South Africa’s Minister Nzimande Urges Inclusivity and Investment in South African Talent
The event showcased innovative ideas and demonstrations, including robotics and a research chair on Artificial Intelligence at TUT.
The National Science Week 2025 was officially launched at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) exhibition center, with Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Professor Blade Nzimande, leading the event. The theme for this year’s week-long celebration is “Science for everyone,” a message Minister Nzimande underscored as critical for the nation’s progress. The event brought together various exhibitors and students from Pretoria Technical High School, who were finalists in a debate competition.
During his address, Minister Nzimande highlighted the significance of the event as a platform to tell the story of science in the country.
“National Science Week is very important because it’s a platform that we use to tell the story of science in our country… our theme this year is science for everyone because we believe that unless society understands the role of science we are not going to make progress and also embrace science. We are intending as from next year to make it a science month because we realize that a week is not enough.”
– Professor Blade Nzimande, Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, SA
He also emphasized that no country can develop without embracing science, technology, and innovation, and called for partnerships between government, industry, and academia to harness the nation’s talent and creativity.
The event showcased innovative ideas and demonstrations, including robotics and a research chair on Artificial Intelligence at TUT. The Minister expressed optimism about the country’s potential, stating,
“We’re a very talented nation, you know, and if one can play a role to mobilize, you know, and create an environment for that talent, it’s at all sorts of levels. “AI or whatever we’re going to be debating today, I think it is really the future for South Africa, and we just need a little bit more work and work hard and get more students as interested in science as early as possible so we can make this nation as great as it already is.”
– Professor Blade Nzimande, Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, SA
Other students also shared their enthusiasm. Bukamsa Makatha noted that seeing technologies like the AI dog in person showed her that the world is developing and South Africa needs to catch up and we are going to catch up because we have a lot of talent that we can use that is just not being utilised. Another student, Malvonga Mataila, expressed his excitement at seeing in real life what he previously only saw in movies, saying, seeing them in real life is actually showing me that as humans we can do anything and I hope this debate today will enrich anyone who doesn’t really have quite a picture of it and we can even show people that as South Africa it’s not only America who can go through this. Malachi, a fellow student, shared a forward-looking perspective, saying he was happy to see that we are finally progressing as a country and that we will get there eventually.
The National Science Week will run from August 4 to August 9, with various activities taking place across the country to engage and educate the public on the importance of science, technology, and innovation.
