Acting CEO Welcome Speech: Komathi Govender

Event: Nelson Mandela Month Initiative
Date: 19 July 2025

Our partners Geekulcha & Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI)
Our esteemed learners from LIV Lanseria Home
Our facilitators

Good morning.

It is both a privilege and an honour to welcome you to The Innovation Hub, the innovation agency of the Gauteng Province and a subsidiary of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency strategically tasked with driving innovation and entrepreneurship in Gauteng. As we come together in the spirit to celebrate Nelson Mandela Month, today is not just a commemorative event—it is an act of service, unity, and purpose to ensure that we empower you with training in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Our gathering is a tribute to the extraordinary legacy of uTata Nelson Mandela — a legacy that reminds us that true leadership is rooted in compassion, and that real change is driven by education, empowerment, and collective action.

We are delighted to be partnering with Geekulcha and CPSI once again as we empower the bright young minds from LIV Lanseria to explore and engage with the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Through interactive training in AI, robotics, basic coding, hands-on exposure, and conversations about future careers in digital technology, we aim to spark and nurture innovation while instilling confidence. Today is about equipping you with the tools to dream big and to pursue those dreams in your future self.

The Innovation Hub Management Company (SOC) Ltd
1 Mark Shuttleworth Street, The Innovation Hub, Pretoria, 0087
Tel: +27 12 844 0000, www.theinnovationhub.com
Directors: Adv K Maja (Chairperson), Mr L Marincowitz (Deputy Chairperson), Mr L Mbokotho, Ms F Serutha, Mr L Nkuna, Ms L Mvelase, Ms J Moses Koka, Mr B Mpangalasane (Ex-Officio)
A Subsidiary of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency SOC Ltd

As The Innovation Hub, our mission goes beyond growing startups and commercialising ideas — it includes building a society where innovation uplifts lives, especially the lives of those who need it most. This event reflects that mission in action.

We hope that you will learn as much as you can today and that you will be inspired to innovate where you are and to consider technology as you grow up. Let me also extend heartfelt thanks to our partners Geekulcha and CPSI for walking this journey with us. Your energy and dedication to innovation for public good are both inspiring and essential.

To our young participants: Today is for you. You belong in this space. The future of technology and innovation in South Africa includes your voices, your ideas, and your dreams.

As Madiba said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Together, let’s continue to use that weapon wisely, intentionally, and with heart.

I welcome you all.