Minister Blade Nzimande convenes meeting with provincial steering committee, 3 Jul

In his 2024/25 Budget Vote speech, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Blade Nzimande, identified Indigenous Knowledge as one of the strategic priorities of the Department of Science, Technology and innovation (DSTI) and further committed that the Department will seek to increase the scale and impact of its IK programmes.

In pursuit of this, in March 2025, the Minister convened the inaugural Summit on the Transformation of South Africa’s National System of Innovation.

One of the outcomes of this Summit was a call for the Minister to champion the institutionalisation of Indigenous Knowledge, elevate its value within South Africa’s public science system, and strengthen its role as an instrument for meaningful socio-economic transformation.

Against this background, on Friday, 3 July 2026, Minister Nzimande will host a meeting with the Provincial Steering Committees for the Recognition of Prior Learning in Indigenous Knowledge Systems.

The meeting will also provide an opportunity for the Minister to receive a progress report on the journey travelled by Indigenous Knowledge practitioners, including work undertaken to develop assessment tools for their recognition.

It will also consider progress made, emerging opportunities for Indigenous practitioners, and the challenges they continue to face.

The meeting will further seek to consolidate the social compact with Indigenous Knowledge communities and receive the perspectives of practitioners on the appropriateness of the tools and instruments being developed for their recognition.

The key participants and partners include: Amakhosi; Chairpersons of the Provincial Houses of Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership from North West and KwaZulu-Natal; the District Chairperson from Vhembe in Limpopo; members of Royal houses; Indigenous Knowledge practitioners and healers; health practitioners, academics and policymakers; and government departments and agencies.

This meeting serves as a historic conversation between the Minister and Indigenous Knowledge holders and knowledge keepers and also supports the objectives of the DSTI’s key Indigenous Knowledge legislative and institutional mechanisms, including the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Policy; the recently gazetted Indigenous Knowledge Regulations and the National Indigenous Knowledge Systems Office, among others.

The meeting also assumes extra significance because it takes places on the eve of the historic launch of the DSTI’s inaugural National Science Month edition, scheduled for Saturday, 4 July 2026, at the Vaal University of Technology in Gauteng. Indigenous Knowledge is one of the key themes for the National Science Month activities, which will be rolled out across the country from 4 to 31 July.

The media are invited as follows:

Date:        Friday, 3 July 2026
Venue:     Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani, eThekwini

Time: 10:00 to 14:00

Enquiries: 

Mr. Veli Mbele 

Cell: 064 615 0644 

Email: Veli.Mbele@dsti.gov.za

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