SKA project skills priority

THE Department of Science and Technology's flagship project‚ the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope‚ may benefit from the government's latest list of critical skills eligible for visas and residence permits‚ as it includes disciplines related to radio astronomy.

The SKA is an international science project which‚ when completed‚ will be the world's most powerful radio telescope.

South Africa is co-hosting the telescope with Australia‚ and will invest about R2-billion in it in the next three years.

"We have made a commitment to the world around the SKA‚ and we must achieve the objectives ... because we want to maintain global support. We don't want them to doubt our capabilities‚" Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor said.

The critical skills list‚ published by Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba on Tuesday‚ was drawn up after wide consultation.

It details a range of skills the government considers in short supply‚ from sheep shearers to IT security specialists‚ and includes numerous scientific disciplines and fields within radio astronomy that are necessary for the SKA project. – Tamar Kahn and Reitumetse Pitso