Prof. Vukosi Marivate receives the SAICSIT Emerging Pioneer Award

SAICSIT Emerging Pioneer Award Acceptance: Reflections and Acknowledgments

The Data Science for Social Impact (DSFSI) group proudly congratulates Prof. Vukosi Marivate, who has been named the inaugural recipient of the SAICSIT Emerging Pioneer Award. The award, presented by the South African Institute for Computer Scientists and Technologists (SAICSIT), recognises individuals demonstrating exceptional promise and leadership in advancing computing research, community, and innovation in South Africa.

In his acceptance, Prof. Marivate expressed deep gratitude to the SAICSIT Council and Awards Committee for the honour and congratulated the recipient of this year’s Pioneer Award.

“To be acknowledged as an emerging pioneer is both humbling and affirming,” he noted. “This is not an award for having arrived, but for showing signs of commitment to opening new paths — in research, in community, and in thought. It speaks to the value of investing early in difficult, uncharted work — often invisible at the time, but necessary for long-term transformation.”

Prof. Marivate’s career has been dedicated to building where there was little, particularly around data science, artificial intelligence, and natural language processing for African languages. From his time leading the DSIDE program at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)—which trained over 200 young data scientists—to his current leadership of the Data Science for Social Impact group at the University of Pretoria, his work continues to focus on developing people, not just code or models.

He emphasised that this recognition reflects the collective effort of collaborators and communities across Africa:

“I share this recognition with the linguists, computer scientists, and grassroots organisers who have shaped projects like Deep Learning Indaba, Masakhane Research Foundation, the Hundzula NLP-Linguistics Retreat, and many more.”

Prof. Marivate also acknowledged the contributions of his students, mentees, and colleagues—at the University of Pretoria, Lelapa AI, and across Africa—who continuously challenge and inspire him. “Your brilliance,” he said, “is the real proof that this work matters.”

Beyond academia, Prof. Marivate’s contributions span policy and global engagement, including roles with the Council on Higher Education, the Partnership on AI, and the Lacuna Fund. These engagements, he reflected, serve as reminders that being a scientist today also means showing up for society and ensuring that expertise serves the public good.

He extended heartfelt thanks to his family, friends, and support system for their unwavering encouragement throughout his journey.

“I accept this Emerging Pioneer Award not as a signal that the work is done, but as a call to continue — to keep building bridges, creating platforms, and ensuring that African languages, perspectives, and people are not just included in computing, but are shaping its future.”

Prof. Marivate concluded by thanking Absa Group—including Gavin Cope, Anna Nascimento, Christine Wu, and their team—for their catalytic support in enabling much of the work that made this recognition possible.