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. His current contract would have ended on 31 January 2022.

Chairperson of the CSIR board, Prof Thokozani Majozi, said of the renewal: “We are pleased to announce that the CSIR board has approved the renewal of the CEO’s contract for another five years, commencing on 1 February 2022”. Prof Majozi said the CSIR has made significant strides under the leadership of Dr Dlamini.

“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. While there is still more work to be done, the CSIR now has demographic and gender representation at the highest levels of the scientific ladder; these comprise principal and chief researchers”.

When he commenced his tenure as the CSIR CEO in 2017, Dr Dlamini’s vision was to position the CSIR to make a meaningful impact to industrial development in South Africa, aligned with the mandate of the organisation. This meant aligning the organisational strategy and operating model to respond to the needs of the private sector, whilst ensuring that the organisation did not neglect its responsibility to support the creation of a capable state by working with government and other state-owned entities.

Under his leadership, the CSIR has:

*seen significant improvements in terms of the transformation of its leadership, as well as the senior levels of the science, engineering and technology base;

* streamlined its research, development and innovation capabilities to attain better integration and alignment;

* made significant strides in fostering relationships with the private sector and international sectors; and

* improved profitability and retained its track record 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 Dr 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.”

Prof Majozi also said that the role and contribution of the CSIR from the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic could not be over-emphasised and attested to the capable and visionary leadership at all levels of the organisation. The CSIR has been at the forefront of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in the country. 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 a number of local partners, the CSIR developed a local ventilator that proved critical to saving the lives of Covid-19 patients.

As part of government’s efforts to flatten the curve, the CSIR has 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.

EngineerIT congratulates Dr Dlamini on his richly deserved re-appointment and wishes him well during his tenure. We look forward to continuing our open relationship with him - Editor