Design Indaba Conference 2002

In 2002, the fifth Design Indaba broke the biannual cycle of Design Indabas to become an annual event. Addressing the opening gathering of the Design Indaba, then minister of science and technology Ben Ngubane confirmed both the ideals of the Design Indaba, and the contribution it had already made: “South Africa cannot compete with the likes of the Philippines and China in meeting bulk production needs. Our challenge is therefore that we should position ourselves to compete at the top end of the market. The quality of our designed products is one of the factors that can positively shape our economic performance," he said.