03 July 2025
Honourable House Chair, Honourable Minister, Honourable Deputy, Members of the STI Portfolio Committee.
Honourable Members present.
I stand before you today to affirm our unwavering commitment to harnessing Science, Technology, and Innovation, as vital engines of transformation that align with our broader objectives rooted in the principles of the National Development Plan. Our intent is to leverage STI to diversify our economy, transcend traditional sectors, and foster new industries and markets that can propel South Africa toward sustainable development and inclusive growth.
In the spirit of the National Democratic Revolution, we recognize that merely basing our growth on traditional resources is insufficient for long-term prosperity. Instead, we must innovate boldly by building regional and global alliances that grant us access to knowledge, advanced technologies, and vital funding opportunities. Such collaborations will enable us to tap into international best practices and cutting-edge research, which are essential in a fiercely competitive global economy. As we look to the Medium-Term Development Plan, which allocates a budget of R9.06 billion for the Department this current financial year which reflects a decrease of approximately R744 million from the previous year. This is mainly because of our economy which is not growing sufficiently to respond to the pressing challenges that the country is facing, therefore strategic resource utilization to support our aspirations remains very fundamental.
Honourable House Chair, despite such short falls much remains to be achieved. South Africa’s space sector, for example, remains underfunded, with the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) allocated a relatively low budget of R166.6 million that threatens the sector’s growth and potential contributions to national security, disaster management, and economic development. We must act decisively to rescue and revitalize this sector by establishing dedicated funding streams and fostering partnerships with international space agencies. This will not only elevate SANSA’s capabilities but also inspire a new generation of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs committed to space innovation as an essential component of our broader Science, Technology and Innovation strategy.
To maximize societal benefits, we are committed to encouraging the protection, commercialization, and socio-economic utilization of our innovations. Our innovation ecosystems should serve as catalysts for real-world impact, creating jobs and empowering communities. As part of this vision, we should foster the development of innovation clusters and science parks across the country, providing hubs for incubating indigenous ideas and facilitating their transition into viable markets. Moreover, the promotion of local innovations through institutions such as the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), is crucial. TIA’s role in supporting market entry for emerging innovations remains central to penetrating new sectors and boosting local enterprise development, especially in critical industries.
Honourable House Chair, building on these efforts, we understand that fostering a culture of innovation requires active engagement and awareness. Therefore, we should strengthen our efforts in education, advocacy, and public participation, embedding STI into the fabric of our national identity and developmental strategies. In that score digital platforms should be leveraged for broad dissemination and engagement, ensuring that the message of innovation resonates across all communities, fostering an inclusive innovation environment that echoes the tenets of our democracy.
A key aspect of our strategy involves developing supportive policies, regulatory mechanisms, and incentive systems that align STI initiatives with sustainable development goals. We recognize that sustainable growth is rooted in resilient research infrastructure, which must be upgraded and expanded despite fiscal constraints. As we strive to maintain a resilient research infrastructure across sectors, strategic collaborations with progressive international research institutions will be instrumental in advancing our national research agenda. This aligns with our goal of establishing science, technology, and innovation hubs across educational institutions, which will nurture a new wave of scientists, engineers, and innovators.
Despite these promising initiatives, we acknowledge that current shortcomings threaten to hamper our progress. Limited resources in critical areas will potentially hinder our ability to compete globally. The underfunded space sector exemplifies this challenge. To overcome this, we propose a comprehensive approach rescuing strategic sectors like space through targeted funding, enhancing inter-agency coordination, and prioritizing R&D in areas that promise tangible socio-economic returns. We must also foster strong public-private partnerships to ensure shared responsibility in advancing STI initiatives, aligning with our policy position that emphasizes collaborative effort as vital for achieving scale and impact.
Additionally, access to global scientific networks must be made more seamless to foster dialogue, share best practices, and accelerate our innovation capacity. This is vital for showcasing our innovations on the world stage, attracting investment, and gaining recognition for our ingenuity. The full potential of our STI ecosystem can only be realized if we address current shortfalls with strategic mitigative strategies through increased budgetary commitments, policy reforms, and strengthened institutional coordination.
Our vision is rooted in the accountability and responsibility to the people of South Africa. We understand that the integration of STI into all sectors is critical to our developmental objectives driving inclusive growth, job creation, and poverty reduction. By aligning our policies and investments with the goals articulated in the Medium-Term Development Plan, we can ensure that our innovation efforts are not mere rhetoric but outcomes that uplift the socio-economic conditions of all our citizens. We must create a robust environment for commercialization, promote indigenous and local innovations, and enable them to penetrate markets domestically and internationally.
In closing, our strategic focus on STI is not just about scientific pursuit; it is a core element of our national mission to build a more equitable, resilient, and prosperous South Africa. We call upon all stakeholders to join us in this vital endeavour through strategic investment, policy support, and active participation in positioning South Africa as a leader in science and innovation. We are committed to ensuring that our investments guided by the principles of the national democratic revolution deliver tangible benefits for our people, now and into the future.
As the ANC we support this budget.
Thank you.