Since news of David Sanders’ sudden and untimely death broke on Saturday morning the tributes, messages and condolences via emails, whatsapp, phone calls, Facebook and Twitter have not stopped pouring in.
Like many public health practitioners, I first got to know David Sanders through his book, ‘The Struggle for Health’. I read it in 1991, six years after it was published. I still have that book, and it sits in my current office.
Amid the huge gap that has been left by David’s death, most intensely for his family, the outpouring of tributes and messages is testament to the countless individuals he influenced across the corners of the world.
David Sanders, an internationally renowned paediatrician and public health researcher, has spent fifty years involved in struggles for health in Zimbabwe, the UK and South Africa.
The sudden and unexpected death of public health activist and teacher Professor David Sanders has left the health community in South Africa and beyond saddened, but determined to make sure that they continue his work.