M Mangena: Launch of Sugar Industry Trust Fund for Education

5 July 2007

Programme Director
Executive Director of the South African Sugar Association, Mr Trix Trikam
Chairman and Trustee for the Trust Fund for Education, Mr Colin Kyle
Dean of Engineering of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Professor Nelson
Ijumba
Industry leaders
Chief executive officers (CEOs)
Project managers and other role players present
Students and bursary recipients
Ladies and gentlemen

Allow me to begin by extending our sincere gratitude to the South African
Sugar Association, other role players and the general sugar industry for
pulling out all stops to ensure the success of this partnership which today
culminates in the launch of the Sugar Industry Trust Fund for Education (SITFE)
here at KwaShukela.

The motto of the partnership between Sugar Industry and the University of
KwaZulu-Natal Intensive Tuition for Engineers (UNITE) that we are launching,
"Engineering: A Foundation for a Stronger Economy", is very apt for the type of
economy that South Africa is intending to build. Every competitive economy is
founded on solid engineering and innovative skills and South Africa must now
embark in earnest on her mission to increase a viable pool of scientist,
researchers and engineers. The building blocks for building this human capital
are the learners in our schools.

Thirteen years into democracy, we have certainly made some strides in
developing strategies to ensure we address backlogs in our Science, Engineering
and Technology (SET) human resources. Central to the implementation strategies
proposed in our National Research and Development Strategy is the formation of
public-private partnerships (PPPs) to develop the requisite SET human capital.
That is why we are very proud to be associated with an initiative such as this
one, which aims to increase the number of learners who will be able to pursue
studies in mathematics, science and technology.

Apart from the magnitude of investment in funding science, engineering and
technology students another key determinant for the country's commitment to SET
innovation is the percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which now
stands at 0,92% that the nation has committed to spending on Research and
Development (R&D).

In pursuance of our objective to develop national capacity to engage in
research and development activities throughout the economy, last year, my
Department commissioned a study to review R&D activities within the sugar
industry. The aim was to identify gaps and develop the recommendations that can
be implemented towards the effective and efficient functioning of this industry
as a whole. We have since received the report and its findings and
recommendations will be shared with the Department of Trade and Industry and
the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs, including other parties having
an interest in the study.

Among others, the study acknowledges that the sugar industry has best
practices which can be emulated by other sectors such as the development of
sugar varieties that can withstand poor weather conditions. The study also
reveals that we should pride ourselves in the quality of research conducted by
the South African Sugarcane Research Institute (SASRI) and Sugar Milling
Research Institute (SAMRI) which is rated high in Europe and other
continents.

Some of the key findings and recommendations from the study, which I believe
have a special relevance to what we are doing today include but are not limited
to the reality that:

1. The industry currently lacks strategies to retain the existing staff and
that these people sometimes leave for better opportunities elsewhere.
2. Research resources are not shared between the established research centres
and historically disadvantaged universities.
3. There is no co-ordinated partnership structure between the sugar industry
and government.
4. There are low crop yields per hectare due to limited number of hectares that
each of the small farmers have.
5. Farmers have to contend with unreliable season and weather conditions which
affect the productivity of the industry.

In order to address some of the identified challenges the study recommends a
stronger interaction between the Department of Trade and Industry, the
Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs and certain programmes within my
Department. I am humbled to announce that there is already a number, albeit
limited, of programmes in my Department that are aimed at addressing some of
the negative findings mentioned above. The problem of retaining high level
scientific and research expertise within the country is being addressed through
the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARCI).

In response to the second issue of research resources not being shared
between the established research centres and historically disadvantaged
universities, the Department has established centres of excellence which are a
network of institutions founded on common research agendas. With the passage of
time, these networks will also include industries.

In particular the study recommends that:

a) Bursaries should be provided to encourage the youth to take courses
relating to the sugar industry at undergraduate level. In order to realise this
objective government, universities and the industry should develop strategies
to encourage particularly young and black learners to follow careers in the
sugar industry. It has been observed that the research institutions in the
industry are experiencing difficulties in recruiting black people into senior
positions.

b) Programmes should be established to promote the image of the industry in
order to attract new and young graduates.

c) Government, in partnership with the private sector, should assist the
industry in funding basic and applied long term research through institutions
such as the Agricultural Research Council and the Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR) for agronomic research and industrial research,
respectively.

d) As a lead department in promoting research and development, my Department
should encourage other role players such as the Department of Agriculture and
Land Affairs and the deeds office to speed up their processes in supplying and
implementing their respective roles on issues related to land redistribution
within the industry. This will alleviate challenges such as those experienced
by Inkezo Land Company in facilitating and implementing transformation on the
growers' side.

e) The Agricultural Extension Officers should be equipped with suitable
skills to enable them to act as an effective link between the industry research
institutions and the farmers or producers.

My Department has been following these recommendations and challenges with
keen interest. We are aware that, despite the critical shortage of engineering
skills in our country, dozens of talented young matriculants are turned away
every year owing to a shortage of funding. Our soon to be unveiled Youth Into
Science Strategy and our suite of bursary programmes for young scientists are
targeted towards attracting and retaining the best talent in SET. Therefore,
the launch of this trust fund for education is in line with some of the
recommendations of the study.

The importance of intensifying the relationship between the institutions of
higher learning as represented here by the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the
private sector, represented by the Sugar Industry and the science councils can
never be overemphasised. We believe that the launch of today's partnership
symbolises a social compact that is necessary for improving the performance of
our economy because such partnerships do not only benefit the industry but also
the community, government and the country's economy.

We are therefore truly humbled by the number of individuals, companies and
organisations that are committed to accelerating the provision of quality
education within this sugar growing region of our country. These role players
show that while there is an acknowledged shortage of skills within the country,
there are vibrant public-private partnerships (PPPs) that are investing
resources to increase the pool of scarce skills particularly in the critical
area of engineering. We also share the sugar industry's belief that education
is a cornerstone for sustained economic growth and sustainable livelihoods.

For South Africa to maintain a sustainable economic growth, she needs to
increase the number of engineering graduates from the current annual average of
4 000 to 12 000 by 2010 and to produce 50 000 artisans annually by 2010. I am
delighted to note that in this very ambitious quest we have found valuable
partners in the sugar industry.

What is particularly heartening is that the sugar industry, through the
Trust Fund for Education, is committed to increasing the number of students
from socially and academically disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue studies in
engineering, agriculture and other scarce skills.

In addition, we are aware that SITFE is supporting a broad spectrum of
educational projects ranging from infrastructure development, study assistance
programmes, teacher development initiatives to literacy and arts and culture.
The trust fund has also supported early childhood development (ECD) and
environmental conservation programmes to ensure that the goals of sustainable
livelihoods and meaningful development are fully realised within this sugar
growing region.

As we grow sugar, let us heed an old Indian proverb which advises us to
"treat the earth well: (because) it was not given to (us) by (our) parents, it
was loaned to (us) by (our) children. We do not inherit the earth from our
ancestors, we borrow it from our children."

We are reliably informed that during the 2006/07 season alone, SITFE
invested R2,6 million in educational programmes and initiatives such as
Programme for Technological Careers (PROTEC) Tongaat, an organisation
supporting gifted learners in mathematics. We understand that that project has
resulted in two students securing full scholarships with some of the big
conglomerates in South Africa namely, Anglo Platinum and SASOL. I am told that
one of the PROTEC students, Doctor Mthembu, who is with us today, has also been
offered a bursary through the partnership between the University of
KwaZulu-Natal and the sugar industry.

The SITFE has also built four additional classrooms in Ntabankulu, Eshowe
for some 100 primary school learners who were learning under a tree. In
addition, SITFE has ensured that grades 10, 11 and 12 science learners at
Lethithemba High School gain access to science equipment and calculators. I
understand this has significantly improved the learners' overall performance
and pass rate in science and maths. And I believe that some of the grade 12
learners from Lethithemba High School are here with us today.

We further urge the trust fund to support the various organisations working
with the surrounding rural communities to improve the learning and teaching of
maths and science in the schools. We are still experiencing difficulties in
retaining enough youngsters within our science system and we believe that
initiatives like the SITFE will contribute meaningfully to our quest to
populate our national system of innovation with enough young scientists.

In closing, allow me to once again thank the South African Sugar
Association, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, representatives from the
Mangosuthu Technikon, READ, MINDSET and PROTEC, the spousal office in the
Presidency as well as all our social partners in this programme. We sincerely
congratulate and commend the students and bursary recipients.

VS Naipaul claims that, "A man fights only when he hopes, when he has a
vision of order, when he feels strongly there is some connection between the
earth on which he walks and himself." The community in this sugar growing
region may be living far away from the fast life and bright lights of
cosmopolitan areas such as Durban and Johannesburg. But its contribution to the
economy and improvement of the quality of life of the citizens of this country
is no different. We salute and commend every one of you, who has taken it upon
herself or himself to contribute towards the preservation and development of
this beautiful land.

Thank you for your attention!

Issued by: Department of Science and Technology
5 July 2007