Speaker, the ANC wishes to congratulate the Department of Science and Technology on hosting yet another successful event, the annual Women in Science Awards, which rewards the achievements of female scientists.
The science sector is still male-dominated, with women making up only 26% of the total professoriate at universities and only 40,3% of the total number of researchers in the country. Therefore, the Women in Science Awards, Wisa, are aimed at profiling female scientists and researchers as role models for younger women, and encouraging those with emerging careers.
The ANC would like to congratulate the following women scientists who are charting the way in different categories: Prof P Sithole - Distinguished Young Women in Science: Social Sciences and Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal; Prof J Roux - Distinguished Young Women in Science: Life, Natural and Engineering Sciences, University of Pretoria; Prof A Stewart - Distinguished Women in Science: Humanities and Social Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Prof N Lall - Distinguished Young Women in Science: Indigenous Knowledge Systems, University of Pretoria; and Prof Abdool Karim - Distinguished Women in Science Awards: Life, Natural and Engineering Sciences.
Prof Karim received a top award for her commitment to halting the spread of HIV in the country. As a principal researcher in the Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa, Caprisa 004, scientific research programme, she demonstrated that Tenofovir gel prevents both HIV and herpes simplex virus type 2 infections. This finding has been hailed globally as one of the most significant scientific breakthroughs in the fight against Aids.
Congratulations, you have made us all proud. Malibongwe! [Praise!] [Time expired.]