The official awards ceremony was held on 27 April 2014, at the Presidential Guest House. According to Dr Cassius Lubisi, Director-General in the Presidency and Secretary of the Cabinet, “Prof Lall’s research is giving hope to many who are plagued with the scourge of tuberculosis.”

The Order of Mapungubwe recognises South Africans who have accomplished excellence and exceptional achievement to the benefit of South Africa and beyond.

Prof Lall was elated about the award and said: ”I am highly inspired and motivated and would like to pursue my research activities with more enthusiasm. I am utilising the potential of this country’s plant-diversity for the betterment of human kind.”

“The support from the University of Pretoria, funding organisations, National Research Foundation, Department of Science and Technology and above all, my colleagues, in particular, Prof Marion Meyer, and postgraduate students is greatly acknowledged.  My success would not be possible without their support.”

Prof Lall also received the prestigious South African Women in Science Award from the Department of Science and Technology in 2011 for her outstanding scientific contributions to advancing science and building the knowledge base in the field of Indigenous Knowledge Systems. She has also received numerous other awards, including the prestigious “UNESCO-L’Oréal for Women in Science” award in 2002.

She has developed novel assays for the application in drug-screening and analysis from botanical sources. Prof Lall is internationally recognised for her contributions to bio-prospecting from traditional knowledge on medicinal plants. Her research focus has been on scientifically validating the usages of plants for diseases such as TB, cancer, hyperpigmentation disorders and periodontal diseases. In this context, she has also demonstrated her commitment to various communities around the country by engaging them towards a better understanding of indigenous knowledge and by advancing phytomedicines towards conventional pharmaceutical products.

Prof Lall is currently on the editorial boards of several academic journals and is a reviewer for over 15 local and international research journals. Her academic record speaks for itself with more than 100 peer-reviewed articles published. She is also the co-inventor of 11 international and national patents. In addition to this, she has authored seven book chapters.

“I am fascinated by South Africa’s plant diversity and its largely untapped potential in the use thereof in medicinal and cosmeceutical fields. With about 25 000 known species, this country is third only to Brazil and Indonesia as far as biodiversity is concerned. This constitutes about one tenth of all plant species in the world.”

Prof Lall added that “most people are unaware that a significant percentage of the active ingredients used in modern medicine originated from plants. For example, quinine, until fairly recently the most common treatment for malaria, is extracted from the bark of the Cinchona plants, while aspirin was developed from willow bark extract. Therefore, our goal is to scientifically explore and test South Africa’s indigenous plants and see which of them could possibly provide chemical compounds that could be of benefit to all mankind.”