Leadership, Activism and Justice - Remembering Professor Fatima Meer

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Impassioned, empowered and invigorated are words that best capture the atmosphere in UKZN’s Howard College Theatre during the 2025 Professor Fatima Meer Memorial Lecture.

Meer is remembered as a pioneering South African anti-apartheid activist, educator, author and sociologist who made remarkable contributions to social justice, women’s rights and public scholarship. The first non-White lecturer at the then University of Natal, she remains a towering figure of social justice and academic integrity in South African history.

Now in its fourth year, the memorial lecture has evolved into an event that contributes to the critical field of sociology, fostering debate and dialogue. The theme of the 2025 Lecture - ‘Leadership, Activism and Justice’ - demanded a critical engagement with the realities of our time. Honouring Meer’s legacy requires more than symbolic recognition, it requires ethical reflection, curriculum transformation and institutional change.

The Professor Fatima Meer Memorial Lecture Committee continues to safeguard her legacy. The lecture was opened by Professor Federico Settler, UKZN’s Dean of Social Sciences, who reflected on the audience’s rich diversity of interests, perspectives and voices, all united in commemorating a formidable woman, reminding everyone that the lecture is not just an event, but rather a living testament to ideas.

Meer’s granddaughter, Ms Maia Marie, shared a very personal account: “My grandmother was a fearless activist, but also a wonderful wife and mother. Her clarity of purpose shone like a bright flame within her, confronting injustice and inequality even if it meant disagreeing with those close to her. She has shaped my life in ways I still don’t understand. I will forever be grateful to her.”

Meer’s long-time friend and colleague Mr Ramesh Harcharan drew parallels between Meer and Winnie Madikizela Mandela, focusing on the nuances of women in the liberation struggle and their quiet strength. Harcharan spoke of the bond and friendship between Meer and Mandela in the fight against apartheid, never backing down from injustice even within their own ranks.

Delivering the keynote address, Professor Ashwin Desai, who is a sociologist at the University of Johannesburg, a social commentator and author, framed the moments of Meer’s life that made her the force she was.

“In both her academic life and her activism, she went against the grain of the times,” said Desai, “never being drawn into doing what was fashionable - she knew her own mind. Her academic work stands apart and captures history as a human event. Her almost spiritual independence and her belief in justice made her an outlier leaving her vulnerable.”

Peeling back the layers, Desai also paid tribute to the complicated love story that existed between her and her husband, Ismail. “Fatima’s life was full of beauty, artistry and playfulness,” he said.

Dr Janine Hicks, senior lecturer at UKZN’s School of Law and Chairperson of the UKZN Gender-Based Violence Committee, framed her response to Desai’s address in a series of questions around issues of justice, the power of political action, finding counter power in organisation and mobilised action. Hicks encouraged the audience to find interconnectedness in diverse struggles and championed the power of intimate activism. “These are the lessons taught by Fatima Meer and the ways in which I believe she would tackle the issues of our times,” said Hicks.

The lecture included the presentation of the 2025 Clinical Sociology Book Prize conferred on three laureates - Ms Nontle Gumede, Ms Nqobile Mkhize and Mr Thandolwethu Zuma - who had demonstrated exceptional theoretical and applied knowledge in advancing clinical interventions.

The prize was presented by Professor Mariam Seedat-Khan and Dr Tobi Alabi of the School of Social Science’s Clinical Sociology Programme.

Alabi congratulated them saying: “We look forward to witnessing the impact of your scholarship in the years ahead.”

Guests were treated to a musical interlude by Ms Zanele Mndiyata.

Words: Jennene Naidu

Photograph: Albert Hirasen