SAMSThe SAMS Council has approved a recommendation that the following amendments to the SAMS Constitution should be considered.
The current Constitution, together with the precise proposed amendments, is available in the document below:
SAMS Constitution – Current plus proposed amendments
SAMS members are encouraged to read the proposed amendments carefully. The amendments will be discussed and put to a vote at the AGM during the upcoming SAMS Congress.
In preparation for this year’s AGM at the 69th annual SAMS Congress scheduled to take place at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg from 1 to 4 December 2026, the current SAMS Council requested nominations for positions on the Council that will become vacant at the end of the year.
The closing date for nominations was on 30 September 2026, and we are happy to report that we have received the following nominations (which we list together with links to their CVs):
General Secretary:
Dr. Madelein Thiersen (CV_Thiersen)
Liaison:
Dr. Chevarra Hansraj (SU) (CV_Hansraj)
For more details on the responsibilities of the Council members and a description of these positions, kindly consult the SAMS website: https://www.sams.ac.za/governance-sams
We encourage all SAMS members to review the CVs of the nominees carefully to ensure that an informed decision can be made about the positions at the AGM. In particular, members will have the opportunity to comment on each candidate’s suitability.
Any unfilled portfolios will receive interim appointments by ad-hoc nomination at the AGM. In particular, we did not receive any nominations for the important Financial Manager position, so we are still searching for someone capable who would be willing to serve on the Council in this capacity.
We thank you in advance for your valuable contributions, and we look forward to your participation at this year’s AGM.
SAMS members Dr. Ronalda Benjamin, Prof. Mapundi Banda, Prof. Eunice Mphako-Banda, Prof. Karin-Therese Howell, and Prof. Michael Henning participated in the 7th BRICS Conference in Mathematics 2026, held in São Paulo, Brazil, from 18 to 21 August 2026. Professors Banda, Mphako-Banda and Henning were plenary speakers, while Dr. Benjamin delivered a contributed lecture and Prof. Howell an invited lecture. Prof. Howell also represented the SAMS Council at the conference.
Pictured from left to right: Dr. Ronalda Benjamin, Prof. Mapundi Banda, Prof. Eunice Mphako-Banda, Prof. Karin-Therese Howell and Prof. Michael Henning.
We are pleased to announce that the South African Mathematical Society (SAMS) has formalized its relationship with the European Mathematical Society (EMS) through a Collaboration Agreement and a Reciprocity Agreement.
These agreements provide a framework for strengthening collaboration between the two societies, including through joint conferences and workshops, academic and student exchanges, and opportunities for joint research and other activities.
An important benefit for SAMS members is that current SAMS members affiliated with a South African university or higher educational institute are eligible for Reciprocal Membership of the EMS. The current annual fee for reciprocal EMS membership is €60. Reciprocal members receive the privileges of normal individual EMS membership, except for receiving hard copies of the EMS Magazine.
On the other hand, current EMS members can also join SAMS as Reciprocal Members, at an annual fee of 70% of the current special SAMS membership rate and receive the privileges of a normal individual SAMS member.
We hope that these agreements will provide new opportunities for collaboration and professional development for members of both societies.
For more information on EMS membership, please visit the EMS Individual Membership page.
Dear SAMS Members,
We would like to bring to your attention a recent development concerning the journal Communications in Algebra. A majority of the editorial board has tendered their resignation and issued a letter outlining their concerns.
The letter has been shared with permission by one of the resigning editors, Prof. Vanessa Miemietz, and has been circulated to provide insight into the issues raised, which relate broadly to editorial practices and the peer-review process in mathematics publishing.
Given the potential implications for the mathematical community, we believe it is important to make this information available to our members.
Please find the letter attached for your consideration: CIA Resignation
During the 2025 SAMS AGM, Christian Budde and Simo Mthethwa were formally elected to the SAMS Council as President and Vice-President, respectively. In addition, Andrew Craig, Madelein Thiersen, and Chevarra Hansraj were appointed on an interim basis as Financial Manager, General Secretary, and the Liaison Portfolio Holder. We are immensely grateful to all of them for their willingness to serve the Society.
The current SAMS Council consists of the following individuals:
Co-opted members:
For more details on the responsibilities of the Council members, please see the SAMS website: https://www.sams.ac.za/governance-sams/
The allocated venue for the SAMS Congress 2025 in Gqeberha is the Inkanyezi Building on the Summerstrand South Campus (South Campus is next to Ocean Sciences Campus). The Inkanyezi Building is indicated as Building 127, on the Summerstrand South Campus map, which will be posted on the congress website. We look forward to welcoming you next week in Gqeberha.
The local organizing committee
New Director of AIMS South Africa
We are excited to share the excellent news that SAMS Council member, Prof. Karin-Therese Howell, has been appointed as the new Director of AIMS (African Institute for Mathematical Sciences) South Africa, starting from 1st of December 2025. We wish her all the best in this significant new role!
SAMS Council Executive
SAMS Council has approved to recommend amendment of constitution for including a new membership category of “Associate Member” without voting rights, for any individual (from industry, government, undergraduate mathematics programmes, etc.) who does not qualify for any of the existing membership types, but who is keen to support SAMS and/or has a strong desire to be part of the SAMS community. The precise proposed changes to the constitution are highlighted in this document:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1B4OUmJCNZX0uCdAX-PsCK_isI-Llr7UjqvcdIjRyohI/edit?usp=sharing
There will be a discussion and vote on these changes at the AGM during the upcoming SAMS Congress.
Dear Member
I would like to extend my sincere thanks for your continued support of the South African Mathematical Society through the payment of your 2025 membership fee.
If you have not yet paid your membership, we kindly encourage you to do so at your earliest convenience.
Regards
Dr Wen-Chi Kuo
SAMS Financial Manager