The past two years have been the most rewarding years of my life. Both in terms of new experiences as well as overcoming the anxiety of ensuring that the Institute remained on course and created value for both members and communities alike.

As most of you may know, in 2006 we appointed a secretariat to handle all administrative duties, pertaining to the running of IMESA. This was done in the hope of eventually arriving at a point where we could boast a fully fledged permanent office. During this process however, we discovered that various aspects surrounding the management of our internal affairs were falling through the cracks. Examples include, among others, IMESA funds being combined with those of other associations and insufficient controls to monitor income, whether it was subscriptions or conference fees. In addition, the database of members was not updated properly or regularly.  This led to a bitter encounter with our service provider and finally culminated in the termination of the contract, by the executive.

With the above in mind, we as the executive would like to take this opportunity to apologies to you our members, for any inconvenience caused, such as outdated or absent accounts. I am however, pleased to announce that a new service provider, using a different model, has since been appointed together with a finance committee, to oversee and authorise all financial transactions. 

This committee currently consists of the President and the two Vice Presidents and in the short period of time that this new committee has been in operation, we have unearthed and corrected many of the wrongs that occurred. We are pleased with the way things are shaping up. Our data base, which is the basis of our organisation – as it is with any organisation - is currently being updated and corrected. All members are therefore requested to ensure that their details at the relevant branches are correct.

On a more positive note, I would also like to highlight that our constitution has since been revised.  During the implementation process various minor adjustments were executed and the constitution as well as a set of operational regulations has subsequently been put in place. We are nearing the finalisation stage of the implementation process.

During the process of overhauling our constitution, it was decided that the emblem should also be interrogated, with the aim of ensuring that we as an institution remain relevant. After what seemed like endless deliberations it was unanimously decided that our current emblem, its existing status and social standing remained most recognisable and appropriate. We have therefore decided that it will not be tampered with. This also reinforced our mission which remains unshaken and a firm foundation for our Institute. To make sure it is upfront in your minds as we continue into a new year and another annual conference, it reads:

“To promote excellence in the Municipal Engineering amongst its members for the benefit of the community.”

To this end, I am positive that we have lived up to this call, thanks to the tireless work of all members who participate in the various committees and working groups of the Institute. As well the leadership of the champions and the two Directors Mr Jannie Pietersen and Johan De Beer, the Branch Chairpersons and last but not least, all the members of the Institute.

As we all know, we could not have achieved our goals without the support of our spouses and family. I would like to take this opportunity to duly acknowledge their role in the success of this Institute and thank them whole heartily, while persuading them to continue their support in the years to come. Next ...