Page 28 - SAMRC Annual Performance Plan 2026-27

PART B: SAMRC STRATEGIC FOCUS
continued

In line with the National Strategic Plan on GBVF, the a National Health Research Summit in 2022 with
research study led by Prof Rachel Jewkes and other the aim of reviewing the country’s National Health
researchers from the SAMRC, and in partnership Research System (NHRS); evaluate lessons learned
with Project Empower and the Universities of the from COVID-19; as well as assess progress related
Witwatersrand and KwaZulu-Natal on the impact of to finances, human and infrastructural resources,
severe intimate partner violence (IPV) on the health priority-setting, monitoring and evaluation for
and well-being of affected women and their children, research for health, including research translation
has a potential to inform policies and practices under and ethical frameworks. Furthermore, the summit
the NDOH and other government departments. evaluated progress made in aligning the country’s
research and health status to critical international
This research aims to build knowledge of risk factors and national aspirations and strategic goals,
for intimate partner femicide and how systems including SDG 3 on health and wellness, the NDP
established to assist women facing severe IPV 2030, the Presidential Health Compact 2018, the
operate, what it costs women to seek help and leave MTSF (2019 – 2024) and the National Department of
abusive partners, what women need when faced with Health Strategic Plan (2020/2021 – 2024/2025). The
severe IPV and what helps them, and to discover how Summit made several recommendations, outlined in
IPV impacts children and how that otherwise faced the SAMRC Strategic Plan 2025/26 – 2029/30, and
by future generations, might be prevented. these recommendations helped to shape SAMRC

The research seeks to bring together the disciplines research priorities for the five years and medium-
of public health research on GBV, mental health, term periods.
art and play-based research and therapy, health For many years the South African research/
economics and social work in a vibrant programme scientific advancement has been significantly led
of research that will be conducted from four sites by foreign funding, particularly from the US federal
in Modimolle the Waterberg District of Limpopo, funding. This foreign funding of research tends to
Tshwane Metropole in Gauteng, Chatsworth, carry a risk of misalignment to the national health
eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal and in Stellenbosch in priorities. The announcement of a pause to NIH
the Cape Winelands in the Western Cape. funding to subawards outside of the U.S. highlights

This research is funded by the Wellcome Trust and the vulnerability of this dependence, which mostly
seeks to answer the following three key questions: affected HIV and TB trials. SAMRC submitted a
comprehensive motivation to Government that seeks
(i) What are the risk factors for, and pathways to ensure viability, sustainability, independence, and
to, life-threatening experiences of severe IPV advancement of the health research ecosystem in
and Intimate Partner Femicide (IPF)? How do South Africa. This motivation recommended an
women who are killed, or nearly killed, differ emergency funding relief from the national fiscus in
from other women experiencing severe IPV? the 2025/26 financial year via Section 16, as well as
an increased contribution to the SAMRC baseline
(ii) What happens after women seek help for IPV budget in the coming years; a funding mechanism
and to what extent does the help available to be governed transparently and aligned with
protect them? If so, through which pathways? South Africa’s health priorities. SAMRC is grateful for

(iii) What are the pathways to intergenerational the initial grant provided in line with the motivation.
cycling of violence?
9.2.3 State of Health in South Africa
South Africa has made significant strides in improving
9.2.2 National Health Research Committee
The National Health Research Committee (NHRC), its health status over the past few decades. However,
established by NDOH in terms of section 69 (1) of the the country still faces a huge burden of four colliding
National Health Act, 2003 (Act 61 of 2003), hosted epidemics as addressed in the table below.

26 SAMRC ANNUAL PERFORMANCE PLAN 2026/27