CPUT mourns the passing of Prof Tandi Matsha-Erasmus

CPUT mourns the passing of Prof Tandi Matsha-Erasmus, Vice-Chancellor of the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, and an exceptional scientist, visionary leader, mentor and champion of transformation.

Matsha-Erasmus joined CPUT in 2007 as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. Together with Shafiek Hassan, Prof Rajiv Erasmus and Prof Kengne of the South African Medical Research Council, she initiated the Bellville South Community Project. What began as an investigation into the health status of a local community revealed alarmingly high levels of cardiometabolic disease, exceeding the national average.

Driven by a determination to understand and address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, she established the Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit. Through her leadership and vision, the initial findings evolved into the Vascular and Metabolic Health Study, creating one of South Africa's most important research platforms in the field of cardiometabolic disease. The significance of this work was recognised nationally when, in 2019, the South African Medical Research Council established the SAMRC/CPUT Extramural Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit — the first extramural unit ever established by the SAMRC at a University of Technology. Matsha-Erasmus was awarded the NRF/Nedbank SARChI Chair in Cardiometabolic Health and received the prestigious NSTF-South32 Data for Research Award for her groundbreaking work in epigenetics and transcriptome analysis of type 2 diabetes. Yet despite these accolades, she remained deeply committed to the people around her.

As Head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences and later Dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences, Matsha-Erasmus distinguished herself as a leader with integrity, wisdom and compassion. She inspired confidence in others, challenged them to pursue excellence, and created opportunities. Her influence shaped countless careers, particularly those of young African women researchers whom she actively supported, encouraged, and empowered. As a C1-rated scientist, Matsha-Erasmus earned the respect of researchers and healthcare professionals across Africa and around the world. Her contributions extended far beyond South Africa's borders through her involvement in the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC), a global consortium dedicated to understanding and combating the rise of non-communicable diseases.

Matsha-Erasmus leaves behind a legacy written not only in scientific publications, research units, and institutional achievements, but in the lives she transformed. Her work will continue to shape the future of cardiometabolic health research, and her example will continue to inspire generations of scholars, scientists, and leaders.

We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, colleagues, students, and the entire Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University community.

Written by CPUT News
Email: news@cput.ac.za