The Department of Science, Technology and Innovation has formally established National Science Month as the government’s primary science engagement programme, converting a two-decade-old initiative into a month-long effort to deepen public participation in scientific and technological advancement across South Africa.
Deputy Minister Nomalungelo Gina delivered the keynote address at the inaugural launch, held Saturday at the Vaal University of Technology. She framed the expansion from National Science Week, operational since 2000, as a direct response to the escalating role of science and innovation in tackling both global and domestic challenges. The timing coincided with the university’s 60th anniversary celebrations.
The shift reflects a deliberate policy decision. The department has broadened the scope and duration of its science engagement activities, and Gina made clear that government views science as more than a mechanism for discovery. It functions, in the department’s framing, as a vehicle for economic transformation, industrialization and national competitiveness, placing the initiative squarely within the department’s governance mandate to advance the country’s scientific capacity.
A critical gap underpins the urgency. South Africa currently allocates approximately 0.61 percent of its Gross Domestic Product to research and development, substantially below the 1.5 percent target established in the National Development Plan. Gina cited this disparity as justification for intensified public engagement, stating that the department has adopted a new operational principle: “Placing Science, Technology and Innovation at the Centre of Government, Education, Industry and Society.”
The programme operates under the theme “Science, Technology and Innovation Are for Everyone,” a framing designed to signal that scientific participation transcends ethnic, class, gender, religious and geographic boundaries. According to the Deputy Minister, National Science Month aims to demonstrate science’s capacity to illuminate natural and social phenomena, mobilize technological solutions to community problems, enable evidence-based decision-making and expand access to scientific knowledge while strengthening ties between researchers and the public.
The launch event demonstrated the breadth of institutional participation the department has secured. A science exhibition featuring 132 stands and more than 100 exhibitors drew participation from universities including the University of the Witwatersrand, University of Johannesburg, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Cape Town, North-West University, University of Limpopo, Stellenbosch University, University of Venda, Tshwane University of Technology, Durban University of Technology, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Sol Plaatje University and Nelson Mandela University. Science councils and research entities, among them the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, National Research Foundation, Technology Innovation Agency, South African National Space Agency, Academy of Science of South Africa and the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions, also participated. Full details are available at https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/national-science-month-launched-strengthen-public-engagement-science.
The month-long programme will address thematic areas spanning technology and innovation, health, environmental management, service delivery, education, journalism, human rights, climate change, space science, decolonizing knowledge systems, science diplomacy and youth engagement. Gina used the platform to highlight South African scientific achievements, including the Square Kilometre Array, the Southern African Large Telescope, iThemba LABS and the SANSA Space Weather Centre, positioning these projects as evidence of the country’s research capabilities.
She also directed remarks toward learners, encouraging scientific career pursuit by referencing South African innovators Mashudu Tshifularo and Sandile Ngcobo. Young people, she said, should view their aspirations toward science as valid and reject discouragement from pursuing scientific careers.
The launch concluded with the unveiling of the official National Science Month logo and a symbolic transfer of hosting responsibilities to North-West University for the 2027 edition. Gina’s closing remarks framed the initiative as a collective responsibility, calling on all South Africans to advance science engagement within their communities and communicate scientific relevance across the country’s towns and villages. Whether the programme can help close the gap between South Africa’s current research investment and its National Development Plan target remains the accountability question the department will face as the month unfolds.