3 the state of science in south africa
P H Y S I C S A N D A S T R O N O M Y
of defence research at the CSIR developed In 1983, the agency function by which the
into a sophisticated armaments industry, CSIR funded university research was trans-
with the establishment of Armscor and ferred to the newly-established Foundation
its subsidiaries, to overcome the ever- for Research Development (FRD). The FRD
strengthening arms boycott. became independent from the CSIR in 1990,
and in 1999 it became the National Research
Physics co-incidentally prospered under Foundation (NRF), which also had responsi-
these developments because most of the bility for the social sciences and humanities.
technologies are, naturally, physics-based. A Initially, the FRD vision was generally one
by-product was generous funding for large of open or ‘blue skies’ research, which was
physics laboratories such as the South- meant to support and retain high-quality
ern Universities’ Nuclear Institute (later the scholars. Physics research naturally falls into
National Accelerator Centre, and currently this category, and hence physics again ben-
the iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator- efited. The FRD established an evaluation or
Based Sciences, or LABS). There were also rating system by means of which scientists
extensive non-military projects at the AEB could be benchmarked on the basis of their
(later the Atomic Energy Corporation, AEC, standing in the opinion of international
and currently the Nuclear Energy Corpora- peers (see Chapter 1).
tion of South Africa, Necsa).
This new development came at the right
Two older laboratories were those of Min- moment for physics because centrally-driv-
tek for minerals research and beneficiation, en physics research at large laboratories,
and the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory such as the CSIR and the AEC, imploded at
(HMO) for geomagnetic information need- the time. Within the CSIR, a major restruc-
ed for navigation and exploration. Expe- turing exercise in the mid-1980s changed
rimental nuclear physics and materials the driving force to one that was largely
science research at universities directly commercial and financial. Under its new
benefited from the developments at these mission, the CSIR favoured technology, en-
laboratories, performing high-quality and gineering and applied science above basic
innovative work, especially at the level of science. At the AEC, the change was mainly
technological physics. While it is ironic that due to changing strategic/political con-
physics in South Africa should have been siderations leading up to the democratic
strengthened by the country’s isolation, dispensation of the country in 1994. These
there was also a down side, as much of changes had a ripple effect on many other
this work was ‘classified’ (secret), and many laboratories and universities. Large num-
scientists who wished to develop their bers of nuclear physicists, many of them
careers submitted ‘classified’ MSc disserta- only in mid-career, became effectively re-
tions and PhD theses at the universities dundant. In this climate the new FRD/NRF
concerned. Many of them were never pub- evaluation system played a significant role
lished again. to ensure that the broad academic sector of
physics did not suffer the same fate, and it
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