In your Editorial and News Feature on South African science (Nature 463, 709; Nature 463, 726–728; 2010), you are critical of the country's bid to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope. But from an astronomer's viewpoint, there is every reason to be optimistic.

In the 2002 National Research and Development Strategy, astronomy was identified as the first of four areas in which South Africa has an obvious geographic advantage (the others being human palaeontology, biodiversity and Antarctic research).

The result was the construction of the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO). South Africa contributed one third of the US$20-million cost, with the remainder being made up by international partners. Two-thirds of the construction costs were spent within the country, providing a much-needed stimulus to South African industry, technology transfer and student training. The SKA would do this and a great deal more.

SALT has been more than a tool for the research community. Its success has extended beyond South Africa, aided by grants from the International Astronomical Union (IAU) for 2009 — the International Year of Astronomy. The SAAO is a role model in the IAU's plans for astronomy in the developing world. The observatory hopes to host the IAU's Office for Astronomy Development, which aims to use astronomy as “a unique and cost-effective tool for furthering sustainable global development”.

The implication that Phil Charles, director of the SAAO, has ever done anything but whole-heartedly support South Africa's SKA bid is without foundation. In fact, the first African Physical Society resolution on supporting the SKA bid in Africa, written by Phil Charles with US astronomer Charles McGruder, was passed “by acclamation” at the society's Dakar meeting last month. They, like me, wish to see the prototype telescope MeerKAT and potential SKA operations centre benefiting from the existing SAAO facility, so that radio and optical astronomers can collaborate.

As the South African government proclaimed in 1996, scientific endeavour is not purely utilitarian in its objectives: it has important associated cultural and social values. Not to develop flagship sciences such as physics and astronomy would brand us as a second-class nation.