The Board of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has unanimously agreed to extend the employment contract of its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Thulani Dlamini, for another five years.
Dlamini’s current contract would have ended on 31 January 2022, while the new one commenced on 1 February 2022.
Chairperson of the CSIR Board, Professor Thokozani Majozi, said the CSIR has made significant strides under Dlamini’s leadership.
“Foremost among these is the repositioning of the organisation to align with the country’s industrial needs through the commercialisation of our technologies, transformation of the Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) base within the CSIR, as well as the accentuation of our visibility and accessibility,” the Chairperson explained.
While there is still more work to be done, Majozi said the CSIR now has demographic and gender representation at the highest levels of the scientific ladder, including the principal and chief researchers.
According to the CSIR, when the CEO commenced his tenure in 2017, his vision was to position the organisation to make a meaningful impact on industrial development in South Africa.
“This meant aligning the organisational strategy and operating model to respond to the needs of the private sector, whilst ensuring that the organisation does not neglect its responsibility to support the creation of a capable State by working with government and other State-owned entities.”
With Dlamini at the helm, CSIR said it has seen significant improvements in terms of the transformation of its leadership at the senior levels of the science, engineering and technology base.
He also streamlined its research development and innovation capabilities, fostered relationships with the private sector and international sectors, improved profitability and retained its record of accomplishment of good corporate governance.
“I am honoured by the opportunity to continue leading the evolution of this prestigious organisation for the next five years, and I look forward to building on the progress and momentum of the past five years,” said Dlamini.
“The advent of COVID-19 has delayed the full implementation of our strategy; nonetheless the next five years will see the CSIR further unlocking the potential of its innovations to make a difference in collaboration with our partners in industry and government.”
Meanwhile, Majozi further said the role and contribution during the pandemic could not be overemphasised.
“When the pandemic hit and ventilators were in short supply for the health sector, the CSIR heeded the call to touch lives through innovation. Working with several local partners, the CSIR developed a local ventilator that proved critical to saving the lives of COVID-19 patients.”
The CSIR has also developed a platform that monitors human mobility to better understand movement patterns across specific areas, such as virus hotspots, high-risk and vulnerable areas, as well as monitor lockdown compliance and the spread of the virus.
Source: South African Government News Agency