The Southern African Vinyls Association (SAVA) has welcomed Plastichem (Pty) Ltd as the latest PVC role player to join the association.

Gauteng-based Plastichem acts as agent, distributor and specialist value added service provider of raw materials in the plastic and rubber industries and was acquired by Brenntag in December 2015, following the signing of a sales purchase agreement.

“Our product portfolio has expanded and now includes product offerings into the PVC market. To this end, we felt it was important to become a member of SAVA in order to gain more insight into this market and contribute to the objectives outlined by its Product Stewardship Commitment,” says Dean Delaporte, Business Unit Manager for Plastichem.

Delaporte says that they became acquainted with SAVA and the work the association does during the course of their active involvement in the plastics and rubber industry over the past 16 years.“Belonging to SAVA offers us valuable networking opportunities with fellow leaders and role players in the local PVC industry, and provides us with a platform for sharing ideas and gaining access to information that will enable us to stay on top of developments impacting our industry. I believe SAVA provides us with the opportunity to become an even more active player within the market,” Delaporte said.

“We are thrilled that Plastichem has decided to join SAVA. We have seen exciting growth in our membership over recent months and are grateful for the trust the leading suppliers and manufacturers of PVC products are placing in us. By giving us their vote of confidence, they are mandating SAVA to act on their behalf and strengthening our voice and our influence as we actively strive to create consumer confidence within the industry as well as develop and sustain markets for PVC,” concluded Delanie Bezuidenhout, CEO of SAVA.

For more information on Plastichem (Pty) Ltd visit www.plastichem.co.za

For information on SAVA, visit www.savinyls.co.za

I spoke with Prof EN Barkhuizen from the Talent Management Blueprint Conference and asked her for some of the Key Takeout’s from the conference held on 16th and 17th of October which unpacked Talent Management and Organisational Energy and behaviour

‘Are we making a Difference? ’Was her biggest question for Industry Leaders.

‘There are Only about 100 scientific publications on talent management. ‘There are 32, 4 million people aged between 15 and 64 years (working age population) in South Africa.

Of these 13, 1 million (40%) were employed and 4, 5 million (3, 8%) were unemployed.

This report further pointed out that 41, 0% of the unemployed were students

15, 0% were discouraged work seekers.

38 236 doctors and 5 560 dentists.

The doctor-to-population ratio is estimated to be 0.77 per 1 000.

But because the vast majority of GPs – 73% – work in the private sector, there is just one practicing doctor for every 4 219 people.

(Source: RSA.info, 2014)

From the above stats, it is apparent that we clearly need to become more Talent Intelligent.

Other staggering Stats from hashtag Marius Meyer were the following:         

Human Capital is the biggest concern for CEOs (PwC).        

Only 18% of CEOs feel confident that they have the right people in place to execute strategy (CEB).        

Human Capital is the biggest risk in business (HCI Africa).        

Skills crisis is the top obstacle to economic growth.        

Strikes cost SA R 200 million+ per day.        

SA losing R12 billion a year due to absenteeism.        

Only 19% auditors feel they use HR optimally (CG Index – Institute of Internal Auditors)        

Only 5% employees understand business strategy.        

World-wide 13% of employees actively engaged.        

Companies with engaged employees outperform others by 202% (Dale Carnegie).

Companies with good HR Practices outperform others by treating HR as critical business function, these companies are 105% more profitable.

Average ROI on wellness programmes: 300%.

‘So what do we do about all this? ‘I asked like Dr Lynne Derman, who is a renowned expert in the field of organisational energy and whose Doctoral Study was the first to investigate organizational energy in the South African context.’

‘I am passionate about employee well being, in fact managing talent effectively gives business a competitive advantage.

Aligning Talent Management with Business Strategy is imperative. It is equally important to be equipped with the correct tools‘.

For more information on individual and organisational well-being visit goldfish-consulting

Link: http://goldfish-consulting.co.za/services/talent-management

We are thrilled to announce that both the public and private sectors appear to recognize the value of board diversity as BPW SA has been approached in the last month alone, to assist with eleven board vacancies for women on our Register.  Women and men have different interests and perspectives in important areas, and boards are starting to see the importance of utilising these varying experiences to tackle the tremendous challenges. 

BPW SA and the Department of Trade & Industry (the dti) want boards of directors to widen the search for talent by looking beyond the traditional pool of executives and bring new potential to light.  It is for this reason that we have joined forces to provide a Women on Boards programme to create a Register of female leaders in South Africa who are excellently trained and, as a result, are highly sought after by Boards.  After all, why on earth would you voluntarily exclude half the smart people?

Our first group of 19 senior women, all thoroughly trained through our 9-month Women on Boards director development programme and certified by the dti, are now available on our register of Board Potential Women Directors and we urge companies to contact us for potential female directors.

Seven of our graduates are in line for board interviews , many have been interviewed by the media – both radio and magazines – and all will be profiled in the KZN Chamber of Commerce Power Book (2015). As an ongoing service to the graduates, BPW SA continues to raise their profile in an effort to access suitable board placements.  We have proven that board diversity is not a supply problem, but rather a demand problem.

BPW SA is proud to announce that we have incorporated an international module into the Women on Boards programme.  Business acumen - incorporating business finance and strategy - a must in today’s complex landscape. Business acumen is a keen understanding of what it takes for an organization to make money.  It combines financial literacy – the ability to interpret numbers on financial statements – with business literacy – recognizing how strategies and decisions impact these numbers.  Call it a sophisticated business simulation. Call it an exercise in experiential learning. Or call it a board game. Whatever you label it, the simple fact is that the training is fun and will gives participants a true competitive edge.

A recent Women on Board graduate, Tebogo Maziya, who holds a Masters degree in Science, a postgraduate diploma in finance and a B Comm degree says the nine-month journey has been fulfilling. “I learnt there’s a risk and that that risk is manageable. So it’s important for the board to be transparent and accountable and for a board member to be aware of decisions made because they will be held accountable.”  Another graduate, Amantha Maharaj, a BSc electrical engineering graduate with an MBA, who works a top management level at an engineering consultancy says of the programme: “It teaches one to know how a board is structured, what to do, and questions one needs to ask when sitting on a board. It also teaches business risk and how one should view business from a higher level. It was certainly value for money.”

For more information about our Women on Boards Programme, please visit our website at www.bpw-jhbsa.co.za or contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (011) 794-4991.

In association with Rexel Office Products South Africa, the Association for Office Professionals of South Africa’s search for South Africa’s supreme office professional is now underway.

The winner will be recognised for their achievement with the title of the best office professional in South Africa and a host of prizes including a R15 000 cash prize, courtesy of Rexel Office Products South Africa and a place at Office SA, South Africa’s most innovative conference for office professionals ( sponsored by Siyanqoba Private FET College).

The OPSA/Rexel SA National Office Professional of the Year Award is South Africa’s longest running and most prestigious award for administrative professionals in South Africa. Now its 32nd year, it offers a unique opportunity to acknowledge office professionals who show a high level of initiative, a commitment to developing the profession and mentoring others and a strong understanding of the way in which business works.

“Rexel Office Products has been the proud sponsor of the OPSA SA National Office Professional of the Year Award for the last six years. The Office Professional of the Year Awards programme serves to acknowledge and reward skill and competence in the office environment. High capacity  PA’s and Office Managers play an important part in the overall success of any organization. We further recognise and respect the role that these individuals play as decision makers in the procurement of office supplies. It is therefore our aim to ensure that they are kept informed and have access to the latest stationery and office products, which are designed to help them increase productivity with minimum effort,” says Bill Bayley, Managing Director of Rexel Office Products South Africa.

Judging combines a peer review panel in the early rounds made up of previous winners of the competition, judging by a panel of experts and voting by OPSA members. The winner will be announced on Secretaries Day which takes place on 3 September 2014. Office professionals can enter themselves or be nominated by their boss or a colleague. 

The application form is available for download on the OPSA website (www.ops.org.za).  All applications and nominations need to be received by 15 July.   For further information visit: www.opsa.org.za or call the Award Convener Samantha Brown on (012) 993 0881 or email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

{pp}The National Lucerne Organization have just announced the establishment of the first online lucerne hay trading facility for South Africa.

For the first time now, lucerne hay producers will be able to sell lucerne hay lots through the NLO’s online website trading facility on an auction basis.

{pp}www.wcma.co.za GOES LIVE!!!! Finally a music portal strictly for western-cape muso’s 

Following the resounding success of the Western Cape Musicians Association’s launch in November 2007, the WCMA recently launched its Benevolent Fund along with its website at a gala event at Generations Café/G-Spot on Monday 28th Jan. 2008.

The Website: The website has some amazing features and allows Musicians to become a member at a push of a button. The WCMA community portal website developed by www.mycoza.net is rich in features with a host of tools for registered members to promote themselves and there music.

{pp}Southern Cycling Club (SCC) is located in the South of Johannesburg, South Africa. Falling under Central Gauteng Cycling (CGC).

Southern Cycling is having a Training camp running on the weekend of 22-24 February 2008 in Sabie. With rides going on the road, and off.

There is a disturbing increase in the number of abandoned and orphaned babies, not only here in South Africa, but right across the world. One news feed that we saw recently stated; In 2005, 1,000,000 children in South Africa had lost both of their parents or their sole known parent -- usually their mother. by 2010 that figure is expected to reach as high as 3 million. While it is near impossible to know the actual number, here in the Umhlathuze Municipality, at least 30 babies were delivered to the Maternity Hospital last year alone. That is 30 more little lives than there should have been. However, there is now Hope for Abandoned Babies emanating from a startup organization called iKhaya LikaBaba, who are awaiting their non-profit status but have already taken in their first two babies.

{pp}The Progressive Pagan Alliance today announced that they willingly renounce the words "witch" and "witchcraft" in the interests of National Unity. 

The Progressive Pagan Alliance (the PPA) represents a group of Eurocentric Pagan Organisations within South Africa who venerate their Ancestral rreligions.

{pp}The Christian Business Expo is an annual event that features business exhibitors, networking, conferences, worship, entertainment for the children and special events. The 2nd Annual Christian Business Expo takes place on the 19th and 20th October 2007 at the Mosaiek Conference Centre in Fairland, Johannesburg.