Journal No 2 of 2000

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- Office accommodation;

- Pensions;

- Retrenchments; and

- Fears of corruption regarding pensions.

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Announcement on decentralisation task team!!

BY DR GILINGWE MAYENDE (Director-General)

TO ALL DLA STAFF MEMBERS

 

RE : TASK TEAM TO DRAFT TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE DECENTRALISATION IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING PROCESS

Your attention is drawn to the deliberations of the EXCO meeting held on 12 May 2000 on the above subject. A decision was made by that meeting that a workshop or series of workshops are to be organised under the aegis of the DG's Office, for the purpose of working out a detailed and a thoroughgoing implementation plan for the Decentralisation Programme.

The terms of reference for the workshop are to be drawn up by the Task Team appointed by the DG. Other relevant preparatory work will also be carried out by the DG's Office.

The first workshop is scheduled for 21 and 22 August 2000 at a venue to be announced. The following staff members have been appointed to the Task Team:

Name and Relevant Experience

Provincial representation

# Blessing Mphela: Land Reform Re-engineering Project;

# Mdu Shabane: Provincial experience;

# Sindile Kondlo: Provincial experience;and

# Terence Fife: Change Management Committee.

National Office Representation

# Colin Brocker: Decentralisation of Support Services;

# Stoncey Lebethe: Decentralisation of Support Services & Communications;

# Glen Thomas: Land Reform Re-engineering Project;

# Shanaaz Majiet: Transformation Programme Office;

# Vuyi Nxasana: Change Management Committee;and

# Tshuba Mogashoa: Employment Equity Project.

 

I trust that you will find this in order.

Counting on your co-operation.

 

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Lack of information a major reason for failure- du Toit

By Moses Mushi

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs, Dirk Du Toit addressed the staff of the Chief Directorate of Surveys and Mapping in Mowbray, Cape Town earlier in the year. The following is an edited version of what he said to the staff.

The lack of information has been quoted as a major reason for the failure of development projects around the world. Without the appropriate information no decision-maker or planner can prepare the various alternatives and then select the best alternative for a development plan.

A good decision or a good plan needs all the relevant information. To be relevant, information must be fit for the purpose and it must be available to the decision-maker or planner in good time. It must also be user-friendly.

It has also been quoted that as much as 80% of public decisions are spatially based. Spatial information is central to public and development planning and decision- making.

Politicians and public officials need to know where citizens live (including the demographic profile of a community); where the existing services are located, (such as schools, clinics, transportation and water supply), what the land is being used for, where land is available for development; etc. It is only with spatial information that the government can provide for the needs of its people.

Spatial information is best portrayed on a map, be it in paper form or digital form. This is where you, the staff of the Chief Directorate of Surveys and Mapping, come in. The maps, aerial photography and other spatial information products and services that you produce are central to the economic and social development of our country.

South Africa is very fortunate to have a good coverage of maps and aerial photography. Best of all, the country can be very proud of the national control survey network, which provides for a unique integrated spatial reference framework. Without these, development would take place haphazardly and the country would be without a good cadastral survey system.

The Surveys and Mapping office's job is not an easy one and the staff faces many challenges. First of all, the maps and services that the office provides are usually a means to an end and not an end in themselves.

The office is a service organisation providing vital ingredients for spatial planning. The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry would not know the location of water and communities in need of that water and how to get it from the one to the other without your products. The Department of Agriculture would not know where the best land is for agricultural purposes without the topography, rivers and transportation shown on the maps.

The 1966 population census -the first democratic and comprehensive census ever- would not have been a success without you. Likewise, the Independent Electoral Commission relied heavily on your products and services to conduct the 1999 General Elections.

Being a service provider to other departments and NGOs, makes it difficult for the office to be recognised and acknowledged for the contribution that it makes in the development of the country. Too often others take for granted the existence of the national control survey network and the national map series.

The Government has given as a priority the development of the rural poor and housing for those living on the urban fringe. This will mean that the work programme of all departments must be aligned with these priority areas. The office will have the task of ensuring that the maps and aerial photography of these areas are up to date and are continuously being updated to reflect the changes taking place as a result of development in these areas.

This requirement will reflect on the production. It will be a challenge to the office to provide the spatial information required by other departments and parastatal organisations. They will without any doubt demand the information in seemingly unrealistic time frames because of the pressure being placed on them to deliver.

Batho Pele is a significant guiding principle in the improvement of public services. The government is here to serve its people and to do this properly we must change the approach of the past. We must move away from the previous top-down command approach and involve the public in determining their needs.

Members of the public must feel at ease when they enter a government building to request a service. The officials assisting them must be able to communicate with them and have an understanding of their needs. The office must also empower them to develop themselves and to have dignity and pride. This manner of operating affects all public officials.

Batho Pele also means providing services closer to the communities. It will be necessary to make the maps more accessible to people. This will require the maps to be available from more outlets around the country. But having the map is not the end of the story. People must be able to use the information contained in the map. The map must contain information that is required and it must be in a useable form.

This may also imply that the products of this organisation should be more flexible. The Map Aware project which the office is currently conducting, is a significant initiative towards addressing the low level of map literacy in this country. The project has to be extended so that even more people can receive the training that is being provided.

Spatial planning is of particular interest to me and I am pleased that this Chief Directorate as the national mapping organisation falls within my responsibility. It means that I can have a close association with the work you are doing. I will be taking a particular interest in the co-ordination and the making and distributing of spatial information.

The organisation must be given due recognition within the government, and the duplication that is currently taking place within national and provincial departments and parastatal organisations must be eliminated.

We cannot afford to waste money. The correct positioning of the Chief Director of Surveys and Mapping within the public sector must also be looked at, and I understand that an investigation to this effect is currently underway. I will also be following with keen interest the new network of active GPS base stations, TIGNET, which will provide an efficient, accurate positioning service, not only for land development but also to the whole of government.

This network can also form the basis for having strong spatial links with our neighbours.

Modern technology must be used to its greatest potential to bring about improved efficiency and service provision, however it must be appropriate for our situation.

While the priority is development for South Africans, the government cannot ignore what is happening in neighbouring countries. We receive reports every day about the number of illegal immigrants crossing our borders. You cannot blame them considering the conditions under which they live. However, these people place additional burdens on public services and consume resources that should be used elsewhere.

The answer is not to build high walls around us, but to remove the reasons for them crossing into South Africa. South Africa's neighbours require development just as much as South Africa does.

We need to help free them from economic servitude. The expertise of this organisation can be well used for this purpose. At present no structured mechanism exists for this and what happened in the past has mainly been on an ad hoc basis using personal contacts.

Consideration should be given to creating a regional spatial information body, including a surveying co-ordination.

We are part of Africa and our president has initiated the African Renaissance. Let us contribute in the best way possible. Participation at regional level will be strengthened if we also participate at global level, as we can learn a lot from them but also teach them many things.

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du Toit opens new entrance at Mowbray

BY Moses Mushi

The Deputy Minister of Land Affairs and Agriculture Professor Dirk du Toit opened the new entrance and public access of the Surveys and Mapping office at Mowbray in Cape Town.

Deputy Minister Du Toit said the then Trigonometrical Survey of South Africa occupied the premises in 1920. Considerable change has been experienced over the time, including the opening of the "new" building in 1981, the Van der Sterr Building.

The change of building unfortunately also saw the demolition of the original building. At the time of the design and construction of the Van der Sterr Building, the Chief Directorate of Surveys and Mapping was the national map producer but was not primarily regarded as the major distributor of the maps. The building therefore did not lend itself well for public access to consult and purchase maps.

"The emphasis of our Government has changed and all organs of State must be customer oriented (Batho Pele), providing easy access of government services and information to the public," he said.

This made it necessary for the Chief Directorate of Surveys and Mapping to make changes to the public access area of the building. "It is most pleasing to see the initiative, under trying conditions that the Chief Directorate has taken to improve the access for the public.

"It is my pleasure to formally open the new entrance and public access area of the Van der Sterr Building", he said.

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Nosisa impacting at National Office

By T K Sonjica

Currently, Nosisa, with some of her colleagues in the planning profession - inside and outside government circles - are thinking about establishing a forum which will primarily lobby developers to uplift rural communities in South Africa. She is emphatic that nothing tangible has been done about their noble idea, but believes the avenue has to be explored.

Colly Carery, the DLA's AIDS Co-ordinator comments as follows about Nosisa's action, "I am very pleased to have a person of Nosisa s' calibre on the DLA AIDS committee. It is people like her who make a difference by their caring attitudes and actions. Her contribution to the struggle against AIDS should serve to encourage others to become involved. In this way we will create an environment at the DLA that is conducive to supporting HIV positive people and thus destigmatising the disease. Nosisa you have made us proud !"

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	Establish launch committees at national and provincial levels;
	Develop strategies to market and launch the policy including:

1. identifying a calendar date for the policy launch;
2. having a national launch by the Minister (in Pretoria or Cape Town);
3. having provincial launches with high profile persons;
4. getting media coverage;
5. flashes on the intranet;
6. printing the policy in leaflet and poster form;
7. displaying the policy in all offices; and
8. distributing the policy to all staff.

The policy will be shared with the IDC.

 

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The French visit DLA IT

BY T K Sonjica

Because of its impressive conduct on IT, the DLA's IT Directorate was recently visited by a powerful French IT company delegation, which had among others Mr Christian Malissard who is the company's Vice-President for Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa.

When asked about the purpose of his visit, Mr Malissard said that he visits his clients wherever he goes. He added that there is also a good working relationship between his company and the DLA IT.

On his impressions about DLA IT, Mr Malissard said the DLA has a well organised IT and everything seems to be under control. He commented that the DLA uses the latest technology and that augurs well for the DLA products.

A salesperson from the company, Andrew Lamola, said people at the DLA IT are proactive and as a result thereof, are always on top of their problems. He said the products he sells bear the desired results and that is what continually satisfies his customers, and makes them sell the products unintentionally.

Andrew added that he always brings some of his government departments clients to the DLA so they can learn from the DLA's IT experience. He said he prefers to refer to the DLA as his partner, rather than his client.

The DLA IT Director, Gerald O'Sullivan said they are very proud of the fact that the head of the company's Europe and Africa operations visited the DLA's Network Centre.

He explained that the company's "...networking software, Netware, is used extensively in government, but the DLA uses Netware to a greater extent than many other Departments. In particular,the directorate is reducing the overall cost of network management by using Novell software to manage PCs and file servers across the wide-area network in order to ease our reliance on consultants across the country. In a decentralised environment, cost of support can spiral out of control without good network management".

"The DLA's Network Centre is a model of good infrastructure and intelligent use of software to deliver real benefits to all our users, whether they are in the South Block or East London", he concluded.

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DLA Financial Management Training

By T K Sonjica

Financial Management Training of the Department of Land Affairs includes Financial Management in the Public Service in its training programme. According to information received from Ashy Singh, one of the co-ordinators, the course is designed to provide officials working in a financial environment within the DLA with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively perform their daily functions.

Ashy also informed Journal that the participants in the training came from the National Office and the Provincial Offices. "The trainees participated well and were eager to learn. In my opinion they left with a full understanding of the modules that were presented during the phase", she said.

 

"The participants who attended this phase deal directly with the functions and activities covered during this phase and this course will therefore enhance their ability to perform their duties effectively", said Ashy.

The course has the following seven modules:

* Module 1 - Introduction to Accounting;

* Module 2 - Financial Management System 1;

* Module 3 - Payments;

* Module 4 - Receipts, Collection and Safe custody of State Monies;

* Module 5 - Motor Vehicle Schemes within the Government;

* Module 6 - Financial Management System 2; and

* Module 7 - Budgeting in Government.

Phase 1 is based on the first three modules. The second Phase is based on the last four modules.

Journal spoke to some of the participants who attended the first phase. Georgia Koopman described the Financial Management System as a very effective course and suggested that all administrative staff attend the course. "Once you have an idea of the course then you can control your own budget within your directorate", she said.

Georgia said the group discussions were very interesting and that she really enjoyed the sessions. "Some of the colleagues that attended the course did not know what the course was about and were informed at the group discussions as a result of a specific topic....We really interacted with each other in these great sessions and shared our views on financial procedures", she said.

Moses Malatji from the North-West PDLA said the course was very informative and well organised. "The facilitators were, skilled, punctual, understanding, patient, disciplined and well organised", he said.

Moses said the following was covered:

> Introduction to accounting;

> The double entry system;

> Crucial and cash accounting; and

> Objective and responsibility structures.

 

"Practical exercises were done on how to complete the batch header, the batch register and the batch control. The most accrual part of the course was when Metanet introduced (data capture system) and how to feed information on the Metanet using different function keys of the computer", Moses added.

In his concluding remarks Moses said, "...I have acquired a new skill in the field of financial management and I am hoping to learn more in the second phase of the course".

 

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Workshop calls for the retention of dignity of the disabled

By T K Sonjica

A call for the retention of the dignity and respect of the disabled echoed throughout the workshop for the disabled people under the auspices of the Transformation Programme Office of the Department of Land Affairs in Pretoria recently. Ms Shanaaz Majiet, the Transformation Programme Director, identified the main objectives of the workshop as to:

- Build a common understanding of disability rights in South Africa;

- Create an environment for the development and advancement of a disability      rights culture within the Department;

- Facilitate the empowerment of all disabled employees, celebrate and           productively utilize diversity in the workplace;

- Establish a disability Network/Forum in the Department; and

- Consult on the draft Disability Policy for the DLA.

Advocate Wallace Mgoqi, who was deputising on behalf of Mr Glen Thomas, then Acting Director-General, in confirming the DLA Senior Management's commitment to the question of rights of the disabled within the Department referred his audience to the constitution, which state amongst others that there must be no discrimination amongst the disabled. "Everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected", he uplifted from the constitution.

Advocate Mgoqi asked whether we have a positive approach to all people especially the disabled. "What is our track record so far? Where are the disabled in the ranks? Are they part of the mainstream or in the periphery?", he asked further.

 

"The furtherance of human rights is fundamental to the development of democracy. It is an agenda that faces us as individuals, as families, as workers and as organisations. It is not just a challenge to the government and bureaucracies, but also to the individuals and organisations. The challenge facing us today is to put our world to rights", Advocate Mgoqi said.

Advocate Mgoqi said there comes a time when good intentions only are not going to be good enough, but actual performance and actual results will speak the loudest. He was alluding this to the fact that the DLA aims to work together with all DLA staff to:

# Achieve a representative decentralised organisation dedicated to high          quality service delivery;

# Ensure that transformation processes are in line with government policy;

# Develop a systematic approach to transformation across all levels of the      DLA;

# Ensure that the Batho Pele campaign of the Public Service works by           committing staff to a high level of performance and the achievements of           the DLA goals;

# Ensure participation and involvement at all levels of the DLA in the               transformation process;

# Create and give opportunity to all staff and groups within the DLA to             participate freely in transforming their own environments, in line with        government policy.

Ealier on a Director in the Office on the Status of the Disabled Persons(OSDP) in the Presidency, Mr Shuaib Chalklen asked disabled people to stand up for their rights. He said people in South Africa are all equal and there are laws to protect that.

Mr Chalklen said "There is no shame in being disabled. I am not saying you must abuse your rights. The most important thing is to retain your dignity". He said disabled people must think both as individuals and as a group.

Mr Chalklen encouraged disabled people in the DLA to organise themselves as a group, for if they are not a group they will not be known. He said this will lead to someone else giving them an identity and in that process they will be losing their power.

Mr Chalklen mentioned that the broad thrust of the White Paper on an Integrated National Disability Strategy is about disability rights. He said the reason they are speaking about rights is due to the discrimination from able-bodied people and not the disabled.

"We are trying to remove the barriers that were put up by abled people, not us. The disabled must understand that they are not responsible for discrimination. You must also not apologise for the disability", he said.

Mr Bennie Padime, also from the OSDP, took participants through the contents of the White Paper on disability. He said the White Paper provides a framework for the government on how to approach disability and how its departments should make policies on disability.

It transpired from Mr Padime's presentation that there are two approaches used in handling disability, which are the Medical and the Social Models. He said the medical one operates under a health (cure) and welfare (care) system. He added that the Social Model emphasises human rights and develops the potential of a disabled person by putting the ability before a disability.

In her update on transformation in the DLA, Ms Majiet said things have improved, but there is a lot that still has to be done. She said they are now at a high intensity stage of transformation and want the programme to bear the desired fruits.

Ms Majiet said as managers they are more stronger for transformation. She said she is optimistic about the future of the department after the minister has outlined the proper expectations as to which direction the government should be taking.

Mention should be made here that there was a good spirit amongst participants in the workshop. Many felt it was good to be called in to debate issues affecting them within the DLA, rather than having other people representing them without their mandate.

Amongst the resolutions that were agreed on, is the formation of a forum that will champion their rights and be a platform for inter-linking with other organisations with similar interests. The Draft Policy document for the DLA was read and amendments were suggested.

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IVAISLP COMPETITION ANNOUNCEMENT

By Zuzette Fourie

The Interdepartmental Vocational Association for Information and Library

Personnel (IVAISLP) aims to co-ordinate and promote the quality of

library and information services in the National Government Departmental

Libraries, by developing, supporting and training of library personnel.

IVAISLP organises seminars and training sessions where speakers present

topics of interest and problems are discussed.

The IVAISLP Committee is proud to announce they will be

hosting two competitions this year: Library of the Year 2000 and Library

Personality of the Year 2000. All National Departmental Libraries and

Library workers may enter. Two different Independent Adjudication

Committees will do the evaluation, with the aid of specified guidelines /

criteria.

ENQUIRIES: Zuzette Fourie

Tel: (+27) (12) 312-8580/622 Fax: (+27) (12) 326-4395

E-mail: zfourie@sghq.pwv.gov.za

 

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Communications must be included in top management

By Moses Mushi

Members of the Communications Directorate attended recently the Corporate Communication Programme of the Communication 2000 Conference at the University of Pretoria which had "Communication during Chaos and Change" as its theme.

Most of the speakers at the conference emphasized the fact that communications must be part of management if any institution is to prosper.

The Director of Public Affairs Dow Africa, Barbara Gothard-Thompson, said South Africans need to know what Global public affairs is about. Management teams need to be surveyed and trained so that an understanding of communication can be developed. "On the other hand, words that are simple but far reaching in meaning are good words", she said.

Trust was described as one of the corner stones of communication. Transparency and the understanding of culture are crucial points in creating trust with stake-holders in the global village. When people have established contacts, they need to benchmark what they do and still position public affairs as the integral part of their business. She said: "globalisation is taking place today, people can not afford to wait, there is no tomorrow".

The Divisional Manager of Corporate Affairs at Daimler Chrysler, Mr Humphrey Moeketsi, said the reason the Honda and Daimler SA marriage went sour is because they failed to look at the difficulties they would have had to face after their marriage.

The two companies, consisting of Germans and Americans, woke up to a cultural shock while restructuring their management. At some stage they found that there were eight Germans and only two Americans in their management team and the Americans were asking themselves if this was a take over or a merger. This soured relations which made customers, employees and dealers concerned.

The lesson these two companies learned was that communication must be an integral part of their business to  assist with their strategic planning. If this was the case, the impact on people would have been less severe and it would have assisted in creating certainty and helped with the cultural shape of the merger.

"The two companies also taught us that mergers can yield either positive or negative turnovers if communication is not included in top management," he said.

Speaking on "Corporate Communication Strategy- The missing link," a lecturer at the Department of Marketing and Communication Management at the University of Pretoria, Ms Benita Steyn, also emphasized that communications provides focus and direction for organisations.

She said a communications strategy tells about the outcomes of the organisation's thinking and mission and this is the link between the plan and the organizational strategy. A strategy is the pro-active change of organizations that positions the future of the organization. A strategy focuses on what to do and not how to do things and uses logical thinking.

Strategic planning

She referred to two types of strategies which are corporate and enterprise strategies. The enterprise strategy is customer orientated, ethical and managers operate on moral grounds and is not driven by financial goals. The corporate strategy is money orientated and as a result is not widely used.

She said conceptualization on communication provides focus direction and identifies issues. It produces profile of the institution and focuses on strategic communication. It identifies implications to stake holders, find out what stake holders want and communicate what they need.

The new paradigm is to define new problems, discard disbeliefs and replace them with new ones. Develop a strategy to explain the issues and use that as a solution. "And most importantly, do not try and move communications from top management, keep it there," she said.

Ms Viccy Baker, Executive Director of Simeka TWS Communications, said most managers think of communications as something that they call to cover their backs when there is a crises. Crises happens because of poor management just like accidents happen because of failed brakes.

She said the rules and goals of management result in crises because people ignore the potential of accidents. Managers should manage the risk instead of waiting for crises to happen. Prepare, plan and practise. Of course plan in confidence, act fast but responsibly, work as a team, manage staff well, keep them informed, know what you want to communicate and remember that the media is not a vehicle to dump information.

She said they must make sure that the messages reach their target audiences. Good senior management planning can help prevent crises and paying attention to managing communications can do this.

The Executive in Internal Communication at Telkom, Ms Adri van der Merwe, speaking on "The strategic role of internal communications," said an institution in crisis paves a way for communicators to make their presence felt and to pave their way as a strategic support function.

She said it is the management's role to communicate and not that of the communicators. She said her role as a communicator, is to provide a strategic support service. "It is the duty of management to communicate," she said. Communicators can only facilitate, measure the effectiveness of communications, act as boundaries, raise awareness, use mass channels to secondary lines, align messages and communicate both internally (first) and externally (after).

To facilitate leadership, communicators have to recognize line managers as agents of change. Communication can improve the quality of managers, the people they manage and the effectiveness of an organization. In closing she said communicators must make sure that managers are informed before the mass media "there is nothing hurting like to hear the news about your unit on your way home from the radio," she said.

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ESTABLISHMENT OF WORKPLACE GENDER FORUM (WGF)

By Sarah Mantata

 

 

TERMS OF REFERENCE (TRO)

1. The Background

The Department of Land Affairs with its short history owes its existence to the inception of a democratic dispensation in the country. As a new Department it faces enormous challenges, one of which is transformation, without which land reform as its core business may not be realised. But transformation is rather too broad a concept, meaning different things to different people, hence the need to establish a Workplace Gender Forum to deal with specific issues in land that affect women in particular as some of the beneficiaries of land reform.

For transformation to be meaningful and qualitative it must address the issue of inequality and the status of women pertaining to the Department, taking cognisance of the change in legislative frameworks and the constitution. High quality training of the Departmental personnel (especially management) in enhancing their awareness and sensitivity regarding gender issues has become essential in the interest of strengthening capacity that will in turn impact positively on service delivery.

2. The objectives of the Workplace Gender Forum

The primary objectives of the Workplace Gender Forum in the Department would be:

$ To liaise with the departmental training components to ensure that staff is sensitised to gender issues and that courses presented by the department - which are either generic or land reform specific - are gender sensitive;

$ To lobby and advocate for the integration of gender perspectives into processes such as:- recruitment, selection, appointments, performance appraisals and conditions of employment;

$ To play the role of a watchdog to ensure that issues of gender are visible and taken seriously in land reform project planning;

$ To monitor and evaluate the transformation unit's programmes in terms of gender;

$ To ensure that gender issues in the Department form an integral part of the transformation process;

$ To make recommendations to the Gender Unit in terms of system rules and procedures;

$ To facilitate institutional arrangements (establish links) at the National and Provincial levels;

$ To participate in the bargaining council; and

$ To network with other organisations outside the public sector that deal with issues of gender inequalities.

3. The mandate

The forum views as its mandate to:

~ Strive to achieve gender equality within the DLA and Beneficiary Communities;

~ Be involved in reviewing departmental policies to ensure that gender issues form an integral part of the culture and operations of the department;

~ Work with relevant sections of the department to develop gender performance indicators in order to assess how the department is progressing in meeting gender equality and equity;

~ Create an enabling environment that is aimed at improving the conditions of both women and men who deliver services to other women and men in the communities; and

~ See to it that DLA beneficiary communities (both women and men) derive benefits from land reform projects.

Therefore a gender focal person should be nominated. A participatory policy formulation is needed in the Department and the representatives from the WGF should be part of it.

4. Establishing WGF at national and provincial levels

4.1 National

The National Workplace Gender Forum is to be established during the WGF strategic planning session in July 2000.

4.2 Provincial

Different provinces have different needs, therefore, the establishment of the WGF in Provinces is to deal with specific issues of each Province. The Provincial structure of the WGF must come from the Deeds, the Surveyor-General, District , R.L.C.C. and PDLA offices. They must liaise with other stakeholders outside the government who are in the area of land reform. The Provincial WGF structure will sell the idea of the forum to management to get the buy-in and also identify gender issues in that Province. The action plan that needs to be embarked upon by WGF Provincial structures is as follows:

Action	Responsibility	Time Frame	Indicator	Resources
Introduce the idea to the provincial management; Establish the Provincial WGF and a working committee;   Appointment of a responsible person for the WGF program Develop TOR=s and an action plan   Launch the Forum; and 6.Link up with the National Launch	WGF representatives   WGF representatives and DLA Provincial Structures Management     Provincial WGF   Provincial WGF   Provincial WGF	23 May 2000   Mid June 2000     Mid June 2000     End July 2000   9 August 2000   September 2000	Meeting and Management Support Functional Provincial WGF     Responsible person     TOR=s and action plan   Event and awareness about existence and purpose of the WGF Integrated program	Budget allocation, Human Resources, Facilitator, Time, Communication and Promotional material

 

5. The programmes of the WGF

Both the Provincial and National structures will engage in the following programmes:

^ The National Priorities programmes;

^ Gender Based Violence;

^ HIV/AIDS;

^ Economic Empowerment Programmes;

^ National Women's Days;

^ Capacity Building of Gender Forum Members;

^ Lobbying and Advocacy programmes.

 

6. The support of the Director-General and the Minister

A task team will be formed to render presentations to the Director-General and the Minister to solicit their support in an attempt to allocate a budget to the Forum. This budget will be meant to provide for their meetings when and if they decide to meet outside Gauteng.

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DLA officials study integration of environmental planning into land reform

By T K Sonjica

 

I was part of the DLA group that recently visited Harrismith and Clarence in the Free State on a study tour on the "integration of environmental planning into the land reform process" under the auspices of the DLA and the DANCED.

Before proceeding to projects at Harrismith we attended a lecture by Hans Eschweiler, Chief Technical Adviser Danagro DLA/DANCED projects, and presenters from the District Council, Local Government and the Provincial Government. Hans said their immediate objectives were:

* To ensure that institutional arrangements, procedures and guidelines for incorporating environmental planning into land reform and land development at local, provincial and national levels are reflected and adapted in appropriate policies; and

* To increase the capacity within the DLA, local authorities, NGOs and other service providers to integrate environmental issues into both land reform and land development processes.

Hans also commented on training wherein he said they are training the DLA staff, beneficiaries and other stakeholders with special focus on environmental awareness. He said their training is project-based and they are trying to improve interdepartmental relationships through co-operation.

T J Masiteng from the Provincial Department of Agriculture took us through on environmental constraints in planning for small-scale farms. Rick Dillon from the Free State Eastern District Council introduced us to the decision-based system on land reform, which has 14 steps that must be followed and is based on inputs, planning and outputs.

Rick was very emphatic on planning on the use of land in order to cater for environmental issues. He recommended that land should not only be used to produce, but should also be preserved.

At the Weltevrede Small-Scale Farms Project, Rick stressed the importance of strategic planning and highlighted the following problems that have been encountered at Weltevrede:

# The project will be running out of time;

# They are not getting the support they ought to be getting; and

# They should have more meetings in order to answer queries.

In the veld at Weltevrede, Rick told us where and why cattle should be grazing. He even commented on the need for rotation in the grazing of cattle. As he spoke about the top and the sub-soils, a bell rang, and to be honest he was really sounding like my teachers who taught me agriculture at Burnshill and Healdtown.

Before heading to our hotel, we were given the opportunity to ask questions or comment about the day's activities. The Director of Development Facilitation, Sbu Xaba, commended Rick Dillon's Decision-Based System for land reform. He also mentioned the importance of Geo-Spatial Information on planning.

I had a private conversation with Hans who told me that the co-operation they have among the National Government, Provincial Government and the District Council is an informal one. He said they have a committee advising them.

Hans said each and every sphere of government has a role to play in the project. He said he agrees that the manner in which they operate complies with the guiding principles of co-operative governance.

On the evening of the first day at Golden Gate, we attended another lecture by Myles Mander on relations between people and the environment. In this lecture a lot was said about planning and water, and we were engaged in exercises on map-reading - where Jonathan and Kristin really came to my rescue!

The following day (an icy one too) Myles let us loose for about four hours at a veld near Harrismith for what was called an environmental scoping exercise. We were looking at services, ecosystems functions and their examples. Under services there was amongst others flood avoidance, water regulation, water supply, erosion control, soil formation, pest control and recreation and culture. To be honest, I was just dragging myself along for I cannot cope with anything that is cold, and presently, I suspect, that is why I am now moving in and out of my doctor's rooms.

After lunch that day we visited another project at Clarence and fortunately for us, this time the beneficiaries were present because in the projects we had earlier visited there was a constant grumbling about their absence. Rick said the project had been a learning curve for them while also stating that when the non-viability of an established project is detected, people must learn how to adapt and redefine its use.

In sharing with us some of their successes and problems in the Clarence project, Mastephen Mashinini said they were not working before the project but now they are able to sell and get money. She said they had been given training on managing and book-keeping.

Paulos Motloung, another beneficiary, said it was good to be told the truth about their land not being good for cattle grazing. He said solutions and alternatives must be sought for their problems because in future they aspire to be great commercial cattle farmers.

Mantombi Ntsapho, a planner at Bethlehem, told us that water pipes from the Highlands Water Project in Lesotho were running water to Gauteng beneath the garden where we were standing in. She said the most unfortunate part of that, is that people at Clarence cannot have access to the water from Lesotho because of water agreements between South Africa and Lesotho.

On the evening of the second day we assembled in one of the "rooms" at Golden Gate, where people started talking and I got a lot of leads. In the jolly spirit prevailing there, I overheard that sometimes tasks performed overlap between provinces. It was also embarrassing to hear that sometimes files with vital information get lost at National Office and a provincial planner has to start what has been completed from scratch. Even though I did not say it then, I have been there before.

In the "room" another guy who has since left the DLA was described as a control-freak. Another one, who coincidentally has also left the DLA was labelled a joke that had no reason to join the DLA in the first place.

There was also a long debate about why the mountains we were in had no forests. As far as I remember there was absolutely no agreement regarding the reasons for that.

I can say things I heard that evening about the DLA are countless. Somebody spoke about an ESTA Officer that has left the Department. Gender issues were also topical and I can say some of us are not as gender educated as people may assume.

Finally, there are some of my colleagues I asked to avail me with their views on the study tour and up to the time of printing only one had responded. While all the views are important, let us say for the time being, from what is written here and what Angie says, one will be able to understand the worth of the Free State visit. Angie describes the tour as follows, "I think the tour was educational. The co-operation of the Provincial Dept of Agriculture is commendable. It was interesting to note the contradiction between the technical report of the DoA and the actual production in the last project visited".

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UNIVERSITY WORKS FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT

The University of Pretoria's Centre for Land Development, Housing and Construction brings a combination of academic expertise and local wisdom to land reform in service of rural and peri-urban communities

This Centre, established in 1994 as a practical initiative of the University's commitment to the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), renders community service through research, capacity building and technical project support.

Initially the Centre, building on work done among mostly urban communities by staff since the late 1980^s, worked with such communities directly through their civic structures. This involved training, mentoring and professional services to prepare community based organisations (CBO^s) to manage housing delivery and integrated land development. Funding mainly came from donors, notably the French government and CRIAA, a French development agency.

After local government elections in 1995 the Centre's work started focussing more on institutional collaboration and capacity building. The Centre has for instance a formal co-operation agreement with the Eastern District Council in North-West province, and runs a number of programmes based on training needs assessment research to enhance the planning and managerial skills of local and provincial officials (and councillors).

Direct involvement with land reform came through an appointment in early 1998 to take part in the Land and Agriculture Policy Centre's (LAPC) DANIDA-funded national land reform policy research programme. The Centre carried out a district study in nine selected localities where land reform was needed or potential existed, or where land reform projects were already underway. A few of the aims of this action research were to study the interaction between land reform on the one hand, and on the other hand livelihoods, economic development, district planning, community participation and local institutional development among other things.

Through this research Centre staff and collaborators became intimately aware of development needs and potential in rural and peri-urban communities. With the assistance of NGO and other partners such as the Rural Action Committee (TRAC), CRIAA and French government agency CIRAD, the Centre developed cost-effective and innovative participatory research and capacity building methods and practices which can generously be used for good effect in rural and peri-urban land and economic development programmes, and specifically in planning and sustainable implementation of productive land redistribution projects.

The Centre's experience and understanding of land-based economic development needs and potential were further enhanced through fieldwork in more than 50 productive land reform projects countrywide during 1999 in preparation for the national land reform expo Land Lives.

This expo, a major undertaking, brought almost 200 beneficiaries of these 50 or so projects, and many land reform practitioners and support agencies together at the African Window museum in Pretoria in May 1999 to exhibit the successes of land reform, and explore avenues for greater support of sustainable economic development in conjunction with land reform.

The Centre has built up an extensive network of local and international contacts and resource people, and works closely with communities, NGOs and local institutions, such as district councils and Land Affairs district offices. It has recently started exploring closer working relations with the University's own Post Graduate School for Agriculture and Rural Development, the Southern African Centre for Co-operation in Agricultural Research and Training (SACCAR), and the CSIR.

The Centre has the experience and capacity to assemble and co-ordinate multi- and trans-disciplinary teams for research, training and professional technical, and project management services to government and non-government land and economic development agencies. This includes activities such as settlement and business planning, land and housing development management, entrepreneurial and management skills for SMME^s and community co-operatives, and empowerment of beneficiaries to choose between options and participate meaningfully in planning and implementation of land reform and development projects.

Existing one-week certificate courses which will run later this year (at a cost of R 2 100.00 per person), and which may be of interest include:

- Managing Land Issues in Development (August 2000)

- Managing Rural Settlement and Housing (October 2000)

The Centre enjoys support from the University in the form of access to facilities and commitment of academic staff from a number of faculties, but relies on donor funding and "fees" earned from training and other services for its continued existence.

The Centre is already registered as a service provider with the national and some provincial departments of Land Affairs.

For more details about the Centre's programmes and services contact:

Jacus Pienaar or Rirhandzu (Brancely) Shilote:

Tel. (012) 420-3384; e-mail: housing@postino.up.ac.za

Or

Benoît Allanic: tel. (011) 478-1883; e-mail: criaajbb@wn.apc.org

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DLA sets a trend in relief

By T K Sonjica

In commending the Department of Land Affairs at the hand-over of goods collected on behalf of flood victims in Mozambique, Mpumalanga and Northern Province to the Red Cross, its Chairperson in Pretoria, Mr Prince Mushi said the Department had set a good trend by being the first government department to be engaged in such an exercise.

According to Mr Solly Phetla, a member of the Relief Operational Committee that co-ordinated the collection of the goods, (although not properly quantified) he is sure that they did not collect less than:

$ 5 boxes of shoes;

$ 8 boxes of tinned food;

$ 3 bags of mealie-meal (25kg);

$ 45 - 60 bags of clothing;

$ 1 carton of milk with 12 packets; and

$ pots, spoons and dishes.

Mr Mushi said people living in areas where storms are creating havoc, are not well off. He said disasters that have struck them are not man-made but natural tragedies.

"Disaster relief is part of our responsibility and what we are doing is out of our initiative. The majority of people must feel and think about the conditions in disaster struck areas underwhich people live", he said.

While saluting the donation he also encouraged people to join the Red Cross as volunteers. He said people within the Red Cross should be proud of what they are doing as it is not based on compensation.

Mr Mushi said the DLA's gesture was a motivation to the Red Cross. He expressed his wish for the television to have been present when the goods were handed over so that other government departments could learn from the DLA.

Mr Mushi said every person has been sent to earth by God for a purpose; and asked whether people know the purpose of their presence on earth. "Let nobody tell you that you have done well, tell yourselves that you have done well", he said.

In an interview, (Ms Sue Lund at that time acting as the DLA's Director-General) said the DLA staff have shown great generosity of spirit and deep caring for the suffering people in Mozambique, Mpumalanga and the Northern Province. "Our warmest congratulations to the Relief Committee, which did a tremendous job of rallying contributions from colleagues, and organising its orderly and safe collection", she said.

"The DLA can be proud of the fact that our staff are people with the well-being of fellow citizens and neighbours at heart. It is this carrying and commitment that is not only shown in the quality of your work, but in the extra mile you go to show your empathy for those in distress", Ms Lund added.

The DLA Communications Director, Ms Stoncey Lebethe, said the DLA is greatful that amongst its workers there are people who can think. She said to the Red Cross the Department wishes that it could have given more.

Ms Lebethe also gave credit to the Relief Operational Committee for its excellent work in the collection of the goods. She also extended her respects to the DLA management for having encouraged the venture.

 

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Tax reform for non-profits soon to be reality

By Jo <jo@sangoco.org.za>

Recently the Non Profit-Partnership was commended on the submission they made on behalf of the NPO Sector on the taxation laws amendment bill.

Barbara Hogan, Chair of the Finance Portfolio Committee commented "we commend the NPO Sector for the clear and concise way in which they have represented the concerns of the Sector in relation to this draft bill."

Changes to the income tax legislation affecting non-profits has been on the agenda for a very long time. The speed with which this legislation was redrafted is exemplary and is largely as a result of not only of the lobbying efforts of the campaign, but also the unique consultative relationship formed between the NPP and the South African Revenue Service. "SARS have really worked hard to try and accommodate our concerns" commented Karen Nelson the NPP tax lobbyist and researcher.

"We have been called in for discussions on the draft and the re-draft,and in most instances our concerns have been addressed. Although we do not yet agree on all issues, the content of the draft bill is now significantly friendlier towards the NGO Sector. It will make it easier for a wider range of NGOs to benefit from preferential tax status." This consultative process has enabled the debate to move considerably faster rather than battles being fought over the parliamentary floor.

Such changes to the archaic legislation are long overdue and the Sector has been lobbying for a review since 1995. However, it only became a reality this year when Minister Manuel announced in his budget speech that certain changes should be made. He called for a new definition of public benefit organisation and to widen the categories of tax-deductible organisations to include HIV/AIDS, children's homes and old age homes and pre- and primary schools. It was also proposed to increase the deduction for individuals to the greater of R1000 or 5% of taxable income. This brings it in line with the deduction offered to companies.

Agreement has not yet been reached regarding the issue of trading activities. The NPP calls strongly for NPOs to be allowed to carry on with 'related'trading activities. It is essential that with the continued withdrawal of foreign funding that organisations be encouraged to become self-reliant and sustainable. These activities should be allowed when they fall directly in line with the main objectives of the organisation.

However, SARS must be commended for proposing that Funds should be able to direct monies to unregistered public benefit organisations. This will greatly assist small rural organisations that struggle to comply with all the legalities of registering under the non-profit organisations act. The NPP on behalf of the Sector, will aim to assist such organisations with formally registering at a later stage.

For a full copy of the NPP submission and further information contact Karen Nelson on 082 467 0650 or e-mail kbnelson@mweb.co.za

Jo Hemsley

SANGOCO: PO Box 31471, Braamfontein 2017

011 403 7746 (tel) 011 403 8703 (fax)

jo@sangoco.org.za / http://www.sangoco.org.za

 

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Pretoria Sea Horses win first tournament

By T K Sonjica

The Pretoria Sea Horses recently emerged as victors of the first DLA Intra-Departmental Netball Tournament when they convincingly trounced the Pietermaritzburg Dolphins by 21 goals to 10 in Cape Town.

The tournament, under the social transformation programme of the Transformation Office, had 11 teams competing for the cup. All the teams were drawn from DLA offices throughout South Africa.

The Pretoria Sea Horses reached the final after beating their stablemates, the Pretoria Barracudas by 25 goals to 5. On the other hand the Pietermaritzburg Dolphins beat Cape Town Iron Mermaids by 23 goals to 7 to reach the final.

The Player of the Tournament was Nokuthula "Pinkie" Lenken from the Pretoria Sea Horses. The criteria used to choose the Player of the Tournament included consistency, fair play and proper discipline on and off the courts.

When interviewed after her team's victory, Gladys Mahlo, the Sea Horses' captain said she is proud of her team because they are united and listen to the coach and as a result of that they were prepared for the tournament. She said they were confident that they would win the tournament and approached each game with a positive attitude.

Gladys conceded that Ferial Dastageer from the Dolphins is a good shooter but because they have a very good defender, "Pinkie", Ferial did not become a problem for them. "We knew that Ferial rarely misses a goal and we agreed that the ball must not reach her", Gladys said.

The Sea Horses' coach, Monica Pretorius said fitness was on their side. She said in preparation for the tournament they hired a court at R200-00 for a practice, and this paid dividends in the end.

She noticed that other players were intimidated by Ferial and told her team not to be intimidated by her. She said the fact that her players were able to keep the ball away from Ferial, indicates that they were effective in their game strategy.

"Pinkie" said she feels greatly honoured that she was selected as the player of the tournament. She gave credit to her teammates for having supported her in neutralising Ferial. She said there is a certain strategy, which is legal, that she used to contain Ferial and due to that Ferial continually made mistakes.

Mention may also be made here that the Sea Horses have a capable shooter that seldom misses a goal, Welhemina Mohumotse. Perhaps, because of her weight and height, many tend to underestimate her abilities and in the tournament, she behaved like one intent on disproving skeptics.

Aneesah Reynolds, a referee at the tournament, when asked on her observations on the two finalists, said the Sea Horses approach a game tactfully. She said another asset that makes them good is playing as a team rather than relying on certain individuals.

While the tournament had many outstanding players, Gloria Thabsile Siyaya from the Cape Town Mermaids was described by many as the find of the tournament. She is a petite, ever-smiling girl and moves at a steady pace but darts at a lightening speed around opponents. She out-jumps the tall for the ball, and the ball always finds her on the move.

The Chief Surveyor-General, Mr Appie van den Berg said it is a wonderful experience to see so many of the Department's directorates represented at the tournament. He congratulated the organisers of the tournament on its success and expressed his admiration on their teamwork.

Mr van den Berg said that he has learnt a lot in the tournament. He added that there were no losers - everybody who attended the tournament was a winner.

The Transformation Office Director, Shanaaz Majiet extended her respects to all the DLA managers that sacrificed their time and attended the tournament. She urged all present to be change agents in their offices when returning.

"Since the soccer tournament in January 2000, there has been a number of requests from female members of staff for social activities for women. Under the initiative of the Chief Directorate: Cadastral Surveys, a netball working committee was convened and the TPO was approached to organise a netball tournament. Eleven teams made up of women from 35 Directorates had been identified to participate in the tournament, which was held in Cape Town at the end of May", Shanaaz said.

The tournament was the first ever to be organised for female staff only, and was preceded by a gender seminar. "It takes different skills, insight, and experiences to make a winning team, a winning Department", she said.

During the presentation of awards and cups, every player that took part in the tournament received a medal. The medals were in gold and silver.

Outside the field it was good to notice that many of the Cape Town spectators had brought along many of their family members. Both players and spectators seemed happy to be listening to the music that was provided at the tournament.

The other results were as follows:

# Pietermaritzburg Dolphins (19) vs Cape Town Sharks (5)

# Pietermaritzburg Whales (4 ) vs Pretoria Barracudas (14)

# Cape Town Iron Mermaids (20) vs Cape Town Steel Mermaids (9)

# Cape Town Sharks (7) vs Pretoria Tiger Fish (7)

# Pretoria Barracudas (6) vs Cape Town Seals (6)

# Pretoria Sea Horses (22) vs Pretoria Crayfish (9)

# Cape Town Steel Mermaids vs Bloemfontein Angels

# Pietermaritzburg Dolphins vs Pretoria Tiger fish (3)

# Pietermaritzburg Whales (3) vs Cape Town Seals (11)

# Cape Town Iron Memaids (14) vs Bloemfontein Angels (7)

# Pretoria Crayfish (5) vs Pretoria Sea Horses (22)

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Viewpoint

By Liz Govender (Pietermaritzburg Deeds Office)

The TTT has created a historical move to unite women socially from all different Provinces within the DLA by organising a netball tournament which was held between 26 and 28 May 2000 in Cape Town.

South African ladies were never involved in social integration within the DLA. This is partially the result of the former apartheid system, in which females were disempowered and discouraged from being involved in their work environment or taking an active role in their organisation. What this whole exercise elicited was that women form an integral part of the organisation and have valuable contributions and therefore should be heard.

Many ladies are still alienated because they feel their traditional culture is no longer of value to their organisation. However, this tournament was not only about playing netball, but it also liberated women. By playing a valuable role in an organisation, they can become more active participants and take a greater interest in the organisation to the benefit of our clients and society as a whole.

Our special thanks go out to Ms Majiet and her team for their brilliant organisation of the entire tournament. As a whole it illustrated their impeccable organisational skills in more than one aspect. It reflected a coming together of a multicultural "Rainbow Nation". Women shed their inhibitions and moved forward in a comaradic that we hope will persist in the DLA. To Thabo Khanye, thank you for your effort in incorporating the Deeds Offices into this venture. We should not forget to thank all those who supported our teams and rallied around us to make our trip a success. To the "Whalers", playing a sport is not only about winning, it is about team building and sport spirit. To the Dolphins well done and congratulations on bringing the "Runners Up" trophy home.

 

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National office netball team formation

By T K Sonjica

Now that the DLA Netball Team, "Spice Girls", is fully functional, Journal visited Shanaaz Majiet, the Transformation Office Director, who earlier in the year urged National Office ladies to form a netball team and asked her the following questions:

* What prompted you to ask the "Girls" to form a netball team?

* It would seem the "Girls" are really enjoying themselves in the team. How do you feel about that?

* What message do you have for them?

Shanaaz told Journal that, based on the success of the soccer tournament in January, she felt it necessary to support and encourage women in the DLA to be part of social transformation activities such as netball. "Social transformation is one of the new projects of the TPO, which has at its core the aim of making all employees of the DLA feel good about themselves and others and improving the way we relate to each other and the organisation," she said.

Shanaaz continued and said "... tournaments such as soccer and netball celebrate the diversity and the differences between people, and most importantly, help us realise that we must win as a team to accomplish our goals. After all - this is what the public demands of us." In addition she said she regards the social playing of netball as a team-building effort.

"I am excited and pleased that women are having fun in the national office netball team. My joy is sparked further by the fact that since my e-mail communication earlier this year, the TPO has discovered other teams actively playing the sport. The Surveyor-General in Pretoria, for example, has had a team playing for over two years already", she said.

Shanaaz continued and told Journal that the success of sport in changing attitudes in the workplace and the working environments is a well known fact and its value in the DLA cannot be over-emphasized. "The TPO together with the senior management team of the DLA felt that change and transformation without fun is too stressful. So the social transformation activities bring the human side into the process", she said.

To form a background for the activities of the team formation, Journal spoke to Girley Mokwena, who took the initiative of calling all DLA girls together and introduced the formation of the team. She told Journal that she was a netball player in the Mpumalanga Education Department, where she worked before coming to Pretoria.

She said in organising the girls she had to send out e-mails, visit people in their offices and spoke to them in corridors and fortunately she got a positive response. Many told her that they have been longing to be involved in a netball team for a long time.

At the moment, Girley is the chairperson of the Committee of the "Girls". "We have played a number of games winning and losing along the way. At the same time winning or losing is not that important, what counts is the team spirit that prevails in the team, which I believe will go a long way in creating unity among the different racial groups in the DLA", Girley said.

The Public Relations Officer of the "Girls", Kgomotso Mothate described the objectives of the team as to interact, to know each other better - thus cultivating a good relationship among the diverse cultural groups in the DLA. She said part of their objective has been met because all cultures are represented in the team.

Kgomotso said the team has been involved in the Netball Nite League and the Centurion Tournament and believes that is where the "Girls" got real challenge, experience and skills.

Highlighting the existing problems of the "Girls", Kgomotso said the team does not have a court to practise on or host matches. She said they have been able to buy poles in order to practise in one of the Old Building's court yards.

The "Girls" are currently coached by a former netball player Joan Viloen, who says now that she is coaching the "Girls" she hopes to be attending some training sessions organised by the South African Netball Union. She concurred on the objectives of the team as mentioned by Kgomotso and said "... we are improving and hope to win the trophy in Cape Town". Next year we think we will be good enough to join the Nite league, and after that the sky's the limit!".

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By T K Sonjica

He complemented his view by saying there is money to be made in the art, but conceded that it takes time before one picks the fruits of one's labour. He made reference to people like Picasso and Gerald Sekoto whose paintings only started paying dividends long after they were dead.

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By T K Sonjica

Mr Joel Ngwatho, a resident at Brits, said it was his first time he had visited any DLA office, on the day Journal visited the new Brits District Office. He explained that in trying to find the District Office, he had to go to the old one first and for him it was easier to find the new office than the old office and he feels the new one has been placed conveniently.

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By Barbara Van Geems

The Chief Directorate: Surveys and Mapping's (CDSM) annual end of year function took place on the 4^th May, in place of last year's Christmas function, and the theme was that of an International Food Fair. A number of countries were represented, namely England, Mexico, China, Italy, Poland and South Africa. Admission was free, as funds were raised by various means including profits from the vending machine, raffles, last year's dance profits and champagne sales. Free labour was provided by many willing staff, which made the event possible and extremely enjoyable.

The event commenced with a brief review of the Chief Directorate's achievements for the year, followed by financial, transformational and highlight presentations. Once the speeches were concluded and the applause had died down, the feasting began in earnest, and staff got down to the serious business of sampling the delicious foodstuffs from each country.