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Home > News archives > Presidential
Inaugural Address
 
Delivered
at the National AGM of WISA, held on the 15th May 2003 at the
Development Bank of South Africa
To all our past Presidents, Patron
Members, Honorary Members, Retired- and Senior Fellow Members and Ordinary
Members of WISA.
The honour that you have invested upon
me, through your representative Councillors, is an honour that is most
appreciated and greatly valued. It is a prestigious honour that I cannot accept
as an individual member but on behalf Cape Town and of those I truly represent.
It is an honour that humbles me, knowing that I have been accorded the rare
privilege of stepping into the footprints of our great Aqua-African leaders.
Leaders who have successfully manage to harness the intellectual capacity and
energy of various individuals to ensure that WISA is, what WISA is today - the
most respected Water Institute in South Africa. An organisation committed to the
integrated participation of all role players within the complex natural- and
controlled water cycle. I am personally proud to be associated with WISA. During
my association with WISA, over the last ten years, I have witnessed an
organisation that is committed in embracing the spirit of UBUNTU in all its
activities. This commitment, although entirely voluntary based, is reflected in
the broad and diverse spectrum of its activities.
I once read an article in the Flying
Springbok, written by Professor Lovemore Mbigi, where he describes the meaning
of UBUNTU in detail. He states that if literally translated, the word UBUNTU
means: "I am because we are' – I can only be a person through others. He
further stated that Archbishop Desmond Tutu was the person who defined the
contribution of UBUNTU more precisely in the following statement:
'Africans have a thing called UBUNTU;
its is about the essence of being human, it is part of the gift that Africa will
give the world. It embraces hospitality, caring about others, willing to go the
extra mile for the sake of others. We believe a person is a person through
another person, that my humanity is caught up, bound up and extricable in yours.
When I dehumanize you, I inexorably dehumanize myself.’
Why is the subject of UBUNTU so
important in my address ? Firstly, we cannot become what we really want to be
without supporting those that have been severally marginalised in the past.
Secondly there is a need for us to reach out to other water scarce regions that
have not managed to mobilise themselves and subsequently have no representation
on the WISA Council. Thirdly, there is a pressing need for us to collectively
assist the lower ranks, within the water hierarchy, to mobilize themselves and
to join WISA in its drive to ensure effective transfer of knowledge and
technology to all. This is a difficult task but if tackled collectively and on a
national basis we will succeed. My roots are firmly established in the lower
echelon of the most diverse and complex industrial hierarchy – yet, through
role you have allowed me to succeed.
This reminds me about the story of the koi.
The
most fascinating thing about the koi
is
that if you keep it in a small fish bowl
it
will only grow to be two or three inches long.
Place
the koi in a larger tank or small pond
and
it will reach six to ten inches.
Put
it in a large pond and it may get as long as a foot and a half.
However,
when place in a huge lake where it can really stretch out,
it
has the potential to reach sizes up to three feet.
A comparable analogy can be made
concerning our activities within WISA. Our growth is not really determined by
the type and number of the members that we attract but to the degree by which we
fulfill the needs of those who choose to associate with us and by the fruits
that we bear. This story clearly illustrates that we need to constantly create
an environment for people to development to their maximum potential. However,
the creation of such an environment can only be established through the
collectively effort of all the role players in this multi-disciplinary-water
industry.
Challenges
that lie ahead
WISA is structurally and in terms of
organisational arrangements, a very complex and the element of volunteerism does
not make matters any easier. In 1987 a group African water experts took a
conscious decision to break their association with Institute for Water and
Environmental Management (IWEM), a British professional institution, to form a
totally autonomous institute in the named of WISA. WISA’s mission at the time
and still the current mission: is
to provide a forum for the exchange of information and views to improve water
resource management in Southern Africa. Its objectives includes inter
alia "the promotion of and application of scientific and engineering
knowledge and management skills in the planning, design, construction,
maintenance, investigation, research and education in connection with the
natural and controlled water cycle, including but not limited to the application
of scientific engineering and management skills to all or any hydrology water
resources, river, management and flood alleviation, recreation, water supply and
distribution, sewage and industrial waste treatment, disposal and water
pollution control.
WISA has four established branches
viz. Eastern Cape, Free State, Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Western Cape and eleven
Technical Divisions viz. Community Water Supply and Sanitation, Education and
Training, Membrane Technology, Mine Water, River Basin Management, Water
Distribution, Watercare, Water-related Health, Water Scientists, Sludge
Management, South African Industrial Water
It is as a result of these
organisational- and operational complexities as well as a multitude of
supporting and empowerment activities that Council decided to review the
organisation’s strategic direction.
The process of developing a strategic
plan is without any doubt a very stressfull exercise depending of the strength
of your debating skills and the manner by which you present you ideas. However,
the planning process, by comparison very short and straightforward.
I am also of the opinion that it is the easiest of all exercises
undertaken in the formulation of a strategic plan. Thus, the biggest challenge
facing WISA is with the implementation.
Major critical hurdles that need to
overcome during the initial implementation stage are as follows:
- The identification of an optimal institutional
model for WISA (number and function and gaps) including governance and
management structures (centralization and decentralization, business units,
outsourcing, volunteerism constraints);
- Review the organizational structure of WISA
with regard to Branches, Divisions and Groups and their functioning;
- Initiate steps to engage in discussions with
SAQA in order to establish the feasibility of such a project and identify the
legal requirements. In fact all activities associated with education and
training;
- Working towards a much closer and cooperative
relationship with other water-related organisations.
Biggest
dilemma facing the Watercare Industry
The biggest dilemma facing the water
industry is the lack of a clear strategy to increase number water professionals
in South Africa and also to improve the operational competencies of all workers
operating at a functional level. This concern was strongly expressed by the Free
State Branch, through Ms. Noleen Basson, who rightly points out that ' South
Africa is in many respects a leader in the field of water and related matters.
It is renowned worldwide for its leadership demonstrated in the water industry.
In order to maintain this competitive edge, this pool of knowledge obviously
needs to be maintained...'
Ms. Basson further proposed, that in
order to address the given shortage of process engineers and technicians, a two
pronged approach should be followed:
�
The launch of an aggressive campaign to promote
(water) engineering science and
�
The recruitment talented learners with proven
potential and provision of bursaries to such learners thus ensuring sufficient
expertise to meet future challenges.
Capacity building at operational level
is even worse despite the fact that the need for competency-based training has
been recognized as far back as 1988. In his presidential comment (Water Sewage
and Effluent, volume 12 No.1 March 1992. Dr.
Gerrit Botha made direct reference to the chaotic state of the watercare
industry at an operational level. To date nothing has change and the following
factors have aggravated the situation:
�
the exit of skillful process controllers from
the industry without being replaced;
�
the move towards atomic employment which
stifles intended capacity building initiatives in the watercare industry;
�
the lack of skillful mentors and trainers to
ensure effective transfer of both skill and knowledge on a continuous and
sustainable basis;
�
the lack of funding to assist in identifying
deficiencies, in the industry, associated with the ineffective implementation
and maintenance of established- and new technology;
�
poor classification criteria that stifles the
effective development of process controllers;
�
the of lack proper organizational structure to
ensure the sustainability of technical skill;
�
the lack of fully equipped in-house training
facilities and/or strategies;
�
the absence of a strategy to test the
competency levels of our process controllers with that of other countries..
Surely, it is high time that we have
national intervention, by all role-players, to eliminate this chaotic state.
Being a semi-arid country - water is our most precious national asset needs to
be protected by skillful resources at all levels within this multi-disciplinary
hierarchy. Thus, water resource, in all its facets, needs to be managed on in an
integrated fashion with WISA playing a very strong supportive role.
Dr Machiel Steynberg recently
conducted a research on the status of education and training, on behalf of WISA.
His findings raised very pertinent that needs that need to be seriously
considered during the implementation process of our strategic plan.
CONCLUSION
A long and difficult road lies ahead
for the organisation largely due to the voluntary nature of our activities and
the availability of funds to realise certain goals. However, as the newly
elected President. I am confident that the most critical key activities can be
achieved within my term of office primarily because WISA has always been blessed
with a highly competent Executive Board supported by a full-time management team
under the professional- and highly competent guidance of Mr. Willie L�tz (WISA's
CEO).
I am not in a position to make any
pledges. My success is dependent on your support and constructive input to our
activities. WISA can only be successful through the active participation of its
members.
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