The Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ms Nomalungelo Gina, will address the opening of a training centre in Pretoria on Wednesday, 16 July dedicated to advanced molecular science and laboratory management in South Africa.
The Centre for Advanced Training and Innovative Research (CATIR) is set to further enhance essential scientific skills in the country, supporting future pandemic preparedness and local health system resilience.
CATIR is established through a partnership between Thermo Fisher Scientific, the South African Medical Research Council, and the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI).
It will play an important role in strengthening the country’s local scientific capabilities and pandemic preparedness, by bridging the gap between academic theory and applied science, offering world-class training in molecular science and laboratory management.
Speaking at the event will include the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi representatives from Thermo Fisher, and the SAMRC.

Date: Wednesday, 16 July 2025
Time: 11h00 – 12h30, including lab tour.
Venue: SAMRC Pretoria Offices,1 Soutpansberg Road, Pretoria

For further enquiries or to attend please contact veronica mohapeloa at 0834005750

The new Minister of Home Affairs is Leon Schreiber, who was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 30 June 2024. The position includes responsibility for immigration, refugee and asylum policy, for the civil registry, and for the issuing of identity documents and passports. A member of the Democratic Alliance (DA), he is the first member of his party to serve as the Minister of Home Affairs.[1]. He previously served as the Shadow Minister of Public Service and Administration from May 2019 to June 2024 as part of the shadow cabinet.

Will the new Minister extend the travel directive and push the new Digital Nomad Visa?

Many foreigners in South Africa have been anxious as the latest travel directive was expiring, allowing those waiting on visa results to leave without a travel ban. Should they leave before 30 June or stay put and trust in the new government? During the inter-regnum phase following the elections, no action or communication was provided. As of 1 July, bans will be issued, but there are indications of an extension coming.

The new Digital Nomad Visa also needs action. Although signed into law, it still requires updated forms and training for South African missions abroad.

The new Minister of Home Affairs, set to be sworn in on 2 July, should have an eye on both issues. A young (35 years old) and outspoken member of the (former opposition) Democratic Alliance (DA), he should be more business-friendly than his predecessor. His task will be building trust and authority in a department fraught with challenges and led by officials closely aligned with the ANC. We wish him thick skin and diplomatic wisdom.

The Director-General of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), Dr Mlungisi Cele, and the CEO of the CSIR, Dr Thulani Dlamini, will lead discussions with the German delegation during Ms Reem Alabali-Radovan's official visit to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on 23 July 2025.

Germany and South Africa have a strategic partnership to strengthen biomanufacturing skills and expand local vaccine production to address the health insecurity revealed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

South Africa's Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Decadal Plan (2022-2032), which includes a focus on health innovation and the development of a sustainable pharmaceutical sector, is central to this partnership, as are key initiatives such as the CSIR's African Biomanufacturing Workforce Training and Skills Development Programme, which is designed to train 400 professionals in Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) annually.

Support from partners like BMZ (the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development), GIZ (the German agency for international cooperation), KfW (a development bank owned by the German government) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is crucial for advancing local health innovation and biomanufacturing, and to meet the African Union's goal for local vaccine production – that 60% of local needs be met locally by 2040.

Dr Cele will share South Africa's vision for advancing local health technologies, fostering South-South partnerships and leveraging German cooperation to accelerate the continent's journey toward self-reliance in vaccine manufacturing. Opportunities for German-South African cooperation will be discussed.

Representatives of South African startups, established companies, research institutions, and CSIR training programmes will be present to showcase the impressive breadth of expertise and teamwork in this vital sector.

A tour of the CSIR's GMP training facilities is also planned, with representatives from Biovac, Afrigen, CapeBio, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority and graduates of DSTI-supported biomanufacturing programmes providing more information on their respective fields of action and the impact of supported interventions.



Members of the media are invited as follows:

Date: Wednesday, 23 July 2025

Time: 12:30 to 14:00

Venue: CSIR Pretoria Campus, Building 18B

For enquiries and to RSVP, contact Zama Mthethwa at zama.mthethwa@dsti.gov.za or 082 808 3956.

The Chief of the South African National Defence Force, General Rudzani Maphwanya at a media briefing to unpack and further discuss the role of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique. Picture: Jacques Naude/African News Agency(ANA).

BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu met with Rudzani Maphwanya, chief of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF), on Wednesday in Beijing.

Li said the Chinese side is willing to join hands with the South African military in deepening strategic communication, improve the construction of mechanisms, and jointly address common security challenges to advance deeper and more solid exchanges and cooperation between the militaries.

Maphwanya said the SANDF is willing to continue to deepen pragmatic exchanges and cooperation in various fields with the Chinese side, improve the relationship between the militaries, and jointly contribute to building a fairer, safer and better world.

Earlier this month, Li elaborated on China's new security initiative.

The sustained prosperity and stability in the Asia-Pacific region hinges on a sound security and development environment, Li said at the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue.

Who is disrupting peace in the region? What are the root causes of chaos and instability? And what should we stay vigilant and guard against? These questions must be answered in the interests of the security, stability and future of the Asia-Pacific, he said.

The Chinese defense minister put forward a four-point proposal on how to pursue security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific.

First, mutual respect should prevail over bullying and hegemony.

Facts have proven that where there is hegemonism and power politics, there will be instability, chaos and even wars, Li said, adding that "we in China believe that the key for countries to live in harmony is mutual respect and treating each other as equals."

"We are strongly opposed to imposing one's own will on others, placing one's own interests above those of others, and pursuing one's own security at the expense of others," he said, citing that some country has willfully interfered in other countries' internal affairs and meddled in the affairs of other regions, and frequently resorted to unilateral sanctions and coercion with force.

It has incited "color revolutions" and proxy wars in different regions, created chaos and turbulence and just walked away leaving a mess behind, Li said.

"We must never allow such things to happen again in the Asia-Pacific ... China firmly supports ASEAN centrality and its strategic autonomy. We are committed to promoting cooperative, collective and common security in our region on the basis of mutual respect," said the minister.

Second, fairness and justice should transcend the law of the jungle.

All countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. International affairs should be handled by all countries through consultation rather than be dictated by one or a few countries, Li said.

"China always advocates and stays committed to improving justice and equity in the world, and firmly upholds the UN-centered international system, the international order underpinned by international law and basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," he added.

China practices multilateralism and pursues win-win cooperation, whereas some country takes a selective approach to rules and international laws, Li noted. "It likes forcing its own rules on others and even attempts to constrain others with a convention itself has not acceded to."

Its so-called "rules-based international order" never clarifies what the rules are and who made these rules. It practices exceptionalism and double standards, and only serves the interests and follows the rules of a small number of countries, the minister said.

"A just and equitable environment for development meets the shared interests of Asia-Pacific countries. Anyone who attempts to fleece the flock or prey on the weak will surely be opposed by countries in the region," he said.

Third, eliminating conflicts and confrontation through mutual trust and consultation.

It is natural for countries to disagree with each other. But there are two approaches to addressing differences, Li said, underlying that one is exacerbating tension and adding fuel to flames while the other is seeking consensus and promoting reconciliation and negotiations.

"China is committed to upholding peace in handling international crises. On issues concerning the Middle East, the Korean Peninsula and Ukraine, China has played a constructive role and made great efforts to cool down the situation and facilitate political reconciliation," the minister noted.

But some country is expanding military bases, reinforcing military presence, intensifying arms race and transferring nuclear weapon technologies to a non-nuclear state, he said.

"All such practices, which it often resorts to, are designed to make enemy, stoke confrontation, fuel the fire and fish in troubled waters," Li said, adding that regional countries have every wisdom and capability to settle their differences and disputes.

"Only enhancing dialogue and communication and promoting solidarity and cooperation will ensure stability in our region," he noted.

Fourth, preventing bloc confrontation with openness and inclusiveness.

The Cold War mentality is now resurging and greatly increasing security risks of bloc confrontation in the Asia-Pacific, Li said, citing that some big power continued to promote its so-called "Indo-Pacific Strategy" at the Shangri-La Dialogue.

China holds that no strategy should be based on ideological ground and aim to build exclusive military alliances against imagined threats, as this could easily lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, he stressed.

"The true design of pushing for NATO-like military alliances in the Asia-Pacific is to hold countries in the region hostage and play up conflict and confrontation. Such attempts will only plunge the region into a whirlpool of division, disputes and conflicts," the Chinese minister said.

History has proven that bloc politics, division and confrontation have never delivered genuine security, and they can only escalate tension and destabilize the region, Li said.

"Today what Asia-Pacific needs are big pies of open and inclusive cooperation, not small cliques that are self-serving and exclusive. We must never forget the catastrophes inflicted by the two world wars and the Cold War. And we must never allow such tragedies to happen again," said the minister.