Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) Minister Blade Nzimande has announced a new programme to foster co-operation in Science, Technology and innovation (STI) between South Africa and war-torn Palestine.
During the budget vote debate on Tuesday, Nzimande said for the 2024/25 financial year, the department experienced a budget cut, which was adjusted to R10.562 billion from R10.874 billion in 2023/24.
Nzimande noted that he was honoured to be delivering the first budget vote of the Department of Science and Innovation, under the seventh administration, in the same year we celebrate 30 years of democracy.
“In these 30 years, our country has made tremendous strides in science, technology, and innovation,” he said.
Nzimande highlighted some of the achievements under the sixth administration, which he believes have laid a foundation for deepening work in the new government.
“We have adopted a new strategy called Vaccine Manufacturing Strategy (VIMS) to promote domestic design, development and production of vaccines.
“Through VIMS, the department targeted vaccine development to fight the Rift Valley fever (RVF), human papillomavirus (HPV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the hepatitis B virus.
“Working with the World Health Organisation (WHO), government also set up capacity for the local development of mRNA vaccines in response to future coronavirus threats,” he said.
A national solar research facility was also established by the government to enable localisation and technology transfer in support of the Cannabis Industrialisation Masterplan and the Renewable Energy Masterplan.
“Arising from this, it is pleasing to report that the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) graduated 23 SMMEs with two commercial value-added products each,” Nzimande said.
In addition, the Nzimande emphasised the department’s role in driving scientific and technological developments in the field of astronomy, specifically with regard to the development of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, which is on track to become the largest radio telescope array in history.
In the area of agro-processing and farmer development in the 2023/24 period, the department provided 1,480 black emerging farmers with technology development support, he said.
Moreover, Nzimande said the new programme between the two nations will have a special focus support for safeguarding, rebuilding, and developing Palestine’s research and innovation capacities and infrastructure.
Nzimande said it would include a joint research project, seed funding for developing South African-Palestinian knowledge networks, hosting Palestinian scholars and students in South Africa in exchange programmes and sharing South African policy experience regarding science policy and system development.
The programme aligns with the department’s strategic objective of using science diplomacy to foster human solidarity, and social justice, and support the country’s foreign policy said Nzimande.
“This new programme will be implemented by our entity the National Research Foundation (NFR) and will be funded from the department’s existing budget for international cooperation,” he said.
“Building on the successes of the sixth administration, we remain committed to ensuring the sustainability of existing businesses in the agricultural, manufacturing and mining sectors and supporting the development of new growth industries.
“STI is also about transforming the socio-economic conditions of working-class communities in townships and rural areas,” Nzimande said.
The Mandela Mining Precinct is intensifying efforts in minerals beneficiation for further diffusion in the industrial economy Nzimande said.
As part of building a capable State, Nzimande the DSI has begun establishing an Earth Observation Data Centre to provide decision support tools for government in fire and flood mapping, food security monitoring, human settlements mapping, forest mapping, disaster management, climate change and water resources management.
Furthermore, he said the government was exploring methods to increase gross expenditure on research and development (GERD) to 1.5% of GDP by 2030–31.
“Our challenges notwithstanding, we present this budget as our commitment to transform our National System of Innovation and using science, technology, and innovation to impact the lives of our people in a transformative way,” he said.
IOL