Trusty Gina

"As part of this societal focus, South Africa plays a significant role in advancing the global knowledge base on climate change and environmental sustainability."

"Honourable members, over the past two decades, a number of successful initiatives were put in place to facilitate the use of the available science for policy and action. Together with the Presidential Climate Change Commission, we will finalise the development of a medium-term climate change research and development roadmap."

"In the face of rapid technological change, as well as other drivers, human society is undergoing fundamental and accelerated change. Such change is particularly significant in the educational system (both basic and post-school) as well as in workplaces. In the current financial year, the DSI in partnership with the Human Resource Development Council secretariat will finalise the scoping of a well-designed observatory and mobilise key users and role players."

"Science, technology and innovation must never be understood as for the specialized elite divorced from society that it finds itself."

"Chairperson, our biggest aim is to strengthen actions targeting critical structural opportunities and challenges facing South African society that require data, research, thought leadership and policy experimentation."

"Opportunities and challenges include persistently high levels of poverty and unemployment; the fact that our society remains one of the most unequal in the world; governance challenges, a maturing democracy, demographic shifts including a youth dividend, high-levels of crime including unacceptably high levels of gender-based violence. The above will be achieved through the establishment of National Research Institutes."

"Chairperson, by investing in STI, the Department is focusing on enabling all stakeholders of our society to participate in ensuring that South Africa leads in its mandate of creating science for the good of society, to respond to key societal challenges especially climate change."

"As part of this gender commitment, we will be intentional about women in science, technology and innovation. In this regard – Chairperson – allow me to recognize my special guest, Miss Senamile Masango, a Nuclear scientist, an alumni of the European organization for Nuclear Research called CERN, Non-Executive Board Director at SA Nuclear corporation called NECSA. She empowers women in the engineering and science field."