Deputy Minister calls for exploration in SA’s oceans scenery

By Ofentse Mokae
08 June 2010

Research collaboration in the areas of the marine, coastal and ocean environment is in the cards between government and Eastern Cape’s Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

This follows deputy Environmental Affairs Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi’s presentation of a draft memorandum of understanding to the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Derrick Swartz.

The presentation was part of the World Oceans Day Celebrations held in Port Elizabeth today.

With this year’s theme: "Our Oceans: Opportunities and Challenges" the observance of the day in South Africa creates a platform to raise awareness about the opportunities, in terms of services and goods that oceans present to the country.

Addressing guests during the celebrations Mabudafhasi encouraged learners to seize the moment by becoming ambassadors of the environment and pursue careers in the oceans sector.

“By making our oceans and coasts accessible, by bringing in the young learners and communities into these beautiful ecosystems, we build oceans and environment champions and we excite young minds into exploring these relatively unknown secrets of our oceans, through informal and formal advanced studies,” Mabudafhasi said .

Mabudafhasi commented that South Africans can become world leaders in understanding how oceans work and how to work in oceans.

“Understanding that fact is necessary on how our earth works. South Africa is a coastal state and our coastline is about 3 000 kilometres long,” she added.

The oceans take up much of the earth's surface and is a big player in regulating the temperature around the whole earth.

South Africa uniquely has large ocean areas around it and the position on the earth's surface.

The geographic location lies between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, and close to the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.