President Jacob Zuma has bestowed the Order of Mapungubwe on UCT wastewater treatment expert Professor George Ekama of the Department of Civil Engineering. The order was conferred on Freedom Day, 27 April 2013, “for research that has provided innovative solutions to enhancing and improving wastewater treatment and helped South Africa find answers to its water shortage problems”. Professor Ekama was among several South Africans, including the late Dr Neville Alexander, to be awarded this, the highest recognition in the land.
Professor Ekama is a civil engineer who lives by a simple research credo: “Locally inspired, globally relevant.” He has held a National Research Foundation (NRF) A-rating since 2006, which recognises him as a world leader in his field.
After qualifying from UCT in civil engineering, he started work on a construction site, but his interest in wastewater treatment was sparked when he met former UCT Professor Gerrit van Rooyen Marais, an expert in the field, who later became his PhD supervisor. He has remained at the forefront of developments in wastewater treatment ever since, primarily through a strong research group.
He describes his area of research as “fascinating” and says if you are looking for a biological process that needs to take place before treating water, don’t give up: “There are bacteria out there that can do amazing things. You are bound to find one.”
Widely published, with more than 150 papers on wastewater treatment in top international journals, Professor Ekama is also highly cited. He is one of only seven South Africans to be listed on www.ISIHighlyCited.com, an international website of the most cited academics globally. He is a senior fellow of the Water Institute of South Africa (WISA), and a fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa, of UCT and of the South African Academy of Engineers.
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