[3] The ASSAf was inaugurated in March 1996 by the former President of South Africa and patron of the academy, Nelson Mandela.

[5] For about one century, the national science 'academy' comprised two separate institutions – the Royal Society (from the UK) and the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns (SAAWK).

While it still awards numerous medals and prizes, it is no longer recognised as the national science academy of South Africa.

A democratic model based on empirical inquiry was agreed to be essential to the new academy, inclusive of all South Africa's leading academics.

In 1995, 100 founder members were elected, and the Academy of Science of South Africa was launched in 1996 with then-President Nelson Mandela as patron.

The year 2004 brought a breakthrough when the African Science Academies Development Initiative (ASADI) led by the United States National Academies, selected ASSAf as an intensive partner, guaranteeing funding and mentoring for 5 to 7 years.

The academy has been instrumental in the establishment of SciELO SA, a free open access, fully indexed journal platform.

To this end, the academy shall: The strategic priorities of the academy are closely matched to those of the nation, focusing particularly on the need for the greatly enhanced availability of high-level human capital and an increased use of the country's best intellectual expertise in generating evidence-based policy advice that is practically feasible.