Young people we encountered in the month of June 2024 who are part of solving complex challenges in South Africa.
Faranani Gethe, Chief Building Inspector at the City of Johannesburg, is a Phd student at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). His research study examines ways of balancing urban regeneration conceptual strategies for inclusivity and mitigation.
Gethe’s study considers complex challenges of the City, such as overcrowding, hijacked buildings, the refurbishment of small business, and more.
Speaking at the recently held Smart Cities Summit, part of the Big 5 Construct South Africa, organized by dmg events, Gethe said his ongoing study is reviewing economic, social and environmental gains, planning and the value of land capture, among several factors, to better manage infrastructure in the inner City.
Picture of Faranani Gethe, City of Johannesburg
Phillip Majake, a manager at the Water Research Commission (WRC) is heading up emerging innovative sanitation technologies, to be used by innovators and implementors.
Speaking at the recently held Water Institute of Southern Africa Conference (WISA), in Durban, last week, Majake said elements of climate resilient sanitation systems comply with specifications of the World Health Organization (WHO).
He said questions to ask about sanitation technology should center on design ability to survive floods, and other hazards, as well as the flexibility of the system?
Projects proving successful are the off-grid solar system linked to water-bourne sanitation.
Picture of Phillip Majake, at the recently held WISA Conference
Seshnee Reddy, Biobank Coordinator, NRF-SAIAB, recently shared lessons learnt from an international conference.
Reddy compared the international society for biological and environmental repositories (ISBER) and South Africa’s model (Biodiversity Biobanks South Africa or BBSA).
The purpose of the local BBSA is to increase the range and quality of samples stored in biobanks to improve access for research and development.
SA has about 1055 samples of vertebrates collected and processed at its biobanks, and another 78 samples of invertebrates.
Future plans include the collection of samples from fish, pharmaceutical extracts, marine invertebrates, climate, environmental and ecological studies, eDNA samples and stable isotope analysis.
Picture of Seshnee Reddy, at a Webinar hosted by the Biodiversity Biobanks South Africa.