall Codd, Bernard de Winter and Hedley Brian Rycroft. The participants decided to survey professional and university-trained botanists about their views on founding a new association. Van der Schijff and de Winter took charge of the survey and of preparing a further assembly. Based on the responses, an assembly was held on 2 September 1968 at the Botanical Institute of the University of the Free State. Codd was elected chair and J. J. P. van Wyk secretary of the assembly. The main subject was the founding of an autonomous society to represent the interests of botanists. A preparatory committee was appointed, chaired by Codd with de Winter as secretary. Further members were Petrus Johannes Botha, P. G. Jordaan, Wilhelm Jan Lütjeharms, Hedley Brian Rycroft, Hermanus Philippus van der Schijff, J. J. P. van Wyk and Eduard Meine van Zinderen Bakker. The 47 delegates of this assembly are regarded as SAAB's founding members; they represented the Botanical Research Institute, the universities of Pretoria, Potchefstroom, the Free State, the Witwatersrand, Cape Town, Rhodes and Fort Hare, Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, and other botanical and scientific institutions. The founding assembly thus united botanists from state research institutions, universities, botanical gardens and other scientific bodies in South Africa. In its early years the presidency alternated between representatives of general botany and plant physiology. From 1968 to 1978, Leslie Edward Wostall Codd, Petrus Johannes Botha, Hermanus Philippus van der Schijff, O. A. M. Lewis, Bernard de Winter and Nat Grobbelaar led the association in succession. Jacobus Nicolaas Eloff and J. G. C. Small followed. In the early years SAAB was still too small for its own congress. Meetings were initially held within the gatherings of the South African Association for the Advancement of Science. Section B of S2A3 was later absorbed into SAAB. The Society for Plant Physiologists also joined SAAB, while the Phycological Society and the Limnological Society of South Africa remained independent. SAAB's founding took place against the background of two important South African botanical institutions. The National Botanic Gardens had been founded at Kirstenbosch in 1913; in the same year the Division of Botany of the South African government was created, renamed the Botanical Research Institute (BRI) in 1961. Competition existed between these institutions for a long time. SAAB emerged as an independent association to represent the professional interests of botanists. In 1982, with SAAB's support, the South African Journal of Botany (SAJB) was founded. In 1985 it was merged with the older Journal of South African Botany. The merged journal continued under the name South African Journal of Botany but adopted the volume numbering of the Journal of South African Botany, beginning with volume 51. In 2005 SAAB agreed with the scientific publisher Elsevier that the South African Journal of Botany would be published on the association's behalf. Under then editor-in-chief Johannes van Staden, the journal developed into a financial asset of SAAB and gained in size and international significance. SAAB holds an annual congress, hosted by botanical and plant-science institutions in different parts of South Africa, serving scientific exchange between researchers and students. In the early years meetings were held in July; from 1976 the regular terms and congresses were aligned to the beginning of the calendar year. The association has its own Student Committee (SAABSC), which represents Honours, MSc and PhD students of South African universities to the SAAB Council and organises, among other things, the Annual Postgraduate Symposium. SAAB also awards master's scholarships and bursaries, and its website publishes governance documents, AGM agendas and minutes, presidents' reports, audited financial statements (prepared from 2018 by Riaan Krüger of R and R Tax Consultants in Stellenbosch), and obituaries of members.

• 2025

  Master Scholarships awarded by SAAB for 2026 are announced; SAAB Bursary Call 2026 is published.

• 2018

  Audited financial statements begin to be prepared at the end of each year.

• 2005

  SAAB agrees with Elsevier for the South African Journal of Botany to be published on the association's behalf.

• 1985

  SAJB merges with the older Journal of South African Botany, continuing under the SAJB name and adopting volume numbering from volume 51.

• 1982

  The South African Journal of Botany (SAJB) is founded with SAAB's support.

• 1976

  Regular terms and congresses are aligned to the beginning of the calendar year (meetings had previously been held in July).

• 1968

  Meeting at the University of Pretoria on 13 February initiates the founding of a professional botanists' organisation; assembly at the University of the Free State on 2 September establishes SAAB with 47 founding delegates.

A national scientific society and professional body for botanists in South Africa, non-discriminatory and open to all sectors of the population, serving academic, research and student communities.

• South African Journal of Botany

  Scientific journal founded in 1982 with SAAB's support, merged with the Journal of South African Botany in 1985, and published by Elsevier on SAAB's behalf since 2005.

• Annual SAAB Congress

  Annual congress hosted by botanical and plant-science institutions in different parts of South Africa; attendance confers automatic membership for that year.

• SAABNet

  The association's list server for communicating SAAB matters and advertising botany-related bursaries, jobs and conference announcements.

• Student Committee (SAABSC)

  Represents Honours, MSc and PhD students to the SAAB Council and organises the Annual Postgraduate Symposium.

• Master Scholarships and Bursaries

  SAAB awards master's scholarships and bursaries, including the 2026 Master Scholarships and the SAAB Bursary Call 2026.

1. 1South African Association of Botanists – Promoting Science & Protecting Biodiversitysabotanyblog.wordpress.com
2. 2About – South African Association of Botanistssabotanyblog.wordpress.com
3. 3Governance – South African Association of Botanistssabotanyblog.wordpress.com
4. 4Obituaries – South African Association of Botanistssabotanyblog.wordpress.com
5. 5South African Association of Botanists – Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6South African Association of Botanists – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org