By Lisa Witepski
In South Africa, technology has largely been informed by the country’s mining background. This has shaped not only the type of technologies that are given precedence, but also people’s attitudes towards technology.
“South Africa has a particular mindset when it comes to technology,” comments Deirdre Marcus, Executive Director of Da Vinci and Technology Top 100 (TT100). She maintains this is because the country’s accent on mining as the most significant contributor to the economy has resulted in a situation where ‘hard’ technology or the ‘big T’ maintains prominence. This is in stark contrast to the ‘small t’ promoted by TT100, which strives to recognise excellence in technology management. This, says Marcus, is critical, because the effective management of technology is central to sustainability.
The emphasis on mining is also at the heart of another issue related to technology: that of women in science, engineering and technology fields. The dearth of women in these areas has long been lamented, but Marcus presents a new angle to this challenge. “In reality, the shortage of women skilled in science may not be as dismal as it appears at first,” Marcus says. She’s not for a moment intimating that the problem is non-existent, but says that there is another dimension to be considered. “The Department of Science and Technology has done much to promote the development of scientists – but is enough being done to develop people who can manage technology in a systemic manner?”
For Marcus, this is the crux – and it’s undoubtedly where development efforts should be concentrated. Following this route may, moreover, present a solution to the ‘women in science’ issue. “That’s because the gap between the women scientists and those in
EDGE | November 2011 17
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