Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma wishes to convey his deepest condolences to the Isaacs family and friends on the sad passing of Professor Sedick Isaacs, who passed away in a Cape Town hospital on Thursday afternoon.
Professor Isaacs was captured, along with other liberation movement leaders, in 1964 and subsequently sentenced to Robben Island, where he helped establish a library that was to contribute to the education of many prisoners, some of whom are outstanding leaders of society today.
"He joined the liberation struggle and was imprisoned at an early age, yet his dedicated work in the library contributed to a culture of reading among prisoners in the Island and this had a profound impact on their political and intellectual development.
"On my behalf and that of government and the people of South Africa, I would like to express our deepest condolences to the family, friends and fellow prisoners. May his soul rest in peace," said Zuma.
Isaacs taught mathematics and physical science at Trafalgar High School until 1964.
During his 13-year imprisonment, he served as chairman of the Education Committee and the Prisoners' First Aid Unit. He also taught mathematics and science to his fellow prisoners on Robben Island.
Isaacs, who completed a PhD in Epidemiology in 1990, worked as Head of the Department of Medical Informatics at Groote Schuur Hospital between 1993 and his retirement in 2005. Prior to that, he worked as a statistician at Groote Schuur Hospital.
A Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, Isaacs was also president of the South African Health Informatics Association and a board member of the International Medical Informatics Association. - SAnews.gov.za
