Antimicrobial Resistance in South Africa: Insights from a Public Lecture by Dr Mohamed M. Sirdar at the University of Venda

The Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Agriculture (FSEA) at the University of Venda (UNIVEN), on the initiative of the South African Medical Research Council-University of Venda Antimicrobial Resistance and Global Health Research Unit, hosted a Public Lecture on 25 August 2025, presented by Dr Mohamed M Sirdar, titled “AMR in South Africa: Evidence from PROMED AMR Surveillance – A Data-Driven Call to Action.” The lecture aimed to raise awareness about the critical issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in South Africa, engaging students and staff to foster understanding, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing this growing threat through research and innovation. The event took place at the Research Conference Centre and was attended by undergraduate and postgraduate students, academic staff, and researchers from various disciplines.

Dr Mohamed M Sirdar delivers a data-driven public lecture on antimicrobial resistance in South Africa, highlighting surveillance insights, national progress, and critical challenges in advancing AMR mitigation efforts.
During his lecture, he presented an overview of PROMED-AMR, a global surveillance initiative that publishes data on AMR outbreaks, stewardship, research, and innovation. His analysis focused on South Africa-specific data from 2020 to 2024, using keyword-based mining and thematic cat-egorisation of 38 posts related to surveillance, stewardship, research, and progress.
The findings highlighted advancements in South Africa’s AMR National Strategy Framework, par-ticularly in genomic surveillance, antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), and integration of One Health principles. Innovations such as genomic tools for AMR detection, pharmacist-led AMS initiatives, and environmental AMR monitoring were noted as significant achievements.
However, Dr Sirdar also identified ongoing challenges, including inappropriate antibiotic pre-scribing, insufficient professional training, weak implementation of AMS and infection prevention and control (IPC), inadequate sanitation infrastructure, and environmental contamination.
He pointed to surveillance gaps at the primary healthcare level and insufficient data on priori-ty pathogens and foodborne bacteria. Broader systemic issues such as healthcare disparities, socio-economic barriers, and fragmented antibiotic regulation were recognised as additional obstacles to progress.
In conclusion, Dr Sirdar emphasised the urgent need to strengthen AMR surveillance, expand IPC and AMS programmes, enhance healthcare provider education, and address environmental and socio-economic determinants of AMR. He advocated for continued research into new anti-microbial agents, prescribing behaviours, rapid diagnostics, and the broader application of One Health frameworks.
Dr Sirdar, a distinguished expert in AMR, is currently the Global AMR Programme Specialist at the International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID). Dr Sirdar has extensive experience coor-dinating AMR programmes across Southern Africa, including roles at ISID’s ProMED initiative, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and the ARC-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute in South Africa.
He holds a veterinary degree from the University of Khartoum and advanced degrees in Epide-miology from the University of Pretoria, with over 50 peer-reviewed publications and leadership roles in regional veterinary epidemiology.

Prof Michael Chimonyo delivered the opening remarks on behalf of the Executive Dean, Prof Na-tasha Potgieter, welcoming Dr Sirdar and emphasising the faculty’s role as the largest at UNIVEN, with 15 departments committed to internationalisation, knowledge sharing, and the promotion of science. He highlighted UNIVEN’s niche areas on One Health and African Heritage and Indig-enous Knowledge Systems (IKS), underscoring the importance of science in supporting African communities and cultural heritage. Prof Chimonyo also noted the faculty’s dedication to engaged scholarship involving active participation from communities, students, and staff.
The vote of thanks was delivered by Prof Pascal Bessong, who expressed gratitude to attendees for their engagement and to Dr Sirdar for his insightful presentation. Prof Bessong highlighted the lecture’s relevance for students and staff in addressing local challenges and advancing de-colonisation efforts by seeking solutions to our own problems. He extended his appreciation to the Executive Dean’s office, the IT team, and the Department of Marketing, Branding, and Com-munication for their support in making the event successful. This lecture underscored the critical importance of coordinated, data-driven efforts to combat AMR in South Africa and highlighted UNIVEN’s commitment to advancing scientific understanding and public health through collabo-rative scholarship.

Issued by:
Department of Marketing, Branding and Communication
University of Venda
Tel: 082 868 2218 / 082 868 1811