Scientists called in as wind disrupts fruit exports in Cape Town
The CSIR-hosted Alliance for Collaboration on Climate and Earth Systems Science (ACCESS), along with other CSIR researchers and partners, are assessing the economic impacts of wind disruptions, and they are supporting the Transnet National Port Authority (TNPA) and its clients with short- and long-term wind predictions.
At the peak of the fruit picking and packing season, it is normal for Cape Town’s gusty summer southeaster to swirl over and around Table Mountain and Devil’s Peak. It is normal for that strong Cape Doctor wind to then blow down to the bay, focusing, as if through a lens, onto container ships and cranes moving in the port.
CSIR tackles literacy crisis
A recent international study (the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) has sent shockwaves through the South African education community by revealing that more than eight out of ten Grade 4 learners cannot read for basic meaning in their home language. Without this essential skill, South African children are deprived of the opportunity to fulfil their true potential, with the impact being the most devastating for those from disadvantaged communities. Watch for more information