Agb Speaker, ons land is 'n leier in die verkenning van die ruimte. Drie gesofistikeerde mikrosatelliete wat deur SunSpace ontwerp en gebou is, getuig daarvan. Verder is Suid-Afrika die inisieerder van die African Resource Management Constellation - projek vir die daarstelling van 'n konstellasie mikrosatelliete ter ondersteuning van plattelandse hulpbronbestuur. 'n Internasionale ooreenkoms is in 2009 tussen Suid-Afrika, Algeri, Nigeri en Kenia in hierdie verband gesluit, maar hierdie lande wag reeds twee jaar lank dat ons regering die projek afskop, sodat hulle bestellings kan plaas.
Kabinetsbesluite in 2010 en 2011 bepaal dat die regering 'n meerderheidsaandeelhouding in SunSpace sal koop. Sedertdien het die Departement van Wetenskap en Tegnologie glad nie uitvoering aan hierdie besluite gegee nie.
Gevolglik staan SunSpace op die punt om te ontbind, wat 'n verlies aan kundige ingenieurs sal meebring, die skep van hovlakwerkgeleenthede sal kelder en die jeug se loopbaanvertroue in die wetenskappe en tegnologie sal skend.
Minister Pandor behoort dringend te sorg dat haar direkteur-generaal uitvoering aan die SunSpace-kabinetsbesluite sal gee. (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Dr J C KLOPPERS-LOURENS (DA): Hon Speaker, our country is a leader in the field of space exploration. Three sophisticated microsatellites, designed by SunSpace, are proof of this. Furthermore, South Africa is the initiator of the African Resource Management Constellation, ARMC, project for the establishment of constellation microsatellites in support of rural resource management. An international agreement in this regard was reached in 2009 between South Africa, Algeria, Nigeria and Kenya, but these countries have been waiting for two years for our government to implement the project so that they can place their orders.
Decisions by the Cabinet in 2010 and 2011 determine that the government will purchase a majority share in SunSpace. Since then, the Department of Science and Technology has not implemented these decisions at all.
Consequently, Sunspace is on the brink of dissolving, which will result in a loss of specialist engineers, the hampering of high-level job opportunities, and damaging the youth's confidence in careers in science and technology.
Minister Pandor should urgently see to it that her director-general implements the Cabinet's decisions on Sunspace.]