D Hanekom: Official opening of Sasol Scifest

23 March 2007

Mayor of Makana Local Municipality, Cllr Pumelelo Kate
Chairperson of the Sasol SciFest National Advisory Committee, Dr Bob Day
Vice-Chancellor of Rhodes University, Dr Saleem Badat
Executive Director of the Grahamstown Foundation, Mr Alan Stephen
Group General Manager of Sasol Limited, Mr Bram de Klerk
Members of the Sasol SciFest National Advisory Committee;
Official representatives of the Embassies of Finland, France, the United
Kingdom and United States of America
Representatives of Old Mutual and other official sponsors
Professor Bruce Hewitson of the University of Cape Town
Director, Mr Brian Wilmot and staff of Sasol SciFest
Presenters and contributors
Ladies and gentlemen

Sasol SciFest 2007 marks the 11th Anniversary of the launch of the project
in 1997 - the first of its kind in southern Africa. Thus, a decade down the
line, it is heartening to note that the festival now attracts some 40 000
visitors each year drawn from all over South Africa and its neighbouring
states.

Accordingly, Sasol SciFest has become one of South Africa's premier
programmes in the promotion of public awareness of Science, Engineering and
Technology (SET). In close partnership with my department, Sasol SciFest
continues to play a vital role in promoting the development of the much-needed
culture of Science in South Africa.

While the achievement of this goal is by its very nature a slow process, it
nonetheless underpins our national drive to produce more school-leavers
suitably equipped to pursue careers in SET and thus strengthen South Africa's
stake internationally.

Ladies and gentlemen, in the last decade we have seen a welcome emergence of
science festivals across the globe, and with this emergence there has been a
further facilitation of the necessary international outreach out of which South
Africa has benefited immensely. For example, as we celebrate Sasol SciFest
2007, a new festival SciFest Finland is being launched in Joensuu, Finland.
This project stems directly from Professor Erkki Sutinen of the University of
Joensuu's visit to Sasol SciFest in 2004, and the subsequent visit of the Sasol
SciFest Director to Finland in 2005 to guide the local organisers in their
planning.

A strong possibility now exists that the next international outreach will be
to Hamilton, New Zealand, with the launch of SciFest New Zealand taking place
hopefully in 2009 while interest is being shown for SciFest to be replicated
across our borders in Botswana.

Furthermore, following a visit to SciFest 2006, I understand a six-person
delegation from the Beijing Association for Science and Technology in China is
attending this SciFest 2007 to advance co-operation between the two
organisations and the department. With Sasol SciFest on-the-road now annually
reaching some 6 000 high school learners countrywide, our national outreach is
also on the rise. In addition, Sasol SciFest is now a regular contributor to my
department's National Science Week activities. Of further significance to us,
ladies and gentlemen, are some of the highlights of this SciFest 2007, which
include the following:

1. Sasol SciFest 2007 matches last year's festival as the biggest in the
history of the project, with the 80-page official programme containing no less
than 680 events and activities ranging from lectures, workshops, talk-shops and
exhibitions to Science Olympics, field trips and tours, quizzes,
apprenticeships and a Film Fest.
2. International contribution includes no less than 17 renowned scientists from
five countries worldwide.
3. Strong South African representation includes all the major universities,
many state departments, state-owned enterprises and private sector
companies.
4. Lecture, talk-shop and workshop programmes that provide the opportunity to
showcase not only a wide array of eminent South African Scientists, but also a
growing number of successful upwardly mobile young black Scientists.

We are immensely proud of these SciFest 2007 features. Like the festival
by-line, they make the undisputable statement that we have begun to make
science count for both our country and its people. Indeed if there is any
overarching goal that binds all of us here together, it is the fact that we
share an interest in and a passionate concern for the public awareness of
Science in South Africa.

Over the years, the SciFest has grown significantly in stature as well as in
the number and calibre of its activities. This augers extremely well for us
since increased Science awareness also increases the pool of the number of
school learners choosing science, engineering and technology for their further
studies. As already indicated, the intention of Science festivals is also to
close the gap between Science learnt within formal settings and Science learned
in non-formal settings. They promote science for non-scientists and through a
creative and well-structured programme give those who attend the festivals a
look into many different aspects of Science, Engineering and Technology. It is
against this background that my department has developed, with the
participation of Sasol SciFEST, a policy framework to support science festivals
in South Africa.

More importantly for a developing country like ours, for over a decade this
festival has foregrounded the central role of Science, Engineering and
Technology in growing the national economy and uplifting our people while at
the same time demonstrating our increasing competitiveness in the global
market.

My department will thus continue to support the Sasol SciFest in order to
promote co-ordination, synergy and complimentarity among science festivals as
well as ensure links with other Science awareness interventions. We will
continue in our responsibility to play an enabling and supporting role with the
assistance of the corporate sector such as this event's sponsors.

Particularly, I have no doubt that Sasol SciFest 2007 will succeed beyond
our expectations in achieving the critical goals of promoting Science and
Technology literacy and encouraging more young people to pursue careers in
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Let me conclude by acknowledging with thanks the contribution made by Sasol
Limited and other sponsors, not least among them, Old Mutual, who have
generously added their support to the event. I would like to further urge all
of these contributors to continue and hopefully increase their support of
Science festivals in the future. If our future and that of the rest of the
world is dependent on a solid Science, Engineering and Technology base, then
SciFest 2007 has helped us put our eyes firmly on the road ahead.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my singular pleasure to declare the Sasol
SciFest 2007 officially open.

Thank you.

Issued by: Department of Science and Technology
23 March 2007