6 ASSOCIATIONS
IOPSA Executive Directors Report 2021 / 2022 June 2022
By
Brendan Reynolds
At the recently held annual general meeting the Executive Director presented his report , presented below .
Plumbing Africa Rory Macnamara
1 . EXECUTIVE SUMMARY After an extremely challenging year in 2020 we were all very hopeful that 2021 would see some recovery and get back to some sense of normality . Sadly , our optimism proved to be misplaced . Just as the country seemed to be recovering from COVID lockdowns we experienced the worst riots in decades . Both Kwazulu Natal and Gauteng were heavily impacted by the riots . Besides the hundreds of businesses that suffered huge financial losses , there were significant supply chain disruptions which continued for months . The past year also saw the worst unemployment statistics in the history of South Africa fueled by COVID lockdowns . 2022 brought little relief , KZN suffered two devastating floods , record fuel prices were recorded which is driving inflation upwards and Eskom reinstated loadshedding . All told , an extremely difficult time for all South Africans and business in general .
Once again , I am pleased to report that IOPSA has managed to weather the storm well . Membership has continued to grow at a good pace and we have not seen any increase in cancellations or non-payment . I am of the opinion that this is largely due to the value which IOPSA continues to add to members . The team has worked extremely hard and their dedication to the members shines through as the single biggest factor in IOPSA ’ s continued success in challenging times .
Brendan Reynolds
I am very proud of the IOPSA team , during very difficult circumstances they pulled together and dug deep to ensure that IOPSA and more importantly our members were able to navigate very challenging times . IOPSA is in a sound position to take on the challenges of 2022 .
2 . Key achievements for 2021 / 22 Even with the extraordinary challenges faced , IOPSA was able to achieve some significant milestones ;
• Several new training projects were started , of particular interest was the availability of significant funding for ARPL projects .
• We introduced “ claim your listing ” which allows members to customise their IOPSA listing .
• We undertook research into municipal water by-laws and the implementation thereof . The results were disturbing and point clearly to a lack of capacity , knowledge , skills and enforcement .
• IOPSA participated in the Water & Sanitation Industrialisation Masterplan . While still under development we are very hopeful that this masterplan could make a significant positive impact in the industry .
• Gender equity and social inclusion are important considerations especially in the South African context . IOPSA led several initiatives and training programs to address these important issues .
• IOPSA was contacted by several municipalities for assistance in correcting and / or implementing their water by-laws . We have offered significant support and training to several municipalities in this regard .
• Good progress has been made in building positive relationships with several government departments and SOE ’ s . Of particular note are The Department of Employment and Labour and Department of Public Works and Infrastructure .
• On the social impact side IOPSA was extremely active . Free plumbing assistance was offered to businesses in KZN damaged by the riots . A plumbers ’ support fund was set up to help plumbers who were victims of the flooding . Plumbing repairs and improvements were carried out for several schools , places of safety , centres for the elderly and in informal settlements . These social initiatives would not have been possible without the assistance of our amazing members who give so generously of their time and skill . We truly appreciate everything they do !
www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline October 2022 Volume 28 I Number 8