The year is coming to an end and we have just had our annual celebration gala dinner. We have been presenting to you our successes, challenges and the manner in which we have immersed ourselves in the realities of the environments in which we operate. As the SAIMC leadership, we realised very early in the year that we cannot ignore the landscape of our ‘context’ and have deliberately, although unobtrusively, confronted our political and demographic realities.
We presented to you our relentlessness with respect to registering automation as the 10th registered engineering discipline. The journey continues, but we have achieved significant milestones punctuated with many victories that are worth celebrating. We have also demonstrated our quest to reshape skill development in our country, not only in rhetoric but also by enacting our resources accordingly and at the same time deploying capital investments in educational institutions. Lastly, we demonstrated our continued commitment to the collaborative forces that we have established with various governmental institutions, such as the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), and the consequent result thereof.
For those who could not make it, be on the lookout for a full report on the event. The glittering gala dinner coupled with the new ‘organisational persona’ further crystallised the vision and the invigorating strategic intent of the SAIMC. Our guest speaker, Victor Vermeulen, was selected to bring a dimension of ‘resilience’ into the SAIMC. This is so because we want to continue to push ahead and offer our best to all our stakeholders. The following quote by Victor captures the climate that we are seeking to invoke and inspires us as we navigate through our daily challenges: “I felt as if my mind was being held prisoner in an immobile shell and I’d become frozen inside my skin. I could not do much, but I had made my choice. I was not going to just give up and die. I decided that my life was worth living and I was going to make the most of it; one breath at a time, and one day at a time. I have never been a person who gives up. I decided to fight!”
The 19th of October will present a tough test for all of us at SAIMC. We will be making a crucial and long awaited presentation to ECSA, stakeholders from the industry, government and educational institutions on the subject of automation as the 10th discipline. We hope to draw from the wisdom and the spirit of resilience demonstrated by Victor throughout his life.
To this end, I would like to thank the SAIMC council, delegates from the industry, educational, governmental and engineering institutions that continue to support SAIMC and make it what it is today. Of course, I cannot forget our members, patrons and business partners as they all form part of the engine that propels the SAIMC forward.
Yours sincerely,
Oratile Sematle.
| Tel: | +27 11 312 2445 |
| Email: | ina@saimc.co.za |
| www: | www.saimc.co.za |
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