Doctor Bernie Fanaroff will be awarded a National Order for his work on the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project.
Dr Fanaroff is set to receive the Order of Mapungubwe in Silver in recognition of his contribution to astronomy and for his dedication in raising SA's international stature as a world-class research destination.
"From the beginning, South Africa's SKA bid has been a combined effort of the SKA Bid Team, the Department of Science and Technology, the National Research Foundation and other stakeholders," said Dr Fanaroff, on hearing the news. He stressed it was the work of the entire team that made the bid a success, noting that the credit cannot go to any single individual.
"From the co-operation we received from role-players from the outset, to the various managers, engineers, consultants and volunteers involved in the SKA bid, we can all stand proud for what we have achieved, not only for Africa, but also for astronomy as a whole," Dr Fanaroff added.
Dr Albert van Jaarsveld, CEO of the National Research Foundation (NRF), commended Fanaroff's efforts. "Few astro-science endeavours have garnered as much international attention as the Square Kilometre Array. This is largely due to the promise the instrument holds for advancing humanity's knowledge and understanding of the universe," said Van Jaarsveld. "Thanks to Dr Fanaroff and his team, the majority of this instrument will be hosted in South Africa."
According to Van Jaarsveld, the awarding of the SKA bid was the culmination of nine years' of work at the NRF, the managing agency for the SKA project. "We are immensely proud of what they have achieved and we congratulate Dr Fanaroff," he said.
"The honour of my nomination being accepted by the president is indeed an enormous one and is reflective of the team effort that has gone into bidding for the SKA," Dr Fanaroff concluded.
The award will be presented to Dr Fanaroff at an event to be held at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House, in Pretoria, on Freedom Day, 27 April.
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