On 25 May 2012 the international SKA Organisation announced that South Africa and Australia will co-host the SKA telescope, with South Africa and its partner African countries to host the majority of the SKA receiver components. In his congratulatory message to the Minister of Science and Technology and her team, President Zuma stated:

"We are especially proud of winning this bid particularly on Africa Day. Africa is indeed rising. South Africa is confident that the country will deliver on the expectations of the continent and world."

Werksmans congratulates the South Africa SKA Project on this extraordinary achievement for South Africa and the African continent.

We are proud to have been involved in this project, being one of the most prestigious scientific bids and projects in Africa and internationally. The SKA will be the world's biggest telescope. It is designed to answer various questions in physics, astronomy and cosmology in order for us to understand the origin and workings of the Universe better.

Amanda Armstrong and Wendy Rosenberg, both directors at Werksmans, have worked on this project since its inception nine years ago.

They have provided ongoing legal advice to the SKA South African Project, and have been involved in drafting the regulatory framework necessary to ensure the creation of radio-quiet zones in which the arrays will be situated.

They led the wider Werksmans team which worked on the legal sections of South Africa's final bid document, which covered a wide range of topics, for South Africa and each of its African bid-partner countries, including -

• an overview of the relevant country's legal system
• the legal capacity for the SKA organisation
• an overview of intellectual property rights
• the law concerning ownership of land and rights of access
• licences and permits required to construct and operate the telescope and for supporting infrastructure (including building permits, water use, electricity supply, waste management, use of public roads, construction of private roads, construction of air strips, and electronic communications licensing and regulatory requirements)
• environmental issues
• health and safety issues
• employment law, including an overview of relevant employment legislation, work permits and spousal employment.
• South Africa's partner countries on this project are Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia - thus a truly African project.

Contact:
Amanda Armstrong, director
Direct line: +27 (0)11 535 8101
Email: aarmstrong@werksmans.com

Wendy Rosenberg, director
Direct line: +27 (0)11 535 8195
Email: wrosenberg@werksmans.com