Deputy Minister Nomalungelo Gina Marks SALT’s 20th Anniversary with Keynote Address on 10 November

Image: The DTIC

The Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Nomalungelo Gina, will deliver the keynote address at the 20th anniversary celebration of the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) on Monday, 10 November 2025, in Sutherland, Northern Cape.

Over the past two decades, Africa’s Giant Eye on the Sky, located at the National Research Foundation’s (NRF) South African Astronomical Observatory (NRF-SAAO) site in Sutherland, has stood as the largest single optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere and among the largest in the world.

This research facility is managed by the NRF, an entity of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI).

Since its inauguration in 2005, SALT has been instrumental in advancing South Africa’s and Africa’s contribution to global astronomy, supporting discoveries such as new exoplanets, the optical afterglow of neutron star mergers, and distant galaxies that mirror the early Universe.

SALT will enable South Africa to remain internationally competitive in astronomy well into the 21st century and provide a focus for the development of basic space science on the African continent.

The anniversary celebration will bring together leading astronomers, international research partners, and science leaders to reflect on SALT’s scientific achievements and its impact on building local research capacity and inspiring young scientists.