South Africa is the best place for digging: PSSA conference 2014
“We all try to answer one fundamental question: Where do we come from?” Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research at Wits University, said as he opened the 18th Biennial Meeting of the Palaeontological Society of Southern Africa (PSSA) on Friday, 11 July 2014.
Read more about the PSSA2014 Conference.
The meeting is one of the palaeontological highlights in South Africa, and with close to 100 palaeontologists from various southern African countries gathering, it is the biggest in Africa, and this year’s attendance is the largest in the PSSA’s 36 year history.
Vilakazi said that the future and growth of the palaeo-community is indeed promising as he referred to the eclectic, diverse representation of young scientists, sitting among some of the country’s most experienced palaeoscientists.
As a physicist Vilakazi reflected on the similarities between disciplines and said South Africa, and Wits in particular, has a strong and proud tradition in the palaeosciences.
This fits well with the five grand challenges the Department of Science and Technology has identified in its 10-year-innovation-plan that was informed by the White Paper on Science and Technology.
He said the plan identifies key areas where South Africa along with its partners in southern Africa can play a key role in niches “where we, along with our partners in the global South and North, can make meaningful contributions to the body of world knowledge.
“Some of these five grand challenges include energy, because of our response to the energy crisis, but also geographical advantage – African origins – that is right at the heart of the government’s plan in terms of identifying key focus points where we can all make key inputs.”
He said the palaeo- and astro-sciences, because of our southern skies, are South Africa’s unique geographical advantages as mentioned in the Africa Geographical Advantage Act.
He added that the formation and growth of this sector is in line with the national imperative of government to respond to the “gift the gods gave to us in the form of this treasure trove of rich fossils that we have.”
“It therefore, beholds us as managers and bureaucrats to support and create an enabling environment for our academic researchers, scientists and scholars to work together in realising this goal, not only for Wits but for the country, and for the world, as this is world heritage,” he said.
