At the AIDC Automotive Conference in Port Elizabeth today, guest speaker, Clem Sunter made a closing remark that grabbed my attention. It concerned a young scholar from Mthatha who has had a minor planet named after him.
Sunter questioned how we as a country were unable to fete a bright mind such as Xuza’s. Xuza after developing a more efficient rocket fuel than NASA – whilst still at school – is now at Harvard, has a minor planet named after him, was flown back to South Africa to make an address at the US Embassy in front of the Obama’s and is treated like a hero by the American public, business and government.
This young man was interviewed by Sunter in 2008 for an open scholarship to UCT to study Chemical Engineering.
A few months into his first year Siyabulela was offered an open scholarship to Harvard to study there.
What an inspiring story – see blog mentions of Xuza below:
Clem Sunter
The associated exhibition area at the Boardwalk boasts 300 exhibitors and to ‘avoid’ the R50.00 entrance fee you can pre-register on the SAAW Web site.
