Nzimande to table report to Cabinet on impact of US withdrawal of health funding

CAPE TOWN - Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande said that the country had learnt the hard way not to rely so heavily on global partners for its scientific needs.

He said that he would soon table before Cabinet a report on the impact of the withdrawal of health funding from the United States.

Delivering his budget vote address in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Nzimande reflected on how unilateralism could affect the sector.

In January, US President Donald Trump announced that he was pulling the plug on years of aid to South Africa and other nations for their HIV/AIDS treatment programmes.

Minister Blade Nzimande said that in line with the country’s foreign policy of multilateralism, his department was also looking to diversify its international partners to include countries from blocs such as BRICS, the European Union and the G20, as well as other developing nations of the global south.

Nzimande said that one of his key focuses was to ensure a sovereign science and technology innovation system.

"To depend on one polar of the world for our science system is a disaster, because if some people decide, because they are powerful, to withdraw partnerships and change, our system must not be left wanting."

Nzimande said that South Africa must not only challenge genocide in Palestine in the International Court of Justice, but also develop partnerships with Palestinian researchers.

"We must have collaboration with Palestine, so that the civilisation of the Palestinians is saved and is not destroyed by the kinds of destruction wrought upon by those great people by the Israeli apartheid regime."

Nzimande said that the country would use its position as chair of the G20 to advance its priorities in science, technology, and innovation.