Cause Index

Cape Town Science Centre

At the Cape Town Science Centre mind-sets are shifted as children and adults are delighted,inspired and excited about the connection between science and life. Often, for the first time they see the relevance of science in their daily life and are eager to explore it further.

The Cape Town Science Centre was established under the leadership of Professor Mike Bruton in 2000. It is the only interactive, ‘hands-on’ science centre in Cape Town that is dedicated to the public understanding and education of science and technology for young and old. It serves both the informal and formal educations sectors through its many activities, which includes a significant outreach programme utilising a mobile van that travels across the Western Cape.

The CTSC recently relocated and opened again on 28 December 2011 in a venue in Observatory, just in front of the Groote Schuur Hospital. A venue that is easy to get to for all of Cape Town’s communities as it is close to public transport and arterial routes.

Visitors to the new centre are delighted with the new venue, which bodes well for its continued success in strengthening the culture of learning among the youth, exciting young people about the traditionally difficult subjects of science and mathematics, and making learners more receptive to lessons offered by teachers in schools.

The CTSC is constantly active in bringing science and technology into the mainstream of society and helping the youth and the general public keep pace with rapid advancements in science and technology, to improve their understanding of the world around them.

The Centre has built up a substantial collection of physical and intellectual resources over the years affording the CTSC visitor quality interaction with world class, hands-on exhibits and technology as well as effective people-centred learning activities, which include popular science talks, science shows, science theatre, workshops and many other entertaining science based activities.

The CTSC Operates as a social enterprise, under the auspices of the Interactive Science Foundation NPC (RF), a registered Non-Profit Organisation (031-701-NPO), registered as a Public Benefit Organisation in terms of Section 18A of the Income Tax Act of South Africa (PBO: 18/11/12/2663). It was first established in 2000 (then the MTN Sciencentre based in Canal Walk shopping centre). During its 12-years of operation it has reached over 3.5 million visitors, through visits to the centre and through its outreach endeavours across the Western Cape, South Africa and as far as Namibia.