Unisa's Principal and Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Puleng LenkaBula, hosted an engagement dinner with captains of the mining and energy sectors on 20 October 2022 to explore mutually beneficial partnerships aimed at fostering solutions for economic growth and prosperity.  Themed Research and development as a catalyst for sustainable and innovative mining and energy industries, the engagement provided experts with the opportunity to share experiences, challenges and ideas on how to address them. Attendees also identified goals shared by the university and these sectors.

In his welcome address, Dr Phasoane Mokgobu, Unisa’s Vice-Principal of Institutional Development, said: "For Unisa as a higher education institution focusing on Africanisation, science and diplomacy, your perspectives and experiences can help us explore possibilities that are beneficial to our continent." He added: "Over and above our role of providing skills, human resources and knowledge by conducting research, we also play a vital role in our society’s transformation." Mokgobu noted that Unisa has the responsibility to ensure that its curriculum is relevant to the skills required by the mining and energy industries.

Sietse van der Woude

Promoting globally competitive mining

Keynote speaker and Unisa alumnus, Sietse van der Woude, Senior Executive of Modernisation and Safety at the Mineral Council of South Africa, remarked: "Energy security is a global issue that must be dealt with, and most of the minerals in green technology need mining." He continued: "It is not only innovation that is needed in such mining, but the South African mining industry also needs research, development, and innovation (RDI)." Van der Woude warned that if the country’s mines are not globally competitive, they will be unable to generate sufficient capital.

Van der Woude reiterated that RDI is important for, among others, the management of explorations, mining applications and permits to ensure optimal prospecting, development and the extraction of minerals for the benefit of all. "These will lead to sustainable and all-inclusive economic growth, job creation and the eradication of poverty," he said. "RDI must be people-centric, so we cannot stop to promote it while there are fatalities in mines." Van der Woude further maintained that sustainable partnerships are critical to achieving RDI and addressing the challenges faced by the mining and energy sectors.

Improving livelihoods and access to quality education

Prof Simi Dube, Unisa’s Acting Deputy Executive Dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET), discussed the college’s programmes in relation to mining and energy industries. She also spoke to how the college is responding to research and development as a catalyst for sustainability and innovation in these sectors. Further, a video of an undergraduate CSET student who invented a car was showcased.

Prof Puleng LenkaBula

The VC stated that not only are the mining and energy sectors important to the country’s socioeconomic and political makeup, but they also contribute to and are entwined with the national and global systems of knowledge, science and innovation to which Unisa is central. "Unisa is among the South African universities that are centres of research relevant to mining and energy," she continued. She assured the audience that Unisa continues to improve its national science and innovation participation.

The VC said: "We are not only committed to research, but also to the intellectual property rights and patents that serve as catalysts for human and economic development. Therefore," she continued, "we invite you to investigate the opportunities on the knowledge base that is available. Also, to investigate innovations on how we can invest and ensure that livelihoods are improved, and quality education investments are available." The VC encouraged investment in a productive economy that can enable good outcomes, including economic transformation.

The speakers responded to thought-provoking questions around, among others, how Unisa contributes to combating the country’s mining and energy challenges, how it gets its inventions right when it is an open distance institution, and how it continues to produce graduates that are fit for the industries. Internal and external stakeholders made financial pledges towards the cause of enhancing RDI in the sectors.   

In closing, Prof Boitumelo Senokoane, Unisa’s Director of Stakeholder Relationships, expressed his appreciation of the partnerships, and assured all partners that the institution is their home.

* By Nancy Legodi, Acting Journalist, Department of Institutional Advancement