It is amazing to note that merely 2 years ago, in Soweto I was inaugurated as President of the Institute.  It is two years of work that I am going to look back on with mixed emotions.  Firstly, it is with pride that I had the opportunity to lead this organisation.  Secondly, it is with regret that due to time constraints that cannot be controlled by ones wishes or aspirations, I could not finalise everything that I initiated.

It is also just as worthy to note that the IMESA that stands before you today is significantly different to the body of the past that has been in existence for almost a decade. During a strategic meeting we seriously engaged in an introspection of the Institute and asked ourselves whether we as an Institute are still “relevant”. This question was asked to aid in decision making with regards to a path that would reconfirm our role in society and in South Africa’s municipal engineering environment as a whole.

A decade ago, IMESA was relevant due to issues such as, among others, the positioning of the profession and knowledge sharing. In addition, the need for enhancement of the status of municipal engineers in the municipalities as well as in society was top of the agenda. Today’s challenges have somewhat adapted in nature, however service delivery still remains a core focus. The challenge of service delivery has since been accentuated by the fact that the former State President of the Country attached deadlines to certain deliverables. The problem however with these timelines is that they were made outside the constraints of funding, legislative requirements and staffing. 

As all of us agree, this was a deliberate move, as the expected respondents to these challenges are engineers, and they are invariably capable of taking up this challenge and overcoming it.  This is to me, therefore a sign of confidence on our side by the former State President.  I must however mention that even if there are changes in the composition of government, these challenges and deadlines remain unchanged and so we are not off the hook. 

It is sad to note that in South Africa there are still numerous protests and much discontent among communities, due to the reportedly slow pace of service delivery. The role IMESA is expected to play, in this regard, is two fold.  Firstly, to advice governing powers regarding the requirements necessary to achieve expected service delivery levels.  Secondly, to arrive at appropriate levels of service that will satisfy the communities and maintain affordability for municipalities. 

At last years conference we highlighted the stretching of resources available to municipalities. This challenge seems even more acute now as we face various different challenges, leading up to 2010.

We at IMESA are also greatly involved with training and education, at various levels and platforms. We feel it is our duty to ensure the continuity of our species, and as such we will engage at all levels to achieve this goal. Next ...