As part of the Association’s drive for Continuous Professional Development, SACIA contracted Mike Dhonau of Training for TV Ltd (UK) to provide training on the use of Internet Protocols in the broadcast environment for its members.

The programme has been adapted from a 3-day theoretical course, run in 2018, to a more comprehensive 4-day course which includes practical components. Known as Practical IP for Broadcast Engineers, the courses focus on Broadcast Engineers and Technicians who need to deal with new IP based systems and covers the basics of IP networking – with plenty of hands-on practice using switches and routers.

The aims of the course are:

• To give broadcast engineers confidence when working on IP based systems.
• To improve communication when working with IP network specialists.
• To provide a fundamental awareness of the issues around cybersecurity.
• To increase understanding of new broadcast/production IP standards and systems.

It is unlikely that anyone planning a new broadcast or production system will not use IP for all, or at least most of it. This means that broadcast engineers need to update their IP networking skills, as well as learning about the new broadcast IP standards and make cybersecurity a central part of their thinking and working.

They will need to work closely with IP network specialists when planning and designing the broadcast and production centres of the future. The training allows delegates to create an IP network with VLANs and resilience, generate and receive multicast audio and video streams, and examine the system using network monitoring tools.

It goes on to look at the new broadcast standards such as SMPTE 2022, SMPTE 2110 and AES67, as well as IEEE1588 PTP and considers the design of networks to carry high bit rate streams.

“Internet protocols have been a vital element in the broadcast and production chain for years, even decades - initially in office functions and databases, then in broadcast control. Finally, real-time audio and video began to be carried over IP, but this was mainly for contribution and distribution and usually used compression to reduce the data rate. Meanwhile, telecoms backbones were also moving to IP,” explains Mike.

“In the last 2 years, new standards, such as SMPTE 2110, have emerged to replace traditional broadcast signals such as SDI and AES3 with real-time IP audio and video within studio and broadcast centres. This is usually uncompressed and has a high bit rate, requiring at least 10GB Ethernet, and in many cases, up to 100GB. At the same time, audio and video timing is moving away from traditional Black & Burst and moving to IEEE1588 PTP (Precision Time Protocol).

Moving to IP creates great opportunities for flexibility in hardware design and workflows, making systems less dependent on location.” “Since the new standards are media format agnostic, we will be able to upgrade to new formats and to mix formats – from SD SDR to Ultra HD HDR without changing the underlying infrastructure. And as we move more signals to IP, the opportunities to make more use of virtualisation and the cloud, both and off premises is growing. Of course, with the increasing use of IP comes the increasing need to think about cybersecurity in all its forms,” he adds.

The programme is run over 4 levels:

• Introduction to IP in Broadcast and Media – 1 day,
• IP for Broadcast Operations – 3 days with practical
• IP for Broadcast Engineers – 3 days
• Practical IP for Broadcast Engineers – 4 days with practical.

Three successful training programmes have been conducted so far in 2019, with an additional four to follow in the months of August and September (Aug 13th, Aug 20th, Oct 8th and Oct 14th).

Although the training is being given in Gauteng, there is potential for it to be rolled out nationally If there is enough demand within the other regions. SACIA will communicate final dates and venues closer to the time.

It’s not only about being the best at what we do but being better than we were yesterday; an ethos that gave birth to the dream child of Founders Jody and Lisa van Heerden. CAD4ALL was established in 2008 by its Founders whom share a passion for developing young people and find their full potential in life.

“There was no better way in shaping the youth than to give them a solid foundation with an education” was the first response the couple gave in their reasons for starting the College which at the time only offered architectural CAD designing and construction short courses, which now has increased with more faculties and disciplines within them on offer today to students.

Coming from humble beginnings and growing up on the Cape Flats, more specific Bishop Lavis. “A township of poverty, gangsterism and drug infested streets, there are few if no opportunities for the youth of this area, in the years of my upbringing and today it is no different!” Jody explains how he had to fight the adversities of his immediate community and stay focused on a dream and the steps to achieving this vision.

Through all this and limited funds for schooling and furthering his studies, Jody worked hard to be noticed above his peers whilst studying receiving many accolades and achievements. His achievements afforded him to be selected for overseas studies and experience enhancing the knowledge he had and needs for the years to come. He completed his formal studies in 1999 in the field of Architecture and Entrepreneurial Studies. CAD4ALL started off selling affordable CAD software bringing a solution and an option to a market that was high end, but still making use of pirated software.

CAD is a design package used by engineers, designers, architects and allows them to design on a work station. Jody and Lisa saw a gap as most companies could not afford what was on offer and the pirated version was not conducive for businesses to service clients with. The name came in the solution and was for everyone who needed to design a desk, house, car, shop interior, the list continues.

It was definitely for all, hence being named CAD4ALL. Because it was a more affordable alternative, it took a lot of slander from the bigger more expensive competitor. This stretched the brand, but CAD4ALL reliability package made up of services and training is what made them strive and keep them a pick above the rest. The proof is that 10 years later and with a client base of over 2000 design and engineering firms making use of the reliable service and package.

Every business faces economic and socio issues and this proves testing and trying time.

This however also saw huge firms scaling down and using more affordable packages and support.

The training was also done by CAD4ALLwhich really got the brand out for all to experience and see. CAD4ALL was really tested at this time Jody had entered into an entrepreneurial competition for a trip and to attend a course at the Sierra Nevada College in Lake Tahoe, USA. It was extremely difficult for Lisa to be alone with their three young kids while Jody spent months away in course in the USA.

They made a collective decision that Jody should go and pursue the opportunity as the future benefits were to promising - this they only saw a few years later how well it all fitted in the collective of their entrepreneurial journey. Jody was one of 9 Entrepreneurs that submitted a business plan and received resound acclaim from the panel of judges assessing this competition.

Lisa has enjoyed building this brand with Jody and with her qualifications and experience in phycology contributed majorly in the realization and formation of the college and its accreditation in offering the curriculums. This was not enough for Lisa as she had to see children from disadvantaged areas benefit from a college structure that offered practical up skilling of learners.

The college then started offering a learner ship program for children from disadvantaged areas and schools. Accredited qualifications are very important to the growth of any economy and skill of workforce and all these factors contribute to a higher standard of living. This was possible for all through learner ship programs offered. Education was accessible to all and because of this, CAD4ALL College had to endure slander and being labelled as a “bogus” because of its stance on education and empowering everyone with skills to better their tomorrow.

Like all these adversities, the brand stood strong and what was once a mustard seed, showed a flowering tree, well rooted in the industry of design, engineering and education. The college grew and like all successful business people driven by a passion to see others that do not have a chance to succeed offered this opportunity, Lisa still felt they are not reaching enough disadvantaged individuals. This lead the college to enter a sports teams into tournaments, then from these sports days a futsal team was born. The CA4ALL Futsal team, whom were young men under the age of 21 from the area of Bishop Lavis and Valhalla. The team started entering major tournaments and won a few coveted titles. This invoked a spark within Jody that made him fall in love with the sport.

The College then went on to enter two teams in the in the Regional Futsal League and went on to win it, but just being part of a team was just not enough. Jody used the Futsal to give these young men a learner ship to study. Most boys in this age group have given up on schooling and pursued a career in football, but got a raw deal by agents and semi pro clubs. These young men now are receiving a second chance at enjoying their talent in playing futsal and receiving an education with a skill for life. Lisa was very happy as this was in line with their vision of assisting people to better their yesterday and soon too fell in love with the sport of futsal.

The college had an array of talent and the regional league at that time being very small and limited, Jody saw growth for the league, but more so develop the sport of Futsal in South Africa. Jody went on to contact the World body of Futsal, AMF and this is where the college once again grew not only in forming the South African Futsal Federation, but more so in becoming accredited in now offering sports management and coaching accredited courses.

The college portfolio of curriculum has grown tremendously over the first 10 years and this was only the platform for the next exciting years to come. CAD4ALL believes and approaches its learning through a blended learning approach which is the latest and most accommodating way of learning and gaining a qualification. CAD4ALL has a lot of effort put into the background and structure of everything that streams the businesses so that they speak to each other.

This shows in the online learning sector of the blended learning which really gives the virtual classroom to its users, namely the students. Being ahead of the curve has carried the brand and its business entities and this desire has kept the college innovative, creative and techno savvy for the growing demands of our youth today.

“Looking back I see guts, hard knocks, learning curves and a success formulae that has carried us and kept us abreast from all the adversities and slander. We stuck to our guns even when it meant spending time away from my loves ones, sacrificing to realize a dream that not only empowers your family but the communities you come from and that’s the true joy,” was the message Jody and Lisa wants to impart with aspiring Entrepreneurs and those chasing their dream but can’t seem to see the goal line.

A strong foundation has been fortified and established CAD4ALL and its brand. If from nothing we could build this in 10 years, what would the next 10 years have in store? This question excited the passionate couple and looked at each other saying that they are ready for the challenges the new era holds and excited at the same time as they can only see CAD4ALL growing its umbrella of businesses and increasing the curriculum of the college in years to come.

Plastics|SA shared updates and latest developments within its training division with a series of well-attended breakfast sessions held around the country recently.  The theme of this year’s breakfasts was ‘Curiosity: the path to life-long learning’.

Purpose of the sessions

Explaining the purpose of hosting these annual information-sharing sessions, Kirtida Bhana, Training Executive at Plastics|SA says: “These breakfasts provide the ideal platform to connect with our past, current and potential clients at the beginning of each year.  It also allows us to highlight exciting activities in the training division, discuss the latest trends affecting their day-to-day business and identify any specific training needs they might have. The inspiring theme and related insights offered the attendees ‘food for thought’, rather than simply more information.

Training successes

The success of Plastics|SA’s training offerings is clear to see in the more than 3,500 students that successfully completed their training this past year at the company’s training centres in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban.  “We have been working hard to create oases of learning at each of these centres by upgrading facilities and equipment that will facilitate hands-on training and practical experience,” Kirtida adds. Commenting on the success of Plastics|SA’s training offering in their business, Geraldine Booyse of Bars Pharmaceuticals had this to say: “The content of the training modules is very interesting and the staff are very knowledgeable.  They are able to share their expertise with students across different industries, keep our students motivated and boost their morale”. Michael Noel, an Engineer at Volkswagen who has benefitted from the Raw Materials Programmes at Plastics|SA, added his observation too.  He said that Plastics|SA’s trainers have a real understanding of the industry; the students’ needs and how to impart much-needed knowledge in a practical and flexible way.

New and updated programmes 

1.  New Programme

Plastics|SA added one new programme to its training curriculum for 2018:

Generic Management – a qualification targeting managers, supervisors and all learners who have completed the NQF 4 and Supervisory Management Programmes.  Each Learning Programme addresses the outcomes required for specific Unit Standards included in the National Certificate Generic Management – Generic Manufacturing on NQF 5.It consists of  the following 5 phases – each of which  can be completed separately:    

• Phase 1:Workforce Management
• Phase 2:Workplace Operations, Change Management and Communication
• Phase 3:Workplace Risk, Coaching and Knowledge Management
• Phase 4:Workplace Process Optimisation and Efficiencies
• Phase 5: Workplace Project Management and Finances  

Programme updates: Welding – addressing a growing need for training thermoplastic welders, Plastics|SA offers NQF2 -Welding in Thermoplastic Fabrication training at its premises in Gauteng, Cape Town and Durban, as well as at companies’ premises. Plastics|SA has done training countrywide in South Africa, as well as in countries such as Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Madagascar and Lesotho.The following is covered: Butt (HDPE) weldingElectro-fusion weldingHot Air weldingHot Air Extrusion weldingSocket Fusion welding: For pipes and fittingsSolvent Cement weldingOverlap welding 

Setter skills – originally this Trade Qualification was developed at an NQF Level 4, but has now been reviewed and reworked to an NQF Level 5. Part Qualifications to the trade in the following processes have been developed at an NQF Level 4 viz. Injection Moulding, Blow Moulding and Pipe and Profile Extrusion.

Online learning – aimed at filling certain gaps in the market for soft skills, these online learning offerings were developed by Cross Knowledge in the UK.​The programmes aim to transform employees and drive business results and refine and develop soft skills that could give you the competitive edge!  ​Companies are able to purchase licences (one per user), which gives them access to 124 programmes that can be completed in their own time and at their own pace.

Production Technology - The National Certificate in Production Technology NQF Level 2 is a combination of learning outcomes that will provide the qualifying learner with vocational knowledge and skills appropriate to the context of production technology. This is the first qualification in a series of qualifications.

New extruders and blow moulders – Plastics|SA has added 3 new pipe and profile extruders and 3 new blow moulders in all 3 of our facilities around the country. 

Conclusion: “We take great pride in offering our customers specialized, customized and contextualized material that addresses their individual needs and those of their workforce.  It is hugely rewarding to receive feedback from our customers and the students that we have trained, but this does not mean that we get too comfortable.On the contrary, it inspires us to work even harder and refine our “pockets of excellence” through continuous improvement of training expertise in the various areas”, Kirtida concludes. For more information about the training programmes on offer at Plastics|SA, please visit their website at www.plasticsinfo.co.za/training. 

Summary

Inspirational speaker and master trainer Robin Pullen teaches his audience how to shift from instinctive reactions and select an intentional response with the Activated Intelligence Trifecta. The reader will learn how to leverage their emotion and develop the H3 habits of the Activated life.

Body

In his most recently published the book 'Get Activated - How to shift from instinctive reactions to intentional responses' by inspirational speaker and master trainer Robin Pullen explains how you can learn to process your feelings (emotions), consider your thoughts (thinking), get in touch with your physiological (sensation) response and unpack your emotion-related behavior (actions) so that you can decode your shift from an instinctive reactions to be able to select an intentional response in any given situation.

Based on insights from his international experience as a behavior management expert, Gauteng based business coach and master trainer Robin Pullen shows the reader how to unlock their Activated Intelligence (Ai) using the H3 (head-heart-hand) triad. The Activated Intelligence Trifecta will empower the reader to practice emotional regulation so that they can leverage their emotion and develop the H3 habits of the Activated life.

Boilerplate:

Robin Pullen is a Professional Speaker, Executive Coach, Trusted Business Adviser, Master Trainer and published Author helping people find clarity to #GetActivated towards getting stuff done. He specializes in organizational behavior management with an emphasis on desired behavior and a particular focus on reliable and effective work practice. Robin has been described as an understander of people based on his real-world experience having developed a working understanding of why people do and do not do and has proven practical tactics and tools to unlock desired outcomes.

Media contact information: Robin Pullen
Cell: +27825580709
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

As an employer doing business in South Africa, you should know who must submit a Workplace Skills Plan

Well, if you submit a Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) and an Annual Training Report (ATR) then 20% of the levies that you’ve paid will be paid as a mandatory grant towards your company.

A Skills Development Levy (SDL)is a levy imposed to encourage learning and development in South Africa and is determined by an employer’s salary bill. The funds are paid to the South African Revenue Services (SARS)    and are to be used to develop and improve skills of employees.

Find more info at careertimes.co.za

Also read: Do you also want to be a Real Estate in Johannesburg South Africa?

Make 2019 count. Hire interns for your team and give SA’s youth a boost into the tech sector.

Register your company’s interest by visiting www.citi.org.za or emailing us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

On 11 December 2018, in Cape Town at the CapaCiTi campus in Salt River, 340 young South Africans completed the technical training and received their certificates. They are now ready to be placed in tech internships in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

CapaCiTi, the Cape Innovation & Technology Initiative (CiTi)’s Tech Career Accelerator, has been preparing young people for the tech sector for 8 years, in 2018 scaling up to support youth and business in both Johannesburg and Cape Town. Now, they’re inviting SA business to interview these ambitious young future tech professionals for an internship starting in January.

Addressing a rising youth unemployment in South Africa, yet leveraging growing opportunities in the tech sector and for those with technology skills, CapaCiTi’s programmes are accelerated career pathways for previously unemployed youth. Key to this, is the commitment by SA businesses to create internship opportunities for youth to apply and grow their technical skills and confidence in the workplace. In turn, organizations are able to access temporary tech support for their teams and projects, particularly valuable at the start of a year.

“This year, CapaCiTi is proud to have equipped several hundred SA youth with the relevant training and coaching they need to accelerate their careers into the tech sector. We’re calling on South African businesses to support our future talent on the next six months of their journey, helping them to apply and build their skills and confidence and contribute to the digital economy. They’re ambitious, tenacious, and will add huge value to your teams as you kick off 2019. These young people are the future of South Africa’s tech sector, let’s all join together to help them start their journey towards a successful career that will be life changing,” states Fiona Tabraham, Acting Head of Skills Development, CiTi.

Since 2010, CapaCiTi has partnered with close to 150 leading organisations to hire interns and graduates. Corporates such as Media24, BCX, Absa have been strong supporters of interns and grads from the Accelerator, as well as a growing list of SAAS businesses, digital agencies. 

“(Absa) has had tremendous success with the talented young people from CapaCiTi’s programmes. Since 2016, we’ve taken on 55 talented interns, and 16 going on to full-time employment with Absa, which we are looking to scale up significantly with CapaCiTi over the next few years. Their aptitude, attitude and aspiration has blown us away! They are hard-working, passionate about technology and creative, with the maturity to negotiate the trickiness of working in teams, as well as rise to the challenge when we put them in leadership positions,” states Alwyn van Wyk, Head of Cape Town Dev Shop, Absa.

The Interns:

CapaCiTi has a large group of youth completing programmes in December, ready to join business teams in January. These young people were all unemployed or under-employed when entering the programmes, and have now completed an intensive programme in a technical discipline relevant to skills in-demand in the tech sector. Importantly, they received coaching and skills training to prepare them for the 2019 workplace – critical and creative thinking, collaboration, presentation.

These ambitious young people are now ready to apply and amplify their knowledge during a 6-month internship, to gain the experience they need to land a tech job.

What they’ve learnt:

CapaCiTi’s programmes run from 9 to 12 months and are designed for matrics and graduates looking to start a career in IT.

The interns available to start in January 2019 in Cape Town and Johannesburg have completed an intensive training programme in the following:

Software Engineering – Trained in Java, Python [CPT & JHB]

Full-Stack Development – Trained in Full Stack Mobile Dev, Net, JavaScript, PHP, Android [CPT]

Java Development – Trained in Java, JavaScript [CPT & JHB]

Software Development (postgrad) – Trained Post Graduates with Java, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, PHP and MY SQL Databases [CPT]

CISCO Security –Trained and certified as a Cisco Network Security Associate [JHB]

ICT Infrastructure – Trained in IT Essentials, Routing and Switching, Linux Fundamentals, CCNA [CPT]

Company Hosts:

As a host, you will help cement the youth of South Africa’s futures in the business world.

Hosts will accommodate the trainees in their respective offices with access to a computer and involve them in work that allows them to grow their technical experience.

Hosts are required to pay a stipend to support their interns with transport and living costs.

Company Benefit:

Interns can support your teams with existing or new projects with data capture, database management, analysis, software testing, software development to administration, help-desk management. What’s important is that they are exposed to technical projects, team-work and ways of working that build their confidence and knowledge.

Join CiTi in supporting young South Africans to positively shape their future:

As a company partner to CiTi, allow these ambitious, motivated interns to contribute to your teams, and projects, where you need it most.

Help support South Africa’s youth to change their future by hiring talented tech interns for your team.To register your company’s interest in interviewing CapaCiTi interns or grads, please visit www.citi.org.za or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and indicate whether you are in Johannesburg or Cape Town, and the focus of your business.

Or contact directly:

Ilze King for Cape Town interns or grads: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or

Estelle Langa for Johannesburg, PE or Durban interns or grads: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

By Devan Moonsamy CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

Will it work or will we be worse off?

The financial exclusion is a global problem with over 1 billion having no access to formal financial systems. But what does ‘formal financial system exclusion’ mean exactly? If people are choosing to hide their money under the mattress rather than bank it, it is perhaps understandable. Many governments have used socialist arguments to seize control of banks. This never goes well, and people lose their savings and investments. The banks are then very poorly run, bank staff are laid off or don’t get paid, and the institution ends up closing, at least to public access.

This is likely the way forward for South Africa in the long term since the government has taken serious steps to end private ownership of land. Recent developments may seem like a benign concession intended to help the poor, but history has shown over the past 200 and more years that these government policies always leave the poor in a worse off position. Government officials’ greed knows no bounds in such situations. Access to citizens’ banking system is a massive risk, and it is inevitably next on the agenda once land expropriation has been perpetrated.

The people of Russia and other Slavic nations, and many African nations struggle to this day because of these exact types of policies. Recently, Venezuela has tried to warn South Africans not to proceed with land expropriation because it leads to economic hardships, but politicians are about to get access to our land, and there seems to be nothing we can do to stop them. If they can change our Constitution once in this way, we can expect that politicians with divisive agendas will continue to do so, and we are on a road to losing more of our hard-won rights.

International community has tried to warn us but politicians are deaf

In 2009, Venezuela began what South Africa is doing now, land grabs, but Venezuela’s situation only got worse and in a very short time. One problem Venezuela had at the outset was that it imported food rather than producing enough. It was believed that by getting land into government hands, it could then be given to the poor who would then grow more food. This sounds good in theory, but in practice, it is disastrous for many reasons.

Venezuela soon began buying even more food into the country than before. This sounds a lot like what has happened in Zimbabwe. Those with knowledge of history and foresight are worried about what is about to happen in South Africa. Experts even now feel that Venezuela is too far gone and a ‘lost cause’. Its poor are starving, and its labour skills have been drained as thousands have immigrated.

Among the reasons why Venezuela failed in this endeavour was poor planning and decision-making. Farming is a complex, labour-intensive, and often highly specialised affair. If you have ever lived on a farm you will know this. It’s not a matter of sending cows off to graze in a meadow and milk flows abundantly, or of throwing seeds on the ground and returning a few months later to reap piles of food. Profitable or sustainable farming requires day and night vigilance, careful planning, intensive monitoring, and quick action at times to save cattle and crops. It often requires enormous investment which will not see a return for years, sometimes even decades, or it develops into very unfortunate and painful losses despite best efforts put in.

But the idea people have is that land access is a quick fix. Land somehow equates to wealth. This is not true. So much depends on what land and how it is cared for. Some land is not being used because it is unsuitable for farming, and thus people incorrectly think it is going to waste. Some is protected for wildlife – which we need far more than we think (for example, where do bees come from to pollinate our crops?).

Being given land, even with buildings on it, can even become a major burden. South Africa needs to do much more than simply give away land. We must very carefully prepare, select, train, and equip the right people to farm. Otherwise it will be disastrous. Not everyone is suited to the demands of farming or similar endeavours. We have a large urban population (65%) who is not actually keen on making a living that way.

Farming can certainly bring prosperity, but for some, it feels like a curse. In the UK, for example, some people have inherited large estates which have been in the family for generations, but it becomes a massive burden. They cannot sustain it, so they abandon it. Likewise, in many cases where people have won lavish homes, they cannot pay the electricity, water and taxes on the house and it also becomes a greater burden than their previous situation. Why not just sell it then? It’s not so simple. There isn’t always a market for it, and some laws bind a family to a property. Moving to a farm also makes great demands on individual families, sometimes ending in divorce as well as child labour.

This is not to say that poor people shouldn’t be helped, including with land ownership. But we must be smart about it and ensure it is not a sunken investment which leaves South Africans worse off. Start-up funding and skills are just as important, probably more so, than land ownership. It is more important that people be trained and that any endeavour be meticulously planned with the help of experts. Will this happen?

Corruption will strangle hopes of land ‘reform’

Corruption also happened in the case of Venezuela by favouring candidates for land ownership who were politically aligned and had some sway over voters. This only perpetuates the exclusion of the poor and is likely to happen in South Africa too.

Venezuela was once the wealthiest nation on the South American continent. South Africa is also the wealthiest and most advanced nation in Africa. But this may not last. Land expropriation has greater negative consequences than we people want to believe. Venezuelans soon found themselves queuing for six hours a day to get food.

In the coming years, we could slip down to being one of the poorest nations in Africa, importing food at high prices, with unbearable inflation. The poor just surviving on handouts from richer nations, and a massive brain drain the like of which we have never seen before, leaving us bereft of enough people who can try to clean up the mess. This does, however, leave some politicians in a very powerful and comfy position. A poor, hungry nation depending on food rations and without skills is easily controlled. This is a long-term political strategy which has worked very well for governments in the past. This all may sound quite foreign to some. Not in South Africa, that won’t happen…

A colleague of mine out-sourced some work to a man from Kenya a while ago. When it came time to pay him, he sent an urgent email asking not to be paid yet. The bank he was with had just been seized by the government, supposedly for ‘national interests’. He could not access his account and the branches were closed. His savings were out of reach including the money he put away for his children’s school fees. What could he do? The money was paid into a friend’s bank account and immediately withdrawn. A relatively small amount to try keep the family going until the next job came along.

If we think we as South Africans are somehow above such things, we are far too overconfident or naïve. What is perhaps most sad about this situation is that no independent banks means that we cannot conduct international trade. Online businesses will not be able to operate in such an environment. EFT payments are impossible, let alone forex trade, and what will we revert to? Cash and cheques perhaps, or some say cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, which are not particularly safe options. The Internet has been opening up many opportunities for the unemployed youth, and we are giving those away before they really have a chance to establish themselves.

Devan Moonsamy, is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute, a Seta-approved training and development company. ICHAF offers NQF levels training in business, computer skills training, and soft skills development, among other programmes.
Devan specialises in conflict management and diversity management, and he regularly conducts seminars for corporates on these issues. He recently authored a book on handling diversity in the South African workplace, including managing disabilities on the job.
His book Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us is available from the ICHAF Training Institute.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: ichaftraining.co.za

By Devan Moonsamy CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

Does this text look unusual to you? Don’t let that put you off. This article uses OpenDyslexic, a free, downloadable font created to increase readability for those with dyslexia.

Let’s learn more about dyslexia and how we can help those with reading problems in the workplace.

There are many types of disabilities and not all affect a person’s performance at work. There are often ways to get around the obstacles associated with disabilities. There are ingenious ways to make life and work easier for people with certain challenges.

Disabilities can prevent a person from doing certain tasks or functioning in the usual way that others do, but they can learn to work around that. A disability need not prevent a person taking up employment in most cases, provided they have job opportunities and discrimination does not occur.

There are less obvious or unseen types of disabilities which others can find difficult to understand because they may notice little, if any, evidence which convinces them of the existence of the problem. This includes dyslexia (difficulty with reading), or one you may not have heard of called dyscalculia (difficulty with arithmetic), as well as mental health disorders.

Dyslexia affects 5% to 10% of people. Because of embarrassment and ignorance about the problem, many people with dyslexia do not get help, especially if they are labelled ‘poor students’ or ‘lazy’, and dropout. Such judgements about people with dyslexia are far from the truth.

Many people who are highly successful struggle with dyslexia, including scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock (who received a knighthood from the British Queen for her work), and South African engineer Dr Hardy Johnson who has two PhDs, one in Electrical Engineering and the other in Humanities.

It’s very important to note that it is not that a person with dyslexia can’t read, but that they require time and a quiet space to do so without interruptions. Reading under pressure is the real challenge.
Allowing time to absorb information is necessary for everyone, and a person with dyslexia is equally entitled to time to allow them to absorb information as it pertains to their work without pressure being placed on them.

Sometimes the worst of a disability is happening when no one is around, in the personal struggle of the individual to overcome their hardships in order to face the world and pretend to be fine again. It is a frustrating struggle to manage and overcome what seems to come so naturally to others and which they take for granted.

Children with dyslexia are placed in a difficult position by teachers who expect them to read aloud in class, and cannot understand why they do not perform well in certain areas when they seem to be bright in everything else. Exposing a person with a disability (PWD) to embarrassing situations should be avoided as it does not help in building the person’s self-esteem which is essential in managing their problem.

In the workplace, if people with dyslexia are not able to come forward and explain their problem without fear of being judged or being seen as unsuitable for their work, it can cause problems for the individual and the organisation. Such problems are avoidable, and easily overcome with the right attitude.

There are practical ways to overcome problems related to dyslexia. As often as possible, we can communicate verbally with someone who has dyslexia or who seems to prefer other forms of communication to reading.

There are also tools to help and some are free. One tool is the OpenDyslexic font mentioned above. The font is continually being improved based on user input to make it the best possible font for its purpose. It works with Microsoft, Apple, Android and Linux apps.

This article is left-aligned because this format is better for people with reading difficulties. A large typeface is best, from size 12-point and up. It's also good to break the text up into many paragraphs with wider spacing and to use bullet points where possible.

Getting to the point is always important these days. Waffling is now strongly discouraged in writing. Be succinct. Even in academic texts, people now expect to see plain language. Pictures and diagrams also aid learning and understanding, and they are interesting for all users, regardless of reading level.

Intuitiveness is critical when it comes to persons with disabilities in and outside the workplace. If a staff member doesn’t read a document we have given them immediately, step back and give them a chance to do so in their own time. If it’s urgent, tell them in person or by phone, and find out what their preferred communication method is. Also, establish with them an email response time they are comfortable with.

When working in a team, someone can be designated as the communications person who is there to help others, including those who may struggle with certain types of communication. The communications person can take dictation from those preferring this method.

Encourage the use of mobile voice messaging on platforms such as WhatsApp. Look for ways such as this to accommodate workers and place them in positions where they will excel rather than marginalising them.

People with dyslexia often have strengths in other areas, particularly a good memory, spatial (3D) intelligence and understanding of physics. They are also able to imagine possibilities and answers to practical problems in their mind without the aid of pen and paper or a computer. They may often recall images very clearly, while others rely on what they have converted from image to semantic (in words) or procedural (in phases) memory, which has its disadvantages in terms of creativity.

Some with dyslexia can work out solutions to complex problems, quickly running through various options, discarding those they see won’t work until they come up with the best solution. Computer modelling was developed based on this way of thinking.

The creative in people mustn’t be side-lined in today’s complex society where multidisciplinary solutions are needed to solve big problems. A major advantage comes with hiring people who have certain types of disabilities but who, as a result, develop superior capabilities in other areas. PWDs also often have a wonderful never-give-up attitude.

In training our learners, ICHAF makes use of various approaches and types of materials to help individuals with different learning styles. As dyslexia is common, it helps many learners when we use the right techniques. We keep our groups small to ensure individual attention, while the environment is always friendly, low pressure and conducive to learning.

For more information about training your staff:
Website - http://www.ichaftraining.co.za/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheICHAFTrainingInstitute/?ref=br_rs
Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheIchaf
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For further comment from Devan Moonsamy you can email him on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or contact him on 083 303 9159

Don’t Go Without Solid Policies in Your Organisation
Part II: Harassment and Abuse Policies

By Devan Moonsamy CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

As discussed in the first part of this series, a sound policy structure is an insurance blanket against many common problems that crop up in the workplace. Policy is a cornerstone of responsible management because it protects all concerned parties. What must be emphasised as much as the need for a policy is that staff know its provisions and abide by them.

Training and work-shopping a policy are thus necessary, and the right corporate trainer can do exactly that, but in an innovative way that ensures staff are well engaged in the policy training session and not bored and inattentive.

My many years of engagement with managers and staff in diverse South African contexts has helped me see that all parties want to feel secure at work, and they usually dislike ambiguity. They want to know what is expected of them and those around them.

In fact, an effective way to relieve stress and conflict among your staff is to make sure they know exactly where they stand. Policy provisions combined with education on such provisions is a winning formula in this regard.

So what policies should be drafted? We discussed BEE and gender equity policies in the first part of this article series. Here we will look at harassment and abuse policies, which can safeguard against many PR and labour-related problems.

Harassment and Abuse Policy
Companies and officials have a responsibility to protect those who are seen as vulnerable or as targets by abusers and harassers. ‘Harassment and abuse’ do sound scary, and this often means people just avoid the issues and hope it never happens. What should be much scarier is that the issues are being ignored, because this means that problems will happen. They most certainly are happening because few seem to have the skills, empathy and authority to really tackle harassment and abuse in the workplace in a meaningful way.

However, it is not that hard to draft a policy about harassment and abuse, and we will give you some great pointers here. When looking to draft any policy, a good starting point is our country’s legislation, which tells us a lot about what everyone’s rights and responsibilities are on all manner of issues. If in doubt, start with the Constitution’s provisions on human rights. Harassment and abuse are infringements against these rights.

Policy provisions should expressly forbid racism, sexual harassment, harassment of LGBTQI people, and xenophobia. The policy must protect employees against offensive speech – especially hate speech – and gestures and acts by having a reporting line and real consequences for offenders. Stipulations should be given for the offence to be acknowledged, the victim supported and protected from further harassment, and the offender to be held to account according to the seriousness of the offence.

To educate employees, they need to understand what harassment is. The difference between a thoughtless or poorly worded remark and harassment is fear. When a comment or action makes a person feel threatened, it is harassment. On the other hand, abuse is more easily recognised, but employees should know that it is to mistreat someone with disregard for their human rights. Put these definitions and explanations in the policy document so there is no ambiguity.
Power and authority can be abused in combination with abusing an employee, making such behaviour more serious than people realise. People may take a theft case more seriously than sexual harassment, forgetting that there are at least two victims in the latter case, and only one in the former. Sexual harassment endangers a company’s reputation as well as the victim of the abuse, and it should be taken much more seriously than it usually is.

A wolf whistle may seem harmless, for example, but for a young woman it can be very unsettling. This is because she is aware of what is really on the harasser’s mind. In a young woman, such fear will affect how happy and secure she is at work. Your workplace policy must protect her. Don’t just think about the company’s reputation, think about keeping your staff safe and happy so that they can give their best at work.

Employees should preferably be educated on what harassment is and why it is a problem before there is any chance for harassment to happen. There should be no uncertainty as to what is expected of men and women in the workplace.

Three other key factors related to harassment and abuse should also be discussed in policy and with staff: vulnerability, opportunity and consent. Some are more likely targets than others in terms of abuse. It is wise to prevent opportunities for harassment of vulnerable individuals by ensuring there is good supervision and security in place.

The concept of consent should be explained so that there is no uncertainty. Consent for any sexual act must be explicitly given. However, it is wise for management to prohibit sex, sexual acts and propositions for sex at work. This does not mean that there is no place for romance, but sex acts and propositions should not be happening during working hours and on company premises. Age of consent (16 years, but exceptions apply which make it unwise until the person is 18) can also be explained to employees and discussed in the policy.

Further issues to cover in your harassment policy include clear boundaries for behaviour, speech and equity; the various types of relationships that can arise in the workplace, and the professional expectations for these, specifically in relation to sexism; safety procedures; reporting lines and communication procedures; and legal recourse and punishment of offenders.

Staff who know all the basics will be much better equipped to handle and prevent abuse and harassment, as well as being forewarned as to what will happen if they perpetrate acts of abuse or harassment. It is easier to hold an employee to account on key performance indicators (KPIs), as many readers will well know, when they are clearly set out on paper, and the employee was made fully aware of them. Likewise, when staff members know the company’s stance on abuse and harassment, as clearly contained in policy, they will be more likely to respect conduct parameters.

ICHAF is a training provider with years of experience in training up conscientised, empowered employees who serve as proud and reliable brand ambassadors. Not only do we train staff on the critical skills needed for their job tasks, we also work on soft skills including diversity management, conflict management, ethics, and leadership, to name a few. We are ideally placed to conduct workshops and educate your staff on abuse and harassment in the workplace to the benefit of all involved. Let us show your staff the way to boost their career and the company’s image through best practice policies.

For more information about training your staff:
Website - http://www.ichaftraining.co.za/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheICHAFTrainingInstitute/?ref=br_rs
Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheIchaf

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For further comment from Devan Moonsamy you can email him on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or contact him on 083 303 9159 

Complex Complexions: What’s black, light and has yellow bones? By Devan Moonsamy, CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

On an otherwise lovely holiday in Southeast Asia, I experienced something I am not entirely unused to – racism. But, being on holiday, and shopping in the beautiful surroundings of Thailand, it caught me by surprise. I was in Asia and as a person of Indian (Asian) descent. Why did I experience racism? The simple answer is that I am dark skinned.

I know this because shop owners and staff would go to my fair-skinned travel companion and ask him if he needed help. But I seemed invisible to them. Our tour guide confirmed my suspicion that it is because I am dark skinned, which to them is the same as me being poor.

While it is true that India remains a low-income country, there is a large economic disparity. The poor are very poor; the rich are very rich. If I were from India, it does not automatically mean I am poor, especially considering that I would have been able to afford the four-hour flight from, say, New Delhi to Bangkok. I should have stood out as a tourist. Yet my presence at a shop in Thailand was taken as pretty much irrelevant. If I was lighter skinned, not necessarily white, just a bit lighter, might I have received a little better treatment?

It is incidents like this that can make skin a very sore point for people of colour (black, mixed race, Indian, etc.). You do feel like you are being told you are ‘less’ – less important, less valuable, even as a customer, less attractive. And this hurts people of colour so much. It can start to make one feel an urgency to change oneself rather than resisting the influence of such unjustifiable racism.

What this further goes to illustrate is just how rampant racism is worldwide. We sometimes think we as South Africans are unique in our racism problems. But we need to be aware that such problems are by no means singular to any one nation. From London to Lusaka to Los Angeles, racism continues to fester.

It makes breaking news often, but we also know that racism is subtle, and subtle racism starts in the home and other ‘single-colour’ social environments. It festers there until it spills over into the community, creating terrible feuds and divisions that last generations.

Some of the problems we face and which people are voicing concern over are that lighter-skinned people of colour are treated better in schools, including township schools, and in work environments. ‘Whiteness’, or being somewhat closer to, or associated with it, is seen as prestigious.

The label ‘yellow bone’ refers to black people who are relatively light-skinned, and it might be used to show approval or praise. However, it is illustrative of the treacherous and bewildering nature of racism. Natasha Msonza explains that yellow bone is also a ‘derogatory and callous phrase… used in reference to light-complexioned women when they are compared to “black cherries” or dark-skinned women, as they are disparagingly referred to themselves.’ How perplexing and hypocritical the skin colour issue is!

Young men of colour often have a desire to find a light-complexion lady to date, seeing this as an image or ego boost, and a more valuable ‘conquest’ in terms of romantic relationships. ‘Look, I have a white girlfriend, so I must be special,’ seems to be the attitude of some. On the other hand, some might comment, ‘She’s cute… for a darkie…’

Even in the family structure, we see lighter-skinned relatives having a measure of status higher than darker-skinned family. Sometimes it is expressed as a joke. An Indian person might say, ‘I don’t spend too much time in the sun, or I will go dark blue…’ This still shows that there is a concern over the possibility of ‘going darker’. Some black people believe that if one’s complexion darkens it is a sign of ill health, stress, or even bewitchment. It may be a sign of illness in some cases, but we should never jump to conclusions or make comments which can be very hurtful.

The booming business of skin-lightening creams is another piece of evidence which we should be troubled by. Some use treatments to even out their skin colour, which is understandable. But I am opposed to wholesale skin lightening. It is not a solution. It definitely is a problem, especially among celebrities whose habit of trying to go white has a negative effect on darker-skinned people. It is seen among South African and American celebrities of colour, as well as Indian Bollywood stars.

Western notions of beauty have had an ugly effect in countries like India, and Bollywood is also to blame for keeping certain trends alive in the postcolonial context. Fair and Lovely is a popular skin ‘care’ range in India. Their ‘Best formula ever’ is claimed to be an ‘Expert fairness solution.’ Does the terrible irony here not bother consumers? Sadly not... One study found that nine in ten Indian girls believe skin lightening is a priority. There are even harmful deodorants promising lighter underarms, as well as so-called supplements and IV drips to lighten one’s skin.

Recently, Ghanaian authorities have expressed serious concern over pregnant women using dangerous, illegal drugs to lighten their unborn baby’s skin! There’s a very big difference between going to such extremes compared to playing with different hairstyles, hair colours, wigs, nail polish, clothing etc., because it’s creative and fun for you as the individual. But don’t do something to harm or change yourself because of unfounded notions of whiteness vs colour.

Looking at this in a purely cosmetic light, celebrities’ before and after photos are not a great advert for the practice of skin lightening either. Some celebrities look sickly and artificial after bleaching themselves. Fortunately, it is reversible. Healthy melanin production continues despite skin pigment being stripped away, and the individual can allow their skin to return to normal by stopping the use of skin-lightening products.

It seems skin lightening may ultimately stem from damaging notions of white superiority which have infected us all to an extent. Even as we reject these notions and strive to shed them, vestiges of them remain in our society which must be resisted. The black youth, particularly girls, are vulnerable to what translates from bleached celebrity as ‘beauty’ and ‘prestige’ into negative views of themselves. In other words, the desire to be lighter makes some women and girls think they are less beautiful and that they must change themselves. Darker-skinned people are just as beautiful and worthy of committed relationships and good treatment. We must honour them with exactly what they deserve and no less. For African people to thrive, they must have a positive image of themselves as individuals and as a group.

From another angle, we can see how the situation becomes increasingly complex when we consider, for example, that people readily assume Michael Jackson lightened his skin to be more popular and that he encouraged the trend. However, it has been confirmed he had the condition vitiligo that causes patches of skin to lose all their pigment. Darkening vitiligo-affected skin is very difficult, probably not possible when Jackson developed the condition over three decades ago. Jackson used heavy makeup and possibly skin lightening to even his skin tone.

Michael Jackson did this for appearance's sake, but one can easily imagine that he, being firmly opposed to all forms of racism, would much rather have remained dark skinned than have to battle vitiligo and the world’s harsh criticism of trying to ‘go white’. Jackson suffered psychological distress as a result of the condition, and it is thus critical that we consider how skin colour and our emotional well-being are related.

We also see many white people religiously using bronzers, spray-tans and sunbeds in a quest to be darker. One white woman has gone all out and changed herself to look like she has a 100% African heritage (as well as the ‘biggest boobs in Europe’). She says she has a black identity. Some black people have not reacted well to this claim and to her extensive physical transformation, while others say they understand her desire to be black. Still others point out that she has had a huge amount of ‘work’ done over the years, which indicates a poor self-image. People who go to such lengths may never be happy with their body no matter how much they change it.

What these contrasting skin colour debates show us is that we must firmly resist beliefs that any one skin colour is better because it damages our social structures and our self-image. With a poor self-image, it’s hard to give your best and to care for yourself the way you deserve to. We might take risks, such as using harmful chemicals, to force ourselves into a certain artificial mold.

In some cases, the anxieties over skin colour are so great that they extend to the unborn child, with mothers placing the baby’s health at risk for the chance that they might turn out lighter. How much further are people prepared to go just to change shades? I hope this alarming trend dies out soon and goes no further. It is becoming increasingly dangerous and unjustifiable, and we need to see government working to protect our citizens in this regard.

In the end, it only hurts us by reaffirming that we aren’t good enough as people of colour, or for whatever other physical characteristics we may have. It also sends a message to others that we don’t accept them either if they are dark skinned unless they change themselves too. We must love the skin we are in and cherish our diversity or risk damaging ourselves and others.

Self-acceptance is critical here as well as a refusal to change oneself because of others’ imbalanced views about how one should look. As long as you look for validation in others, you will be giving them power that rightly belongs to you. Don’t ever lose your personal power and agency for the sake of meeting the expectations of those who can’t see the beauty in all people. When you start changing yourself for others in an extreme way, you can deny yourself enduring happiness and good health.

For more information about Diversity and Diversity training within your organisation please do not hesitate to visit:
Website - http://www.ichaftraining.co.za/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheICHAFTrainingInstitute/?ref=br_rs
Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheIchaf

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For further comment from Devan Moonsamy you can email him on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or contact him on 083 303 9159