His Royal Majesty, the King
Members of the Royal House and National House of Traditional Leaders
MEC for Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation: Mrs Weziwe Thusi
Members of the Provincial Cabinet
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Science and Technology
Dr N Ngcobo
Members of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Indigenous Knowledge
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Professor WM Makgoba
Delegates
Distinguished guests
I’m pleased that KwaZulu-Natal was chosen to host this year’s Indigenous Knowledge Expo. Given its rich cultural heritage and impressive bio-diversity, as well as its role as one of the successful host cities of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, KwaZulu-Natal was the ideal choice for this year’s expo.
Allow me also to express my sincere gratitude to the Office of Premier and the University of KwaZulu-Natal for working with the department on this flagship project. I also thank national and provincial departments for their contributions to the expo.
This type of collaboration between national, provincial and academic institutions is an excellent example of how we can combine our respective strengths and expertise to achieve a common goal. The idea of hosting an annual expo was conceived by the Department of Science and Technology in 2007 and later endorsed by the Inter-governmental Committee on Indigenous Knowledge Systems as a vehicle to raise public awareness, understanding and appreciation of indigenous knowledge in the country.
With this year’s expo including the conference on Traditional Medicines and HIV and AIDS and the recent excitement over the release of the results of the Caprisa study, conducted by the Centre for the Aids Programme of Research here at the University of KwaZulu Natal - I’m quite confident that the quality and depth of public engagement will be greatly enhanced.
World leader in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals
We are acutely aware that there are some who think that indigenous knowledge is ‘primitive’ and ‘outdated’ and falls outside the parameters of mainstream science and technology. There are some who wonder why the Department of Science and Technology or government are investing so much in the documentation and protection of indigenous knowledge. We take indigenous knowledge very seriously.
We have made it part of our ten-year innovation plan. One of the plan’s key objectives is to establish South Africa as a world leader in pharmaceuticals, based on the nation’s indigenous resources and expanding knowledge base.
We believe that research and innovation in the new bio-economy will position South Africa as a major producer in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmeceutical industries. A critical and still untapped comparative advantage is that South Africa has the third-largest biodiversity resource-base in the world.
Creation of a legal benefit-sharing framework
Yet bio-piracy continues to be one of the greatest threats to the protection of indigenous knowledge systems. In recent months, several bio-piracy cases involving the pelargonium, rooibos and honey bush biological resources have been lodged with the European Patent Office. These are benchmark cases that illustrate the potential economic value of indigenous knowledge to South Africa.
An effective and comprehensive legal framework is needed to put an end to bio-piracy and the theft of our indigenous biological resources.
The department is supporting the Department of Trade and Industry in its initiative to amend intellectual property laws to broaden the protection indigenous knowledge enjoys. My department also collaborates closely with the Department of Environmental Affairs to promote the protection of indigenous knowledge and related biological resources.
As part of its efforts to protect our national biological resources, government is working towards putting in place a legal framework that will put a definite end to multi-national companies and local companies neglecting their obligations to seek prior informed consent and to share benefits when using biological resources from the developing countries as required by national laws and the Convention on Biodiversity.
Establishment of a formal recordal system for indigenous knowledge
To give greater meaning to the legislative framework for the protection of indigenous knowledge and its associated biological resources, indigenous knowledge will be collected in a National Recordal System.
The National Recordal System, a large fingerprint initiative of the Department of Science and Technology, will document, record and store indigenous knowledge for the benefit of our communities.
The National Recordal System also aims to collect grassroots community experiences in local languages. This flagship project creates a platform for the documentation of unrecorded and oral forms of indigenous knowledge for posterity.
The National Recordal System will be developed in phases. This year we will be testing the cataloguing system as we document indigenous knowledge at six sites spread across four provinces.
As part of phase one the University of Zululand is working with the communities of Nkandla, Mhlab’uyalingana and Mkhwanazi, testing the cataloguing system before it is rolled out incrementally across the country.
The establishment of a national recordal system will be a first in the world. We are committed to making it work for our society.
Once completed, it will be a legacy project for future generations, who will be ever grateful that we documented the roots of their civilisation.
Promoting indigenous knowledge links with the science base by means of targeted funding instruments
The department has begun to put instruments in place to generate strong socio-economic benefits from this indigenous knowledge base.
The establishment and management of the Bio-prospecting and Product Development Platform, under the auspices of the National Indigenous Knowledge Systems Office, focuses on research into the country’s rich plant biodiversity to promote the pharmaceutical industry.
Related to this, the African Traditional Medicine project, led by the University of KwaZulu-Natal, is conducting cutting-edge bio-prospecting research to provide natural solutions to the country’s four priority diseases, namely diabetes mellitus, tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS and asthma.
The cosmeceuticals flagship project, led by the University of Pretoria, has identified 11 positive leads for the treatment of skin problems, mouth infections and male balding. An indigenous plant oil agathosma betulina has proven very effective in treating hyper-pigmentation and in slowing the ageing process.
Also, the nutraceuticals flagship project, led by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, that conducts research into traditional South African foods has found that the amaranthus vegetable contains three times the Vitamin K content of commercial cabbages. My department has put in place validation systems within our science system to ensure that our indigenous knowledge products are safe and backed by the best science in the world. To give further impetus to these critical initiatives the Department of Science and Technology has set aside a dedicated fund to support research into indigenous knowledge.
This ring fenced funding has been dedicated to applied research in indigenous knowledge. This particular research fund is now open to all South African researchers whether they are based in higher institutions of learning or in communities. And, in addition to funded research, the DST has a vision of growing a new generation of researchers in the field of indigenous knowledge.
I’m also pleased that two indigenous knowledge research chairs have been awarded as part of the South African Research Chairs Initiative. The first of the chairs was awarded to the University of KwaZulu-Natal for work in the field of traditional medicines. The Conference on Traditional Medicines and HIV and AIDS that will be commencing on Wednesday as part of this expo is evidence of the progress made with this chair.
The second chair in indigenous knowledge has been awarded to the Walter Sisulu University. These two chairs represent significant injections into the development of national research capacity in indigenous knowledge systems. In my address at the previous Expo held in November 2009 in Limpopo province I mentioned that we were establishing an indigenous knowledge studies centre of excellence.
The centre will play a defining role in generating highly-qualified human resource capacity in indigenous knowledge systems. In collaboration with the South African Qualification Authority it has developed and registered the Bachelor of Indigenous Knowledge Systems Degree (BIKS), which is a four year-degree programme covering a range of knowledge fields - mainly science, technology and innovation.
This will ensure that graduates will have the knowledge and skills to enhance the social, environmental, cultural or economic health of communities.
Closing
This year’s expo provides a platform for the department to showcase both its work and the progress being made in realising its vision of South Africans being “Global leaders In Indigenous Knowledge Systems development for improved quality of life”.
The expo also gives other government departments and knowledge-holders an opportunity to exhibit knowledge products and to demonstrate the impact of indigenous knowledge and community innovations on sustainable community livelihood.
And, in fulfilling the department’s consultation role, this expo also serves the function of collectively mobilising stakeholders.
It’s my sincere hope that all your deliberations over the next couple of days will ultimately give practical expression to the theme "Our Knowledge our Pride.”
May I, in closing, take this opportunity to wish you great success in your deliberations.
I declare this expo officially open.
I thank you.
