Page 3 - CSIR ScienceScope Publication Volume 16 - number 1 of 2020

FO REW O RD

IT M A T T E R S

T he mandate of the CSIR ties us to work that truly matters. We are about supporting industrial
development and competitiveness in the country, as well as the creation of a capable state. Simply
put, we touch people’s lives through innovation.

The people who choose to work at the CSIR are people who know why what we do matters and are motivated
to make a difference. CSIR employees understand the importance of what we do for industries, communities
and the country, and how their respective contributions fit into the bigger picture. In this edition of ScienceScope,
you will read about CSIR researchers who are passionate about making open-pit mining safer, reducing
toxicity when producing high-precision metal parts, providing energy solutions for communities that have no
access to the national grid and many other impactful innovations.
What we do matters to both industry and the broader society. Our laser engineers have used laser technology
to repair steam turbines for the Majuba Power Station in Mpumalanga, and our casting experts are helping a
manufacturer of new-generation aircraft with specifications for component manufacture. Such undertakings
matter – supporting our industries is vital to the wellbeing of the economy.
Sustainability, in all its facets, matters too. South African enterprises must remain sustainable, while preserving
the natural resource base. This edition of ScienceScope also gives you insight into how the CSIR has helped
to assess the state of the country’s estuaries, and compiled a guidebook to help conservationists make
decisions on technologies to counter poaching. In reading about the work done by the Southern Ocean
Carbon and Climate Observatory over the last decade, you will gain an appreciation of how important the
Southern Ocean’s uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide is in slowing down the pace of global warming,
and how important it is for us to understand the associated processes.

In every edition of ScienceScope we get to share a glimpse of the work we do. It is work that matters and we
are proud to share it with you.

D r T h u la n i D la m in i
C S IR C h ie f E x e c u t iv e O f f ic e r