Q: What is your vision for the HSRC? A: To make it both a human and social sciences research council. The human part of the HSRC is silent; we have not systematically used history, philosophy, arts, culture, language, religion and tradition to make sense of our society and the African continent. An emphasis on humanities will improve our understanding of our societies and relations between people of different socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds. It will inform our analyses of events in our country and our expectations of people?s behaviour, which is critical to the choice of research questions, the interpretation of the findings, and to supporting the implementation of evidence-based research recommendations. Q: You are taking over at a stage when the HSRC?s research earnings have increased rapidly and now exceed the parliamentary grant. Do you anticipate that the organisation will reach saturation point in the near future? A: The HSRC should raise funds commensurate with the size of the problems under investigation. But we also need to manage the growth of the organisation for sustainability. We need to focus on fewer small projects and concentrate on large-scale, multidiscipline projects that have an impact. When we take on smaller projects, the consideration should be whether they are of strategical importance. The size of the projects will determine how much money is needed. Q: You emphasise the need to rethink how the HSRC is ?reaching out to Africa?. How do you foresee this happening? A: We need to be careful not to be seen as a coloniser, bringing our own ideas without gaining from other Africans, who in some respects have more experience in specific areas than we do. I would rather see the primary objective of HSRC researchers being to encourage other Africans to undertake research. The secondary objective could be collaborative research, to build capacity in countries that need it. The HSRC will create continent-wide networks to encourage Africans to jointly explore their history within their own political, social, economic and cultural milieus. If we become a hub of analysis and the exchange of ideas by establishing a programme for African visiting scholars, fellows and scientists, we stand a better chance of being recognised by NEPAD and other organisations as an African centre for excellence. Q: You speak about implementationoriented research. Is there a difference between implementation research and applied research? A: Implementation research is part of applied research. It describes a social programme; assesses whether it is operating according to a particular model or standard; and explains it, by generating hypotheses about why it is operating as it is. It uses a variety of research methods to understand programme design, resource envelopes, service provision and outcomes. It supports service delivery. Q: How do you combine being a mother and wife with being a highly rated researcher and now a CEO? A: It?s not easy to balance all the roles I play. I?m fortunate to have a family that is very supportive. If I have to work at home, they give me space. But I also use my time judiciously. I write most of my scientific papers over the weekend or while flying. Being CEO is demanding on its own. While I no longer conduct primary research, I am still writing papers because the leader of a scientific organisation must be a knowledge generator. Q: What do you do when you are not working? A: Long walks at the beach, swimming, playing chess and So Duko. I also like going out to dinner with the family and reading novels. Q: What legacy would you like to leave at the end of your tenure as CEO at the HSRC? A: I would like to contribute to major policies to improve service delivery in South Africa and across the continent. And I would like to attract a significant number of new masters and doctoral black researchers, who have excellent publication records and are undertaking research of national importance. | 
