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20 February 2009

Ladies and gentlemen

South Africa has been an active participant in Antarctica for fifty years, and is a founder member of the Antarctic Treaty. She is continuing to make substantial contributions to our understanding of this continent and its surrounding seas, and has made considerable investments in infrastructure to support this research.

The mission of the South African National Antarctic Programme is similar to that of the other signatories to the Treaty, namely, to increase the understanding of the natural environment and life in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean through appropriate science and technology. We gladly undertake this task so we can optimise the present and preserve future options for South Africa in the region, and contribute towards the enhancement of national and international predictive capability in the areas of relevance. This also ensures that South Africa remains a party to informed decision making on matters of national interest.

It is difficult to overstate the influence for good which this treaty has had, thanks largely to the fact that those who conceived it were visionaries of a high order. And its impact has extended far beyond the Antarctic.

Antarctica is, as you know, the only continent in which no nation holds sway. The treaty commits Antarctica exclusively to peaceful purposes, high amongst which is its contribution to scientific knowledge resulting from international cooperation. Antarctica is one of the earliest and best examples of the success potential of globalisation.

Military bases, fortifications, manoeuvres and weapons testing, including nuclear testing, are banned. Information sharing, co-operation and personnel exchange is very much encouraged. Preservation and conservation of living resources is prioritised. The speeding up of human progress by the orchestrated and harmonious contribution of many nations is the goal. And scientific research is the cutting edge tool.

The people of our country, and I daresay the people of the world, are deeply indebted to South African scientists for the important work that has been done here over almost 50 years. And I am particularly pleased that many of our scientists are now housed here, in relative comfort, at the SANAE IV base, where living conditions represent such an improvement over what has gone before.

Please do not let these comforts lull you into an Antarctic hibernation. Maintain the good work you have been doing in the earth sciences, the life and oceanographic sciences, and last, but not least, the physical sciences.
We are very proud of the extraordinary role you are playing in the share experiment, and with the progress of the Amigo observations. We are impressed with the results of the cosmic ray research; and with your skilful Management of the Astrid Satellite Telemetry Station. We proudly note your progress in upper atmosphere physics and your contribution to the Global Positioning System (GPS) project.

And I want to assure you that your efforts do not go unnoticed or unrecognised. The work that you have chosen, or been chosen to do is important to the future of all mankind. I myself have little or no experience at working in an isolated area or in a confined space, far from the world's major traffic routes. I imagine that there is sometimes a feeling of loneliness and doubt, despite being surrounded by comrades. And although I am sure that the internet has done much to overcome this with its world-wide welcome, there must be times when one misses the family and friends left behind.

Dealing with this working up the determination to stay positive and do the job you are here to do is yet another reason why you have earned the respect of so many of your countrymen and so many thinking men and women around the world.
I also want to assure you that despite some evidence to the contrary, you are not working in scientific isolation. Apart from your good selves, our country has a growing team of inspiring scientists doing increasingly innovative work in a wide spectrum of disciplines, from astronomy and space science to nanotechnology and the bio-sciences, from renewable energy research to paleo-anthropology, from dire disease research to satellite design, and in many other fields. In many disciplines we are fortunate to have a group of scientists who are inquisitive, dedicated and, like you, highly respected internationally.

Your country salutes you all, and honours your determination and commitment to continue here, in the struggle against the world's fiercest elements, to solve some of the world most complex problems.

Thank you.

Issued by: Department of Science and Technology
20 February 2009
Source: Department of Science and Technology (http://www.dst.gov.za)