SKA project continues to bring opportunities to communities

Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor held an Imbizo with the communities in Carnavon in the Northern Cape, to discuss numerous benefits of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project.

The R3.7 billion astronomy project continues to bring opportunities to surrounding communities such as attracting researchers from all corners of the world.

It is said that the SKA will be the world’s largest radio telescope once it’s completed.

The SKA project continues to provide ample opportunities to the surrounding communities and Carnavon.

The initiative has been beneficial to 31-year-old Priscilla Malgas of Carnavon, who started as a general worker in 2011. Malgas recently qualified as an artisan after obtaining a bursary from SKA project.

“I started in 2011 and applied for a bursary which I received, after that I worked for two years as an assistant and we were given an opportunity to further our studies and today, I am a qualified artisan after all of the studies and training.”

The project also changed the future of Samuel Wanga. He says the SKA had given him opportunity to pursue a career in engineering.

Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor says the SKA project puts Africa on the Global Scientific map.

“Major research initiatives are undertaken in Europe or the United States or other parts of the world rarely do you see research of global importance done on the African continent. We now have the capability for researchers to come from all over the world to our country to actually carry out significant research.”

The SKA will take another decade to build and will need maintenance for another 50 years.

The SKA will explore the deepest darkest secret of the final frontier and it will also attract international investments.