Pannie hailed from Namaqualand and initially joined the police force before switching to medical technology. He joined the CSIR some 40 years ago and started research on the application of sewage sludge to land and quantified the risks of bacterial and heavy metal contamination of vegetables. His research greatly assisted the Department of Health to draw up guidelines for the safe use of sewage sludge as a fertilizer on edible crops. It extended to the wider use of sludge for example on sports fields.