Overview:

In one of the newsletters I wrote in 2001 I quoted Charles Darwin who said: “It is not the strongest species that will survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”  In surveying what has happened during 2001, a thread emerges and that thread is that the efforts and actions undertaken during the year had mostly one thing in common and that was to position WISA to maintain and expand its role as the pre-eminent association for water professionals in South Africa.  New initiatives were launched, the existing programs and ways of doings things were re-visited to ensure their relevance and functionality, and virtually every sphere of our operations were subjected to scrutiny and adapted where necessary.

These actions were not taken lightly, idly, or simply as a way of keeping busy – all were necessary to restore fuller functionality to WISA, and to position WISA in such a manner as to prevent its gradual demise as an organisation.  Worldwide there emerged a trend over the last few years indicative of what is generally referred to as the “decline of volunteerism”.  A number of voluntary associations such as WISA have gone under, while even some of the most robust organisations in our field are suffering from severe haemorrhaging of memberships.  The effects of this could be seen in severe curtailments in their operating budgets, cuts in services rendered, and amalgamations.  That this was on the cards for WISA is not to be doubted and the Board and Council were astute and resolute enough to address these problems in an open and forthright manner – especially when early in the year the income tax situation concerning Article 21 Companies – of which WISA is one – changed to make them liable for taxation.  The following paragraphs should therefore be read with the above in mind.  That these preventative steps were not only timely, but also effective to a large degree will emerge from this report.

WISA is at present not only more involved in a larger variety of projects and actions related to the water field than before, but also enjoys a higher profile than ever.  Administrative adjustments have largely assisted in keeping the budget manageable especially on large cost items such as travel, and the membership demographics not only shows a rejuvenation, but adjustments have also to a certain degree arrested the fall-off that was detected two years ago.  While undoubtedly these are reasons to be thankful for, it is no time to rest on our laurels (such as that might be), but to continue to remain vigilant and responsive and to build on the foundations that have been laid so far.

It should however, be stressed that a conscious decision was taken by the Board that although changes are needed to ensure the continued relevance, viability, and sustainability of WISA that the inherent character of WISA will not be changed.  WISA will remain true to its origins and will continue to serve the interests of its members as originally envisaged. 

Afriwater:

This event is becoming of greater importance to WISA and there will in future be even greater co-operation with the organisers of this exhibition.  As it stands Afriwater is considered the premier exhibition event in the calendar of companies focussed on the water field of operations.  As usual WISA complemented the exhibition with intellectual fare through the organising of two workshops held adjacent to the exhibition.  Both workshops dealt with very topical subjects and were well attended. 

Aministration:

Perhaps the most tangible sign of the changes WISA implemented were the rationalisation of the terms of the Presidency and the changes in the scheduling of Board and Council meetings.  Previously the Presidency suffered from a built-in problem that effectively limited the one presidency to 9 or 10 months, while extending the following presidency by an equal amount of time.  This has now been rationalised to the effect that all presidencies are now of equal length as all will run from May to May.  Coupled to this change were the re-scheduling of meetings of the Board and the Council.  Not only were the escalating costs of air travel creating havoc with the budget, but also some attendees were spending more time travelling to meetings than at the actual meeting itself.  Council meetings were therefore reduced to three per year and Board meetings to five per year – with the possibility built in that for really urgent matters that the Board could meet after a Council meeting as they would already be present at the venue.

The database program was substantially upgraded to not only enable it to be more precise, keep more complete records, be able to generate management reports, but also to be easier to operate while at the same time having more inbuilt integrity than the previous version.  The so-called Expertise Database could also be refined and the accumulated forms could at last be entered in an easily retrievable manner.

A professional bookkeeper was also employed for the first time resulting in more timely and accurate financial reports, but she could also assist the Branches and Divisions in keeping their books up to date.  The system now allows quarterly reports to all Branches and Divisions assisting them greatly with their fiscal responsibilities.  WISA also had to register as a taxpayer during the course of the year and a proper bookkeeping system allows us to also discharge those responsibilities timely and accurately.

An agreement was also signed with the South African Women’s Empowerment Association during the course of the year and has already borne fruit through co-operation with them in KwaZulu-Natal during the outbreak of cholera in that Province.  This organisation is active in upgrading, training, and establishment of schools, etc, with donor funds from abroad.  They concentrate on the rural areas, where as we all know, the greatest need is.

Complementary to the CD Presentation of PowerPoint regarding WISA that was made available to all Branches and Divisions, a new brochure presenting a brief introduction to WISA also saw the light during the course of the year.  It is already proving its value and it is planned to regularly update this as an on-going project.

It was found during the round of visits that the President paid to all the Branches that there exists a serious lack of knowledge concerning WISA amongst even people in the water field.  This is an area of concern and as part of addressing that it was decided to involve the Branches more directly in membership issues.  This resulted in the fact that Branches now get 15% of all membership dues (exclusive of Patron Members) that is generated in their operational area.  This not only acknowledges the importance and substantial independence of Branches, but also serves as an inducement to involve them in attracting more members to WISA. 

Committees:

During the course of the year Council constituted three Committees.  The one Committee, on Language, was in response to a motion entered at the AGM of 2000 and was chaired by Daniel Reinecke.  This Committee has in the mean time fulfilled its obligations and the results were duly distributed to all members.  Of the two other Committees, the one on Bursars has also finished its work and the Chairperson of that Committee, Heidi Snyman, has subsequently taken over as Chairperson of the standing Bursars Committee.  Dries Louw is Chairperson of the Committee on Membership issues and their work is about finalised.   

Separate from the above there are two other processes running that will impact upon WISA in a great manner.  The one is also chaired by Dries Louw and concerns itself with a re-evaluation and re-assessment of the role of the Branches and Divisions of WISA.  Are all Divisions still relevant?, should some be amalgamated?, should new ones be considered?  These are just some of the vexing questions that this process is designed to answer.  This, as the following one, is an on-going process.

The next process concerns itself with the future of WISA.  Does WISA have a future?, how should it be structured?, how to develop new income streams?, WISA’s role in the South African water related society?, its regional responsibilities, if any?, its management?.  These are some of the questions that is of concern to this process.  As with the previous process a number of sessions have resulted in a number of proposals, papers, and think pieces, but this process will also continue during the course of 2002. 

World Summit on Sustainable Development:

Although strictly speaking a Committee the work that this Working Group, under the able leadership of Herman Wiechers, is doing, is of such importance that it deserves separate mention.

During the course of the year this Working Group came into being as the response from WISA to contribute tangibly to this important event that holds important implications, not only for South Africa, but also humankind.  It was decided that, because of the extreme importance of the WSSD, to not limit participation to WISA members, but to conduct it as an open forum to ensure inclusiveness.  The first invitation then also went out to a total of 49 individuals across the broad spectrum of possible stakeholders.

During July a Water Experts meeting was held where the base was laid for contributions ranged according to the content of chapter 18 (Water) of Agenda 21 to the input that DWAF eventually delivered for the substantive content on water for this WSSD.  This process also actively provided for input from the WISA membership as the document was available on the WISA web site for perusal and contributions.

Another important event organised by the Working Group was the Water Forum again held at the Sandton Convention Centre where the outcomes from the previous meeting was vigorously debated and finally released.

This Working Group is also responsible for a Workshop that will be held during the WISA 2002 Conference. 

Bursars:

As previously mentioned the whole structure, criteria, contract, and selection process for WISA bursaries were examined and finally the recommendations approved by Council after the Committee chaired by Heidi Snyman finished with its deliberations.  The year 2001 was then also the first year that the newly revised system functioned to ultimately select three bursars.  It is with pleasure that it can be reported that all three WISA bursars successfully completed their courses.  During the same year the next set of applicants (for 2002) were also processed and a further three students selected for bursaries.  During the course of 2001 the Branches and Divisions were encouraged to publicise the availability of the bursaries to ensure that a greater geographical representation of applicants could be considered.  This proved very successful and the applications literally ranged from the Western Cape to Limpopo, and from KwaZulu-Natal to North-West Provinces.  This emphasis on geographic representivity is but one of the ways in which WISA continually strive to acknowledge that it is rooted in the whole of South Africa and not limiting its efforts to selected well-populated areas.

Honorary Members and Senior Fellows:

The duly constituted Senior Fellows Committee, under the leadership of Gerrit Botha this year also again deliberated about the nominations of these two categories of membership acknowledgements.

Their nominations for Senior Fellows, subsequently voted in the affirmative by Council were: Mr W V (Bill) Alexander, Mrs N D (Noeline) Basson, Prof. G A (George) Ekema, Mr L A (Lin) Gravelot-Blondin, Dr G (Gerhard) Offringa, and Dr F C (Chris) Viljoen.

The persons who were elevated to Honorary Members by Council were: Mr P O (Philip) Pybus, and Prof. G v R (Gert) Marais.

These acknowledgements from their peers in the organisation are not lightly achieved and the selection process looks severely and minutely at the track record and achievements of all candidates when deciding on their nominations.  It therefore behoves all of us to add our congratulations to the recipients for this ultimate accolade.

New Patron Member:

Another acknowledgement that is not easily achieved is to be selected by the Board to be offered the opportunity to become a Patron Member of WISA.  A company or organisation cannot apply to become a Patron Member; the Board must invite them.  Here again there are strict criteria that must be met, and over a period of time, before the Board will take such as step.  There also was a decision to limit the number of Patron Members to 15 to ensure that this honour is not taken lightly and to illustrate that such selection is on merit and not considered a means of raising funds.  To be a Patron Member of WISA serves an acknowledgement that the company or organisation were judged to be as honourable in its dedication to the ultimate good of the water industry in South Africa as is WISA itself.

To the ranks of these was added the company SA Mechanical Erection during the course of the year.  This is a reputable company of long standing that has consistently illustrated its commitment to the same ideals as that espoused by WISA.  Quite fittingly they then also won first prize in the Afriwater Exhibition in the category for “medium stands”.

Awards:

The Community Water Supply and Sanitation Division of WISA also received permission to establish a new award.  This is the WISA Award for Excellence in Rural Water Supply that was launched during 2001.  The first recipient of this award was Nhlungwane Water Supply in KwaZulu-Natal.  It is a condition attached to the permission to have this award that it must be expanded from the base of the Division in KwaZulu-Natal to the rest of the country.

The main criteria set for the award is that the scheme must have been in operation for more than three years, it must be running well, and it must be demonstrably sustainable; that is the scheme must be paying its own way. The purpose of the award is to honour and publicize genuine good practice in the operation and maintenance of rural water supplies.

Heidi Snyman was co-opted to the Board and targeted with the task of re-examining all the present awards, to investigate their relevance, criteria, prizes, procedures, and selection processes.  She was asked to also recommend new awards to the Board, and to examine the existing possibilities for South Africans to be nominated for awards administered by organisations and entities outside South Africa.  She successfully completed the first part of this task in record time and we will undoubtedly hear more from her in this regard.

International:

During the course of the year the CEO of WISA attended the Ozwater Conference in Canberra at the invitation of the President of the Australian Water Association and the President of WISA attended the IWA Conference held in Berlin.  Both visits proved to be valuable in making contacts and in learning how other organisations of the same ilk goes about their business.  The CEO was also made the Vice-chairperson for the Africa and Middle-east Section of the World Environment Federation (WEF).

It was decided by the Board that WISA would align itself more with the Southern Hemisphere than the North.  Although undoubtedly the water related organisations of global note are headquartered in the North, our climatological, developmental, and financial situations are more akin to that of countries in the “South”.  It was also felt that WISA has a greater responsibility in assisting the development of institutional capacities in our own region.

Other involvements:

WISA was also involved with a number of other initiatives during the course of the year.  The Women in Water Awards project will honour women who have made a significant contribution in four different categories of endeavour.  (There will be five awards but Research will be judged in two age groups.)  The full procedure will however only become fully functional during 2002/3.  Together with the Water Research Council, WISA are involved in this whole process that is headed by DWAF and also act as one of the co-hosts.

To engender sensitivities amongst the youth of South Africa concerning water, DWAF promotes the Stockholm Water Competition for the Youth in South Africa.  As WISA also believes firmly that the future leaders of South Africa should be fully aware of the importance of water in the cycle of sustainability, this is another area in which WISA is co-operating closely with the Department.

One of the WISA Divisions, the Mine Water Division, was closely involved with the Department of Mineral and Energy Affairs in the establishment and promotion of the EMEM Award.  This award is focussed on promoting, and rewarding, mines that conduct their operations in an environmentally responsible manner on a countrywide basis.

Election:

At the end of the year it was necessary to conduct a full election, as there were more nominations for the two vacancies that opened up on Council than could be accommodated.  This in itself was a heartening development as the previous year no election was needed as the number of nominations and the number of vacancies cancelled out each other.  We welcome this increased interest on the part of members to partake in the governance of the organisation.  The two candidates who eventually proved successful were Mrs Alison Chapman and Dr Heidi Snyman. 

Co-options to Council:

There is a mechanism through which the Board can nominate up to four people as members of Council should it be deemed necessary.  This route was again followed and the following people were nominated and accepted as co-opted Members of Council: Messrs Randall Adriaans, James Chimpelo, Jay Bhagwan, and Dr Eustina Musvoto.  We wish them all success with the challenging tasks that awaits them.

Council:

The composition of Council for 2002/2003 is as follows:

* The Chairperson of Nutrient Removal has recommended that the Division be closed down and incorporated with Anaerobic Processes. 

Membership:

This year was the first time in the history of WISA that individual memberships passed the 1 000 mark.  This must be ascribed to the decision by Council to actively recruit students as members to ensure that the demographics of membership does not age with every year that passes, and that young blood is entering into WISA.

At the same time the number of Local Authorities showed a decline that can be ascribed to the mergers into mega-structures that took place.  A campaign was initiated in the last quarter of 2000 and the first quarter of 2001 to encourage all local authorities to keep WISA abreast of changes in addresses and office bearers.  While successful to some extent, the sheer number of amalgamations took their toll of memberships.

It must also be realised that the pool of professionals in the water industry in South Africa is finite, hence the numbers of potential WISA members are finite as well, especially when it is taken into account that only a certain percentage of them will join a professional association.  While not neglecting the traditional pool from which members are drawn, the services offered by WISA should be such that members in vocations who would not traditionally consider WISA as their professional association of choice, would be encouraged to do so.  This is not easy to do taking into account the state of the economy and the alarming shrinking in the formal job sector from which our membership is drawn.   

The accompanying Table according to membership grades reflects the situation over the last decade plus. 

Subscriptions:

Through rigorous exercises in economising driven by our able Treasurer, Nigel Walker, it was possible to keep the increase in subscriptions very low.

For more detail on membership ... click here

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS

NON-INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS

Conclusion:

This is the second year that I have had the honour to serve WISA.  It has been satisfying to see that a number of initiatives are starting to pay dividends; at the same time other initiatives were started that I am confident will do the same during the next twelve months, and will also serve WISA well into the future.  For their courage to take these steps the Board and Council of WISA must be lauded, for the dedication, energy, and his sacrifice of personal time to drive these processes the President, Ralph Heath deserves all honour.  It has been both an honour and a pleasure to work with him.

Willie P N L�tz
Chief Executive Officer