By Alicia Mmashakana
Tributes are pouring for South Africa’s favourite Science and Maths television teacher William Smith who died at the age of 85.
Smith passed away on Wednesday at home in Perth, Australia, surrounded by family, following a long battle with cancer. His daughter confirmed this in a statement.
Smith earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Chemistry, as well as an Honours Degree in Chemistry, from the same institution. He also completed a Master’s Degree at the University of Natal in just seven months.
Before the internet and YouTube mathematics tutorials became widely available, South African students relied on Smith to help them understand the complexities of math and science via SABC2 The Learning Channel in the 1990s.
Smith began producing educational television programmes for The Learning Channel in 1990, and in 1991 he was named ‘Teacher of the Year’.
He rose to prominence in South Africa over the next 25 years, and his work on this show earned him a spot as one of the top three presenters on South African television in 1998.
The show’s initial success prompted the broadcaster to screen it in a number of African countries. This would attract 100 million viewers per day, making it possibly the most watched programme in South African history.
Smith was ranked 86th among the Top 100 Great South Africans in 2004 and received the Impumelelo Gold Award for Innovation in 2005.
In 2019, shortly before his 80th birthday, President Cyril Ramaphosa awarded him the Order of the Baobab (silver) in recognition of his contributions to teaching and the “demystification of mathematics and science.”
The orders are the most prestigious awards that South Africans can receive.
In 2021, Rhodes University awarded Smith an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree.
Dr Sizwe Mabizela, vice-chancellor of Rhodes University, paid tribute to Smith and said: “Thanks to his exceptional teaching skills and compassion, for almost two decades, The Learning Channel became an indispensable platform for young people of our country to receive interactive TV education in mathematics and science. In this way, he became the teacher for the entire South African nation.”
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