Having recently toured the South African and Zambian branches, and attended their banquets for 2006, I am encouraged by the strong support of the members, patrons and others.
Vivian MacFadyen
As I have said many times, the people in this industry are special. They are friendly, hospitable, and the majority are techno-junkies. From the experience gained at the year-end events, other aspects of our colleagues became known. Some excel at event organisation and management, public speaking, public address equipment control, and even singing.
The events were held in Johannesburg, Durban, Secunda, and Kitwe, each with its own individual character, and enjoyed by all who attended. It was quite apparent that many non-members felt honoured to be able to attend these functions.
The Kitwe banquet went a long way to draw attention to the presence of the SAIMC in that country. The vice president of Zambia, Rupiah Banda, was to attend but due to other commitments, asked Mwansa Mbulakulima, the Copperbelt minister to give his speech for him. In his speech, he urged the corporate world and institutions of higher learning to work together in enhancing skills development through training. He went on to say that the government would support the SAIMC initiative as it was committed to providing an environment that fostered skills development. Charles Sakanya, president of the Engineering Institution of Zambia, encouraged engineers to create an awareness of the loss of skills due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. My speech followed the skills shortage theme and empathised that it was an international phenomenon, and that Africa had to develop its own strategies to reverse this situation. In this instance, we cannot rely on outside assistance. The function received front-page exposure in the national press, and was a feature on the Zambian national television news, so many in that country have at least heard of the SAIMC.
My feelings are that this is going to be a good year, so enjoy the ride, it may be fast and exhilarating.
For information regarding the SAIMC, go to www.saimc.org.za or phone +27 (0)8610SAIMC (+27 (0)861 0 72462).
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