Sara Grobbelaar is a Professor of Industrial Engineering at Stellenbosch University.
Sara Grobbelaar
On International Women in Engineering Day on 23 June, I argue that South Africa needs a systems- and lifecycle-based approach to development—one that we can call the Mother of all In(ter)ventions. There is an old saying that necessity is the mother of invention. At its heart lies a profound truth: when circumstances become impossible to ignore, we are forced to innovate, experiment, and build new systems. South Africa has been in such a moment for quite some time now.
In the first quarter in 2026, national unemployment stood at 32,7%, with those aged 15-24 facing the highest unemployment rate at 60,9%, followed by those aged 25-34 at 40,6%. Economic growth remains sluggish, many communities continue to experience severe service delivery failures, and technologies such as artificial intelligence are rapidly reshaping how economies create value and opportunity. The Mother of all In(ter)ventions is a metaphor that reflects what we should strive for in innovative development programmes. No mother gets everything right. Yet mothers continue to invest in the future. They nurture potential before results are visible. They adapt when circumstances change. They coordinate support from family, schools, and communities. Most importantly, they understand that development is not an event but a lifelong process.
