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Aspects of South African science – from colonial roots to national endeavours
Year of Publication : 2025-10-16
Language : en
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Abstract (English) : The webinar - "Aspects of South African science - from colonial roots to national endeavours", hosted on 16 October 2025, explored how science in South Africa has evolved historically and operates today, emphasising that it has never been as isolated as often portrayed. Despite colonial and apartheid constraints, South African scientists maintained extensive international and transnational links, particularly in the technical and natural sciences. Early examples of global engagement - from 17th-century Jesuit astronomers at the Cape to cross-border disease research and the development of radio astronomy - underscore a long-standing embeddedness in global science. At the same time, apartheid-era investments created a dense but uneven institutional landscape, while racism and exclusion systematically suppressed Black scientific potential. Counter-narratives around indigenous and vernacular knowledge interacting with formal science point to a more complex, “dappled” history that warrants deeper recognition.
Within this landscape, the South African Journal of Science (SAJS) has functioned not simply as a record of science, but as an actor shaping scientific norms and visibility. Established in 1903 as a report of S2A3, the journal gradually professionalised into a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary platform. After near-collapse in the 1970s, strong editorial leadership and later the transition to ASSAf ownership in 2003 helped stabilise and reposition the journal. Today SAJS faces strategic tensions: balancing novelty with readability, disciplinary depth with accessibility, and rigorous peer review with equity and inclusion. It also has to engage with emerging questions around integrating indigenous knowledge systems and responsibly addressing AI and machine learning in research and scholarly publishing, while maintaining financial sustainability and African relevance.
The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) has become a key institutional anchor in the democratic era. Founded in 1996 and granted statutory status in 2001, it was conceived to leverage South Africa’s scientific strengths, build international and African partnerships, and provide evidence-based policy advice. Its work on scholarly publishing, participation in global academy networks, and role in establishing NASAC have helped shift African academies from purely honorific bodies towards policy advisory institutions. However, the long-standing goal of increasing gross expenditure on R&D to 2% of GDP remains unmet, and GERD has in fact declined. This erosion of investment threatens the human capital and institutional capacities needed for ASSAf and similar bodies to sustain credible, independent advice and leadership.
A central thread throughout the webinar was the relationship between science, society and inclusion. Feminist and indigenous perspectives remind us that pride in scientific achievement sits alongside histories of pain and exclusion. Policy frameworks alone do not guarantee trust or uptake: technical jargon, limited public-facing communication and persistent structural inequalities continue to distance science from many communities. The discussion highlighted the need for science to make visible, practical differences in everyday life, particularly for rural and marginalised groups such as small-scale farmers and young people in under-resourced areas. The unresolved question is where the translation gap lies - in research-to-policy pathways, in science communication, or in local implementation capacity - and how best to address it.
Astronomy, and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) in particular, was presented as a powerful case of how large scientific infrastructures must earn a social license to operate. The Office of Astronomy for Development demonstrates how astronomy can be linked directly to development outcomes, from skills and employment to STEM education and gender equality. At the same time, global controversies such as the halted Thirty Meter Telescope in Hawaii illustrate the consequences of inadequate community engagement. The SKA’s efforts to embed development, community partnerships and open science into its design and operations were highlighted as an emerging model of science diplomacy and inclusive infrastructure, though one that requires ongoing work and vigilance.
The webinar also examined policy instruments such as the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI), which seeks to connect high-level research with national priorities. Examples such as the Chair in Nanotechnology for Water demonstrate how attention to diversity, community engagement and local problem-solving can align global research excellence with local needs, especially in rural areas. More broadly, the historical entanglement of science with the minerals-energy complex (mining, Sasol, Eskom) shows how path dependencies shape current opportunities and constraints. Future growth areas - such as rare earth extraction from coal and a broader space economy - offer the possibility of diversifying science-led development, provided investment and governance are aligned.
Finally, the webinar warned of mounting risks: shrinking and unstable science budgets, governance uncertainties, and crises in student funding all undermine institutional stability and public confidence. While the COVID-19 pandemic briefly reinforced the value of science, this trust cannot be taken for granted. Participants called for science to be treated as essential infrastructure, not a luxury. This entails restoring and growing R&D investment, strengthening translation and engagement mechanisms, embedding inclusion and indigenous knowledge more firmly in institutions like SAJS and ASSAf, and adopting impact assessment frameworks that recognise diverse contributions within an open-science paradigm.
Description : MP4 video, Size: 3.12 GB; Duration: 01:37:54
Contributor ORCIDs : Veldsman, Susan 
; Dubow, Saul ; Carruthers, Jane ; Nordling, Linda ; Crewe, Robin ; Meyiwa, Thenjiwe ; Lumkile, Mondi ; Nomngongo, Philiswa ; Tiplady, Adrian ; Whitelock, Patricia
; Dubow, Saul ; Carruthers, Jane ; Nordling, Linda ; Crewe, Robin ; Meyiwa, Thenjiwe ; Lumkile, Mondi ; Nomngongo, Philiswa ; Tiplady, Adrian ; Whitelock, Patricia Publisher : Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
Citation : Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2025). Aspects of South African science – from colonial roots to national endeavours [Online] Available at: https://youtu.be/e8X_-O_VDbI?si=C1U6AvMSTjNfBCd3
Peer Review Status : Non-Peer Reviewed
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