Chairperson and hon members, Cope would like to congratulate the Independent Electoral Commission, IEC, on the very successful local government elections and also thank them for hours of work dedicated to this cause.
President Zuma declared 2011 the year of job creation. This must be a focus of all government departments - no one is excluded - and Science and Technology must also play its part.
We are all aware of vacancies that have existed in the department for extended periods of time. Not much has changed, and the Minister has acknowledged this. How will the department be able to effectively deliver on its mandate when faced with such a shortage? The Minister needs to report on the current status of vacancies and indicate how the department will address the issue.
In the recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, "Science, Technology and Industry Outlook", published at the end of last year, the OECD highlighted some issues of concern in the South African science and technology environment.
South Africa has experienced a decline in gross expenditure with regard to research and development finance from abroad. Industry finance gross expenditure on research and development also came down. The big concern, however, is that South Africa has less than one triadic patent per million of the population, well below the average. South Africa's indicator for human resources in science and technology is weak. We have one and a half researchers per 1 000 employed persons and a small percentage of 16% science and engineering degrees in all new degrees. Much more needs to be done.
Although gross expenditure on research and development has shown some improvement, we have never seen a figure of 1% of gross domestic product, GDP, which is a crying shame. The Minister needs to tell the House how she intends getting to 1,5%.
Chairperson, we need to realise that South Africa as a country is facing a tough challenge in developing science and technology. The shocking state of education in this country is proving to be a huge barrier to science and technology development. The engineering gap created as a result of a lack of design, engineering, entrepreneurial and management actors and research and development capacity is a grave concern. Government needs to realise that human capital for science, engineering and technology is at a suboptimal level and that there is a need for a planning framework over the long term.
Chairperson, we need to realise that a global war on talent is raging. Foreign countries are poaching South African talent, and we have no answer. Bureaucracy, and its red tape, are hampering our efforts to encourage foreign talent to come to our shores. We need a simplified process in order to assist foreign academics and their families to settle in South Africa while pursuing their field of study or research.
Some countries have a science visa and in the United States PhD graduates have the option to extend their study visas for up to two years to allow them the opportunity to find employment. Most grab this opportunity, and they are lost to their countries of origin. The South African system is struggling. We need to act and streamline the process of allowing foreign academics to come to our shores.
Chairperson, many commentators have dubbed the Square Kilometre Array, SKA, satellite project the Olympic Games of science and technology. I do not think that South Africans understand the enormity of this project and what it can mean to South Africa and our partner states if we are awarded the SKA bid in 2012.
The SKA central computer will have the processing power of about one billion personal computers. The SKA will use enough optical fibre to wrap twice around the earth. The dishes of the SKA will produce 10 times the global internet traffic and the aperture arrays more than 100 times that figure. The SKA will generate enough raw data to fill 15 million 64 gigabyte iPods every day.
According to the South African SKA website, the SKA building costs will amount to E1,5 billion and cost E150 million per year to operate. The SKA will be built and funded by a consortium of 16 countries.
Imagine the possibilities that will flow from such foreign investment for South Africa and its eight partner nations. We simply cannot afford to allow this once in a lifetime opportunity to slip through our fingers. We have to do everything in our power to ensure that South Africa is elected as the main host.
Cope would like to voice its support for the Joule electric car being developed by Optimal Energy. Unfortunately, funding still remains a problem, and government needs to step up to the plate. We need to realise that multinational companies are in business to make money, and to date both Chevrolet and Nissan have produced similar vehicles for the market. These are just two examples, as there are many more, and many more will follow. We have the opportunity to be frontrunners in the race for a slice of the electric car market. Will bureaucracy and short-sightedness be the downfall of yet another South African innovation?
Chairperson, the department needs to clean up its act. Estimations of National Expenditure 2011 figures are not aligned to the figures listed in the department's Strategic Plan. Why is this? The Minister must explain to the House why there is a discrepancy between the two documents relating to the number of households benefitting from technology-based inventions per year. The department also needs to provide details on why the set target on socioeconomic partnerships does not correspond to the strategic target of 1 200 partnerships. I thank you. [Applause.]