derek Hanekom

South Africa's push to create a competitive, knowledge-based economy was boosted on Tuesday with the launch of the Centre of Excellence in Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at Wits University in Johannesburg.

The first of the 64 huge antennae making up MeerKAT, South Africa's main component of the colossal Square Kilometre Array telescope, was unveiled on 27 March. We bring you 15 astonishing facts about the naming, size, complexity and astronomical accuracy of MeerKAT.

South Africa officially launched the first of 64 antennas that will make up the MeerKAT radio telescope, the country's precursor to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), in the Northern Cape on Thursday.

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope will transform perceptions of Africa, Science and Technology Minister Derek Hanekom said on Wednesday following the first ministerial meeting of the nine SKA African partner countries.

Biotechnology, space science and renewable energy offer "real opportunities for extensive cooperation" between the BRICS countries, Science and Technology Minister Derek Hanekom said at the first BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial Meeting outside Cape Town on Monday.

Researchers at South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research have developed a world-first digital laser that could be a game-changer in the field, paving the way for new laser applications in areas ranging from medicine to communications.

British Science Minister David Willetts will be touching down on Wednesday on a new all-weather landing strip in the Karoo, where South Africa is building the 64-dish MeerKAT radio telescope, a precursor to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).

The launch of the Centre of Excellence for Palaeosciences at the University of the Witwatersrand will help establish South Africa as a world leader in this field, says Science and Technology Minister Derek Hanekom.

The South African National Space Agency and the Russian Federal Space Agency have signed an agreement that will see the RadioAstron satellite mission collaborating with radio astronomy facilities in Africa, including the planned Square Kilometre Array (SKA).

The planned BRICS development bank will be crucial to fuel development, trade and investment among BRICS and other developing countries, Business Unity South Africa president Jabu Mabuza told the BRICS Business Forum in Durban on Tuesday.