African Fusion November-December 2024

SAIW news: 2024 Awards Gala Dinner

SAIW recommits to accessible, quality training for a sustainable future

Under the theme ‘SAIW: The Backbone of the Welding Industry’ the SAIW’s 2024 awards highlighted the industry’s essential contributions and SAIW’s commitment to sustainability through accessible, quality training.

T he Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW) hosted its 2024 Awards Gala in Fourways, Johan nesburg, celebrating excellence in welding, fabrication and non-destructive testing (NDT) under the theme, ‘SAIW: The Back bone of the Welding Industry’ . The event underscored SAIW’s role in upholding industry standards, advancing technical training, and promoting innovation across South Africa. In his opening remarks, SAIW President Joseph Zinyana said that the night was a celebration of the remarkable skill and dedi cation within our industry. “These awards honour those who not only meet but exceed the standards that make our industry resil ient and forward-looking,” he said. After acknowledging past presidents and Gold sponsors, ESAB and Afrox, and extending a welcome to SAIW members, dedicated staff and to all visitors and their partners, the SAIW President said that the SAIW has provided technical training for the past 76 years, and has produced welding technicians, inspectors and NDT inspectors of exceptional quality, many of whom are in leadership positions within the welding industry. “The skills developed here are highly sought after, transforming our stu dents into world-class managers and lead

ers. We all understand the challenges of the rigorous training provided by SAIW, which stands out compared to other institutions offering similar programmes,” he said. “At our 2024 AGM in May, I committed to reviewing SAIW’s systems and processes, focusing on the cost and efficiency of our training,” he continued, before reporting that the SAIW recognises that its course fees may be unaffordable for many in South Africa. “So I am pleased to announce that, after a thorough cost review led by our Executive Director, we have planned a fee reduction for 2025 to make our courses more accessible to the broader South Afri can community,” he announced. Regarding operational efficiency, he said that members had raised concerns at the AGM about delays in exam result process ing. “We also received feedback about high failure rates in exams conducted at our Institute. In response, we initiated a compre hensive review with our Executive Director, John Tarboton, and developed a recovery plan. I’m pleased to report that we have cleared the examination backlog,” he said In response to the additional short comings, a restructuring and realignment programme was also authorised by the SAIW board, a process that is expected to be completed by year-end. “This process is

Dawie Olivier received his Gold Medal Award, the SAIW’s highest honour, from SAIW President, Joseph Zinyana (left) and Executive Director, John Tarboton (right). crucial for the Institute’s sustainability and future viability,” he added. On construction and welding industry challenges in South Africa, he said that there are few capital projects underway, so South Africa is experiencing an outflow of expertise to international markets. “Petro chemical and nuclear professionals are also increasingly seeking opportunities abroad, which is affecting our industry’s technical knowledge base,” he pointed out. Looking ahead, Joseph Zinyana is an ticipating a potential nuclear new-build programme. In preparation, SAIW is collab orating with NECSA to develop advanced NDT, Inspection and welding engineering skills tailored to the nuclear sector, which demands the highest levels of safety, qual ity, and competence. “Our partnership with NECSA aligns with South Africa’s focus on clean energy, as nuclear energy can pro vide efficient and stable electrical power without GHG emissions. We believe this is exactly what our country needs in the cur rent energy landscape,” he added. “SAIW remains committed to supporting any government initiatives that create em ployment opportunities for our youth and provides them with practical skills up to and including engineering expertise. As we move forward, let us focus on what we can contribute to our country and our commu nities. We all share a responsibility to help shape a better future, and we are dedicated to making SAIW the institution of choice for technical training,” he concluded. Executive Director, John Tarboton fol lowed the SAIW President onto the podium. Highlighting the theme for the evening: ‘SAIW – The Backbone of the Welding Indus-

SAIW 2024 awards winners; from left: Len Jordaan, Calvin Carrol, Mandla Makhubela, Armand Pierre Rosenthal, Joseph Zinyana (SAIW President), John Tarboton (SAIW Executive Director), Sunithi Barends, Ian Mc Leod (Eriger MD), Emily Van Der Schyff and Dawie Olivier.

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November-December 2024

AFRICAN FUSION