Address by the Minister of Science and Technology, Honourable Mosibudi Mangena, on the occasion of the Induction of the Ministerial Advisory Committee, Sheraton Hotel

Director General
Members of the advisory committee
Elders, practitioners and knowledge holders
Ladies and gentlemen

This historic induction of the Ministerial Advisory Committee, which comprises experts, scientists, international scholars, holders and practitioners of indigenous knowledge, is yet another milestone in our arduous path of charting a development trajectory for our Indigenous Knowledge Systems. Fourteen years into democratic rule such an occasion is indeed long overdue. We hope this coming together of the experts in Indigenous Knowledge Systems will pave a way for the establishment of a much wider platform for developing Indigenous Knowledge Systems in South Africa and the continent.

Ladies and gentlemen, before addressing the specific subject of this important gathering, allow me briefly to allude to the overall goal of our work. It took a long time to complete and finalise the Policy on Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) that we launched on 31 March 2005. That launch signalled a defining moment in the lives of our local communities and indigenous knowledge holders and practitioners.

The Policy in its entirety endeavours to contribute to the consolidation of our constitutional democracy and the improvement of the lives, dignity and equality of our indigenous and local communities by giving concrete expression to the recognition, promotion, development and protection of indigenous knowledge systems. The policy will become the enabling instrument for indigenous and local communities to exercise their sovereign and inalienable rights over their indigenous knowledge and related intellectual and cultural knowledge. The launch of the Advisory Committee this morning brings to fruition our commitment to the establishment of the three pillars proposed by the IKS Policy, namely, the establishment of National Office, Research Management Agency and the Ministerial Advisory Committee.

The establishment of these key pillars positions places South Africa on the threshold of a new era of growth. The growth engine for this new dawn is knowledge development and knowledge management. There is no denying the fact that the knowledge of individuals and the collective knowledge of communities are the only real time competitive advantages that any country can rely upon. Given our diversity and the varying levels of economic and social development, the technological needs of our country are also diverse.

The challenge before us is to synergise our actions in terms of Indigenous and Universal knowledge, so that knowledge generation and utilisation benefits all segments of our society without causing disparities or lopsided development. We need to position ourselves cleverly by developing an equitable legislative framework that protects this untapped knowledge system to enable us to compete in the global market. It is with this in mind that the department will proceed, in the near future, to draft alternate legislation for protecting Indigenous Knowledge. The development of different forms of protection underscores our resolve to implement IKS Policy imperatives successfully.

In pursuit of this objective, we are in the process of establishing an IKS Centre of Excellence and IKS Centres, have already published the Policy in a number of local indigenous and foreign languages, and recently conducted an audit of existing IK databases. Whilst there are other sporadic and compelling achievements in our attempts to ensure the timely implementation of important imperatives of the Policy, the department has decided to embark on a review of the Policy. The review consultants will develop recommendations on the implementation of achieved and outstanding imperatives taking into account the financial costs of implementation.

As a way of promoting Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and anchoring it within the mainstream body of knowledge, some of its scope of work has been articulated as one of the Grand Challenges in our newly unveiled Ten Year Plan on Innovation. Perhaps it would be opportune to briefly walk you through some key components of the insightful programme.

Firstly, this plan of action aims to transform access to the ring-fenced research funds beyond the universities; to manage a bottom-up research priority setting approach; to increase basic, applied research and experimental research based on indigenous knowledge, technologies and innovation linked to entrepreneurship activities, and to put in place a new research management model together with the National Research Foundation (NRF) that will account to the National Indigenous Knowledge Systems Office.

Conventional instruments such as centres of excellence, competency centres, research chairs, laboratories, awards, scholarships, exchange and post-doctoral programmes will be utilised to increase the research output for innovation and entrepreneurship. The ring-fenced research funding for IKS has remained stagnant at the R10m level for the past six years. However, a progressive increase in the funding will lead to investment in nuanced and rigorous IK research methodologies and increased production of relevant knowledge for the transformation of rural economies.

Secondly, under the Human Capital and Knowledge Systems segment, the plan of action proposes to invest in the Knowledge Systems Studies Platform for the purpose of producing a complementary rather than a supplementary knowledge system to drive the knowledge agenda to 2018. The unravelling of the epistemologies underpinning the science, engineering and technology knowledge agenda will assist in getting rid of the ravages of neo-liberal globalisation that consigns African and developing countries to consumers of western technologies. This platform merely recommends that South Africa produce its own knowledge agenda for its own development.

In unfurling this approach, the plan of action proposes that a systematic study of indigenous knowledge systems through centres such as the centres for totemic studies and indigenous taxonomies, will greatly contribute to the production of new knowledge for societal transformation in governance and even environmental management. Under this rubric, the Centres and the Research Chairs will be the key instruments of change. The IKS documentation centres will constitute the knowledge laboratories for this thrust of the programme. It is envisaged that an integrated approach involving knowledge holders and knowledge workers will emerge.

Ladies and Gentlemen, as you are already aware, each knowledge system is built on distinctive philosophies, methodologies, and work ethics. The interfacing of IK philosophies, methodologies, and work ethics with modern science will contribute to the making of holistic and unique graduates who will be committed to the development of the social, environmental, cultural or economic health of communities. It is within this context that the plan of action has identified curriculum development as a key instrument to mainstream IK in the education landscape.

It is acknowledged that unless there is a contribution to changing the curricula in institutions of learning, the IK ethical systems will not permeate through to society. The centre of excellence for curriculum development has been identified as the implementation instrument to intervene in this area of work. The change in the curricula and the introduction of degrees in IKS will usher into the market place a new and unique graduate specialising in indigenous knowledge, which is a multi-disciplinary field.

The premise for human capital development will thus be two-fold, through the realisation of the Ten Year Plan, and through reforms impelled by the mainstreaming of IKS. It is particularly gratifying to note that good work is currently being undertaken by the department, the Centres of Excellence, which include the Universities of North West, Venda and Limpopo, and South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), in conjuring a fully developed graduate programme of IKS at universities.

The need to ensure that Indigenous Knowledge is firmly placed on the Department agenda has culminated in the establishment of the Ministerial Advisory Committee. The induction of the Advisory Committee on Indigenous Knowledge Systems represents a formal strategic realisation, and will serves as a guide to the work of the National Office, the Portfolio Committee and other key role players. This august body will provide timely expert advice to the National Office on IKS, other key role players and to the Minister.

Together with the Ministry, this Committee will commit to building strong ties with local and indigenous communities, their leadership, elders and knowledge holders and practitioners. Jointly, we will respect the rich culture of our communities, honour the vast knowledge they possess and accelerate the future by listening and learning from indigenous and local communities on how to equitably create social and economic opportunity.

At the moment our local and indigenous communities are already beginning to measure the accomplishments of this Committee. In terms of its mandate, the Committee will have three years to make a difference. According to your credentials, I have noted that you share a commitment to building the kind of communities we need and want. I am convinced you will deliver on your terms of reference, and that we will have a common agenda and a sense of urgency to re-engineer the future of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in South Africa we all desire. But the point I want to make is that there is no time to waste, the future of Indigenous Knowledge is now.

May I, in closing, take this opportunity to thank the members for graciously accepting my invitation to serve on the committee. As already indicated, we have a huge and important task ahead; to put Indigenous Knowledge at the heart of our efforts to create a more productive and prosperous economy and society. I look forward to your thoughtful recommendations on this vitally important mandate.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Science and Technology
22 April 2008