SKA investing ‘heavily’ in Province

THE SQUARE Kilometre Array South Africa (SKA SA) project is investing “heavily” in the Northern Cape, from upgrading knowledge centres to creating jobs and providing deserving students with much-needed academic funding.

This is according to Dr Rob Adam, SKA project director, who addressed the 37th Agri Northern Cape Congress in Kimberley earlier this week.

With its partners, SKA SA has contributed towards social and technological development in areas such as Carnarvon, Vosburg, Wil- liston, Van Wyksvlei and Brandvlei.

Adam said that the contributions had been made around five focus areas: investing in the youth, supporting community upliftment programmes, developing small to medium enterprises (SMEs), nurturing pupils’ talent and ensuring that communication connectivity was not compromised.

The focused investment in social development in the region of the SKA SA site will ensure that neighbouring communities can fully benefit from the far-reaching astronomy project, through better education and training and investment in small businesses.

SKA SA sponsors five matric pupils’ bursaries to study science and engineering-related fields from 2016. The pupils achieved matric exemptions in maths and science, a first for Carnarvon High School.

SKA SA has also awarded more than 40 student bursaries since 2011, while supporting more than 116 Masters students and 52 PhD students as well as funded six research chairs at South African universities.

SKA SA bursaries have supported the training of seven young people, who are now completing their training at the Losberg site, 90 kilometres outside Carnarvon and will start work in industry once their training is completed.

They will work as electricians, fitters and turners and in instrumentation and control.

SKA SA has further employed four local young people from Carnarvon as interns after they have received training in optical fibre technology, according to Adam.

So far, SKA SA has spent more than R2.5 million on laptops, training and connectivity, with 366 new computers with state-of-the-art software being donated to schools and the library in Carnarvon.

SKA SA has also created more than a thousand jobs through infrastructure upgrades and construction on and around the SKA SA site.

“Local business has also been given a boost as SKA SA has partnered with Absa to fund 40 local contractors. These businesses are subcontractors to NMC Civils, the construction company contracted to build the road between Carnarvon and the Losberg site.

“This was preceded by training provided by SKA SA and NMC Civils to 10 local business owners on submitting tenders for the 80 kilometre road upgrade between Carnarvon and the SKA site,” Adam said. He added that SKA SA further partnered with Teach SA to appoint Itumeleng Molefi to teach mathematics and science at Carnarvon High School.