Umfundi Wase-UKZN Ungomunye Wabavelele KwabangoSosayensi Emhlabeni!

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Umfundi owenza iziqu zobudokotela ongunjiniyela wokuqhutshwayo e-Aerospace Systems Research Group (e-ASReG) uMnu uKai Broughton ungomunye wabambalwa eqoqweni langowezi-2020 kwi-Top 10 Under 30. Lolu hlu lukhishwa minyaka yonke uphiko lwezindaba lwe-Space in Africa.

‘Kuyintokozo ukukhethwa njengomunye weqoqo lakulo nyaka lwabantu abasha abaneqhaza emkhakheni wezasemkhathini kanti yithuba elimqoka lokuthi kunakeke umsebenzi nenjongo ye-ASReG,’ kusho uBroughton.

Lo njiniyela oneminyaka engama-27 waphendula isimemezelo sokufakwa kwezicelo, wase ekhethwa kwabayiShumi abaVelele nabanye baseNingizimu Afrika, ababili base-Angola naseMorocco noyedwa waseGhana, eTopiya naseNigeria.

Lo mkhakha uyadlondlobala ngobungoti, ukuxhaswa ngohulumeni nezinkampani ezizimele, iminikelo yabaqamba okusha, onjiniyela nababhali. Ngo-2019 i-Space in Africa yaqala ukubhala ngabantu abayishumi abavelele emkhakheni, isebenzisa indlela enqala yokuhlunga ukuthi ngobani abavelele.

Abantu abasohlwini lwabayishumi abavelele lwangonyaka wezi-2020 lizoklonyeliswa engqungqutheleni i-New Space Africa Conference eTopiya ngoLwezi.

Ngokwesitatimende senhlangano kuthiwa: ‘Laba bantu abasha bayaqhubeka nokukhombisa isibindi esimangalisayo nokuba negalelo elimqoka emkhakheni, beloku besikhumbuza ngaso sonke isikhathi ukuthi i-Afrika isikulungele ukuthatha indawo yayo kule mboni emhlabeni.’

Njengonjiniyela wokuqhutshwayo e-ASReG, u-Broughton usebenza ngezindlela zoketshezi oluqhuba okundiza emkhathini, abeke isisekelo kwiziphuphutheki zakuleli. Wenza omunye umsebenzi ezindleleni zokudumisa izinjini ezehlukene ezenziwa yi-ASReG kanti ubamba itoho emsebenzini wokuba ngunjiniyela omkhulu emsebenzini we-Phoenix-IB nokwakhiwa nokuphuculwa kweziphuphutheki ezimbili ezizokwethulwa ngasekupheleni kwalo nyaka. Loku kwethulwa kuzophucula ubuchwepheshe nomsebenzi odingekayo kwingadlangadla yesiphuphutheki esizimele esizosetshenziswa endaweni entsha okusukelwa kuyo eNingizimu Afrika.

Umsebenzi wakhe e-ASReG uyingxenye yocwaningo lwakhe lweziqu zakhe zobudokotela, okuwumkhakha wokwenziwa koketshezi lwezinjini zokundiza.

U-Broughton wenza iziqu zakhe zokuqala nezeMasitazi zobunjiniyela bomakhenikha e-UKZN, waziphasa ngamalengiso i-summa cum laude ne-cum laude ngokulandelana kwazo, wathola umklomelo wokuqala ngomsebenzi awenza ngonyaka wakhe wokugcina nomklomelo wovelele ngonyaka wesine nendondo i-Engineering Council of South Africa Merit Medal. Ucwaningo lwakhe lweMasitazi lwalungokwenziwa kwesiphuphutheki sokundizisa i-Phoenix-1B Mk II, ugxile ekwakhiweni kwenjini nokuyivivinya ngaphambi kokwethulwa kwayo ngoNhlolanja wangowezi-2019.

Njengomuntu okade abanothando lwezinto ezindiza emoyeni, ukungena kuka-Broughton kulo mkhakha kwakhuliswa yizifundo zakhe zeMasitazi ngenkathi ebheka indlela izinto ezenzeka ngayo ebuchwephesheni, wangenwa wuthando lokusiza iNingizimu Afrika ukuthi izakhele ubuchwepheshe izindiza nobuchwepheshe bayo. Wayekholwa wukuthi loku kungenzeka uma izwe lakha ingqalasizinda nobungcweti balo, lusebenzise ulwazi lonjiniyela nabacwaningi ababeyingxenye yezinhlelo zokuqala zokwethulwa kwezinqola ezindizayo.

Umsebenzi ka-Broughton usiza ngokufeza izinjongo ze-ASReG, okubalwa kuzona ukwenza ubuchwepheshe bezinto ezindiza emoyeni nokuphucula ulwazi lwabantu abasemkhakheni wezokundiza emoyeni.

‘Kunegebe elikhulu lokwethula iziphuphutheki zasemkhathini e-Afrika, hhayi ukugcina ngokuzakha nje! Sizama ukuvala lelo gebe, okuzokwakha imisebenzi, amakhono namathuba.’

Umholi we-ASReG uDkt uJean Pitot uthe. ‘Ithimba lase-ASReG liyaziqhenya ngeqhaza elikhulu lika-Kai enjongweni yethimba yokwakha ubuchwepheshe nokuthuthukisa amakhono abantu ukuze abantu baseNingizimu Afrika bakwazi ukungena kwezokundiza emoyeni. Ngaphezu kwaloko, ukuzinikela kwakhe, nomoya wakhe wokuqamba, lo mklomelo uwubufakazi bomsebenzi wakhe omangalisayo njengonjiniyela omncane. Amagalelo akhe, nawabanye abasethimbeni elihle le-ASReG, akhombisa ngaphandle kokungabaza ukuthi iNingizimu Afrika inethalente eliningi lobunjiniyela elidingeka ukuthi lomkhakha ukwazi ukundizisa iziphuphutheki ezizimele zase-Afrika.’

Umholi wezifundo kwezobuNjiniyela bokuKhenikha e-UKZN uSolwazi uMike Brooks umncomile u-Broughton ngakwenzile, wathi: “U-Kai ungunjiniyela onethalente elimangalisayo nelungu elivelele lethimba. I-ASReG inenhlanhla yokuba nonjiniyela abasezingeni eliphezulu abenza imisebenzi ebucayi kanti lo mklomelo ngowezinto ezenziwe nguKai nethimba njengoba sakha ubungoti basemkhakheni eNingizimu Afrika.

Amagama: ngu-Christine Cuénod

Isithombe: Sithunyelwe