Ministerial Statement on the passing of Dr Glennie
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Blade Nzimande, joins the nation in mourning the passing of Dr. Jennifer Glennie.
Dr. Glennie, who trained as a mathematician, was not only a distinguished and lifelong progressive educationalist but also a tireless advocate for social justice, making an immeasurable contribution to equal access to education for all and to societal transformation.
At the height of the anti-apartheid struggle, she initiated and participated in the formation of numerous progressive education initiatives and projects.
Through Khanya College—popularly known as the “people’s college”—she empowered Black youth from marginalised communities and prepared them for university education.
Her interventions in this regard laid the foundation for future policy thinking on the transformative power of people’s education and deeply informed the formation of the National Education Crisis Committee (NECC) in 1986 and its declaration calling for a radically new people’s education system.
In later years, as the founding Director of the South African Institute for Distance Education (SAIDE), she championed innovative and inclusive solutions, including the African Storybook initiative, which promotes home-language literacy for African children.
In her roles as a Member of the Council on Higher Education (CHE), Council and Broad Transformation Forum Member at the University of South Africa (UNISA), and Council Member at Sol Plaatje University, she made significant contributions to shaping and strengthening higher education policy and governance in our country.
Owing to her lifelong commitment to educational development and social justice, Dr. Glennie received numerous prestigious national and international honours.
These include being appointed a Fellow of the Commonwealth of Learning, receiving the Chancellor’s Medal from the University of Pretoria for her contribution to education, and being awarded the African Council for Distance Education Legacy Service Award for her exceptional contribution to the field of open, distance, and e-learning.
It is also worth noting that her work in education contributed significantly to advances in related areas such as reading for meaning, educational technology, mother-tongue education, and decolonisation.
Her indefatigable and visionary educational activism over the past five decades intersected with various grassroots interventions implemented by the liberation movement during the darkest days of apartheid, under the vision of “A People’s Education for People’s Power.”
More fundamentally, the sum total of her work advanced a broader objective: building a South Africa in which all citizens can realise their full potential—regardless of race, gender, class, religion, or place of residence.
The passing of Dr. Glennie constitutes an incalculable loss to our country’s education and science communities.
Those of us who had the privilege of working with her will remember her as an irrepressible activist and ethical public servant who dedicated her knowledge and skills to building a humane and just society—in South Africa and beyond.
On behalf of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation and all entities within our National System of Innovation, I extend my heartfelt condolences to Dr. Glennie’s family, friends, and colleagues.
Enquiries:
Veli Mbele
(Media Liaison Officer and Spokesperson to the Minister)
064 615 0644 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
