ASSOCIATIONS
11
IOPSA executive
director’s report
The report is published according to the NATEXEC
committee meeting held on 11 April 2019.
By Brendan Reynolds
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The years 2018/19 have been challenging for
the country as a whole, and our members in
particular have felt the effects. I don’t think it is
necessary for me to elaborate on the turbulent
political situation or the tough economic climate
in 2018; it was a really hard year for most.
Notwithstanding, I am proud to say that even
in these tough times, IOPSA has managed
to continue its growth and is in a very strong
position to take on the challenge of 2019/20.
IOPSA has achieved a huge amount this year.
Most notable among these are:
• The establishment of a working
Transformation Committee
• The launch of SA Watermark
• The introduction of free first aid and
firefighting training for members
• Re-establishing a presence in North West
and Limpopo provinces
• Establishing a successful auditing service
• Review of the Constitution
• MOU signed with CETA
• Market research into the plumbing industry.
These are but a few of the many tasks which have
been successfully completed in the year. For the
coming year, IOPSA will be focusing its efforts in
ensuring the success of the SA Watermark and will
actively enter the ‘standards development’ space
which has needed serious attention for some time.
For members, the focus will be on delivering real
value-added services, finding unique income
opportunities, and delivering meaningful training.
On the training front we will be focusing heavily
on recognition of prior learning (RPL). All of
this will be supported by a strong marketing
campaign aimed at informing consumers about
IOPSA and its members.
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
Financially, IOPSA is still in a very strong
position; we have engaged the services of a
new accounting firm and I am confident that our
financial reporting will improve significantly, as
will transparency and compliance. The merger
of all IOPSA regions into a consolidated financial
and statutory reporting model is an important
step in this regard and will add huge value.
The IOPSA team has grown significantly this
year and we have plans to add a few more team
members in the coming year. We have been
fortunate to be able to source excellent, dedicated,
and passionate people. Their dedication and hard
work during this year has led to some amazing
achievements and I would like to personally thank
each and every one of them.
IOPSA NATIONAL FINANCIAL POSITION
(FOR NOTING)
IOPSA is in a much better financial position
than last year. We expect the improvements to
continue especially with the additional income
from audits and membership growth. IOPSA
continued to produce good cash flows, although
somewhat below last year’s achievements, but
this is to be expected with such massive growth.
All told, IOPSA is in a very strong financial position.
We are implementing stricter financial controls and
management, and we are confident that these will
lead to even greater financial stability.
IOPSA MEMBERSHIP
Membership growth this year has been
excellent; this is mainly due to real value being
added for members, improved communication,
and good marketing. Ultimately, this is the true
measurement of IOPSA’s success or failure, and
we are very pleased to see such a big vote of
confidence from the industry.
NEW MEMBERSHIP VERSUS
CANCELLATIONS
Financial year
2017–2018 2018–2019
New
membership 59 101
Cancellations 36 35
IOPSA NATIONAL STAFF
IOPSA has added two new junior auditors, Ketiwe
and Xolani, based in Johannesburg, working
under the supervision of Steve van Zyl. Both
have performed extremely well and we have
received numerous compliments about them. I
have the feeling that both of them are headed for
very bright futures; keep an eye on them. In the
coming year we have budgeted for an additional
person to strengthen our administration.
Kwakho Mpepo has also joined the IOPSA team
as an understudy to Nick Joubert, training
manager. Kwakho brings a wealth of knowledge
from his time at MBA and has fitted in well with
the team. He is growing into his role and I am
expecting big results from him.
Richard Bailie has been contracted on a part-time
basis to represent IOPSA’s interests in the Western
Cape and to manage audits in the region.
In the coming year we have budgeted for the
following positions:
•
Admin assistant – National Office
•
Junior auditor – KZN
•
Junior auditor – Western Cape
INSURANCE FORUM
The last round of insurance forum meetings has
produced some very good results. IOPSA has
assisted several insurance companies with training,
May 2019 Volume 25 I Number 3