6 days ago
First black South African travels to space
JOHANNESBURG - Sir Stuart Ntlathi has over 20 years of experience in science, invention and technology education.
And now he's poised to stretch his innovative spirit high into the sky.
Ntlathi is set to become the first black South African in space.
But his joy may be dampened by the government seemingly shifting its funding priorities related to science, technology, and innovation - to the detriment of astronomy programmes.
Ntlathi says the country is at the epicenter of the fourth industrial revolution but the latest budget vote by the department somehow is a slap in the face of those in the science and technology sector.
"This slight budget cut means that South Africa's ability to compete on global markets is going to be delayed yet again." he said.
Ntlathi argued that it is important for the government to increase spending on research development and innovation in order for the country to have a competitive GDP.
