On the 13th of March 2009, the city of Limpopo Polokwane bared witness to the euphoria of science. The festival was attended by approxiametly 50 schools that span across the whole province, some having traveled as far from Musina and Tzaneen. Officially opening the proceedings, Acting Premier Cassel Mathale welcomed all the students, exhibitors and presenters alike to Limpopo and hoped the experience will benefit all those students that seek knowledge in the field of science.

According to the event organizer Bushy Moabelo, the event was born out of the need to reach those schools furthest from the cities. “The problem with students from previously disadvantaged communities is that they tend to focus too much on commercial subjects than on Mathematics and Physical Science, such notion must be completely erased from the minds of these learners.” The festival offered knowledge on maths and science career paths learners could choose from.

Concurring with such experienced sentiment, the Honourable Minister of Science and Technology Mosibudi Mangena asserted that knowledge determines “the nature of our being in terms of policy formulation, social-economic development, human dynamics, progress, prosperity and improved quality of life.”

Minister of Science and Technology Mosibudi Mangena, giving an address at the Limpopo Science Festival

To develop science in such deprived communities the Minister announced that the government decided to promote Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) which is a science or knowledge that is sensitive to the needs of the people.

Key amongst the proceedings was introducing students to the aspect of technology. Technology has advanced at a rapid pace says Prof. Wen-Hsien Chen Senior Advisor to the Taiwan Embassy who provided valuable advice on how South Africa can begin to be technologically progressive.

One of the key imperatives is education and it should be orientated towards technology. He asserted that Taiwan has about 110 Universities each course offering an ingredient of technology in it. He hailed the IKS as an important step towards educating the masses about technology.

The Council for the Built Environment involvement in the festival stems from fulfilling its mandate which is to promote continuous human resource development. This occasion provided the CBE with a perfect opportunity to promote its said bursary scheme, which will be provided to top matriculant achievers. Details of the bursary will be advertised in national and local newspaper in the coming period of June and July respectively. Other featured organizations involved in the festival included the Department of Agriculture, National Health Laboratories Services (NHLS), Wits University, Umsobomvu and South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA).