January / February 2005 - CSIR

CSIRboosts youthdevelopmentprogramme21CSIR Building and ConstructionTechnology has assisted Mrs ZaneleMbeki, patron of the Youth SkillsDevelopment Programme (YSDP), inconverting an old storage hangar intoa “blue collar” convention centre atSAS Saldanha. The hangar was convertedin two and a half weeks as ademonstration project, at a cost ofR2.9 million, using clean productionprinciples rather than traditionalconstruction principles.The Centre was opened in December2004 by President Mbeki during theYoung SA Women in DialogueConference. In addition to attracting“blue collar” conferences to Saldanha (apresidential poverty node), the Centrewill form part of the EnablementComplex under construction to supportthe YSDP, a joint initiative by theDepartments of Defence and PublicWorks with the CSIR as lead agency.The project has attracted in excess ofR20 million in funding in the past. TheIndependent Development Trust (IDT) hascommitted a further R15 million to theYSDP and contract negotiations are at anadvanced stage to allocate this funding.The total estimated cost for implementingthe Enablement Complex isR350 million, with an operational cost ofapproximately R30 million per annum.The intention is to open a further fourEnablement Complexes over the next fiveyears.Left to right: Mrs Zanele Mbeki, Ms Elanca Shelley (CSIR Project Leader),President Thabo Mbeki, Ms Cindy Mamabolo (National Co-ordinator forSAWID), Ms Thoko Mpolowano (Commissioner), Captain Robert Shelley (SANavy - SAS Saldanha)Seminar addresses plight of street childrenEven though the rights of children are entrenched in the Constitution, the callto "put children first" remains just as urgent today as in the past. Every year inSouth Africa, thousands of children die from malnutrition and disease. Almost25% of schools do not have water within walking distance and 57 % do not havepower.As part of its contribution to the 16 days of days of activism to unite againstwoman and child abuse, the CSIR Crime Prevention Centre recentlyhosted a seminar on "Street Children: Activism, Advocacy, Access to theSystem." A publication will be distributed capturing the outcomes of theseminar, which covered the various approaches to relieving the plight of streetchildren (supported by a literature search done by the CSIR) and offered insightinto the roles that different sectors can play in addressing the problem.Opportunities for young scientistsThe CSIR is committed to ongoing partnerships with local municipalities. Thevision of these partnerships is to contribute to meeting some of the capacity andtechnical requirements of local government while creating opportunities for youngscientists to learn in a mentored environment.Three science postgraduate students have recently completed a year’s internshipprogramme at CSIR Water, Environment and Forestry Technology in partnershipwith the Environmental Management Department (EMD) of the eThekwiniMunicipality in Durban. They have undertaken environmental assessment andState of the Environment reporting projects aligned with the EMD’s own initiatives.From left to right: JeffreyMadingani, Kogilam Iyerand Andrew MothaKogi Iyer, Jeffrey Madingani and Andrew Motha received mentoring and skillsdevelopment while undertaking projects for the municipality. The benefits of thisprogramme were also extended beyond these three graduates to developmentplanners and monthly seminars held for eThekwini council staff with the aim ofsharing knowledge on a variety of environmental topics.Enquiries: Michelle Binedell, CSIR Water, Environment and Forestry TechnologyTel: +27 31 242 2366 Email: mbinedell@csir.co.za