Observing Optical Transients in Africa

This talk will review the progress of the successful SALT transient follow-up programme, which is in its 5th year. Science highlights will be presented for a variety of different astrophysical transient classes, demonstrating also the dynamic response to new science discoveries by other multi-wavelength and multi-messenger facilities. Future prospects will be discussed in the context of the start of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) by the Rubin Observatory, expected to begin in 2023. Opportunities to expand transient research throughout the African continent will be discussed.