Day: September 16, 2022

Eskom announced on Friday that it will soon launch a crowdsourcing digital platform to supplement its existing skills base to help address its operational challenges.

According to the State-owned power entity, the platform will act as a skills database for Eskom to acquire additional expertise and resolve its urgent business needs.

The crowdsourcing initiative, according to Eskom, will also leverage partnerships with statutory and non-statutory bodies, such as the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), to ensure that it can access the best candidates in the electricity supply industry, engineering and technical professions.

In recent months, the power utility, which continues to battle capacity constraints, said it has received an overwhelming response to its call for skilled personnel to come forward to assist in rebuilding skills and numerous organisations, and people have come forward to respond to this critical call for national service.

“A diverse cross-section of South Africans have sent enquiries and made themselves available to respond to the call to national service,” said Eskom Group Chief Executive, André de Ruyter.

“Eskom is in the process of matching the skills that have already been made available to its needs and will be recruiting the suitable candidates imminently.”

Crowdsourcing, according to Eskom, is the practice of obtaining information or input into a task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, either paid or unpaid, typically via a digital platform.

Since South Africa has a pool of skilled people, crowdsourcing of these skills may offer a unique opportunity for available and willing citizens to support Eskom to resolve its business challenges.

The entity said it has been prompted by several offers and submissions received from organisations and individuals, including experienced engineers and technical experts, who have indicated that they could potentially assist Eskom.

“For Eskom to reap the highest benefit from this diversity of skills, it must also develop a governance mechanism and a platform that will provide an equitable opportunity to all those willing to be considered for service,” said Group Executive for Human Resources, Elsie Pule.

“The process will be driven by the needs of Eskom and will follow a standard governance process for fixed-term contracting.”

Interested people will be able to register on the digital platform to allow Eskom to access skills across the country.

Eskom said it looks forward to collaborating with South African citizens to address the current electricity supply challenges facing the country.

Skills that would be required, include but are not limited to, mechanical, nuclear, electrical, system and maintenance skills, as well as senior artisans and plant operators for coal and nuclear power stations.

While the digital platform is still in development, individuals who wish to be considered can contact the office of the Group Executive for Human Resources via [email protected].

Source: South African Government News Agency

Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning congratulated the Provincial Disaster Management Centre for hosting a successful four-day training session, held from the 13th to the 16th of September, at the Provincial Disaster Management Centre.

The initiative was jointly organized by the Western Cape Provincial Disaster Management Centre (WC: PDMC), the Provincial Training Institute and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).

“Disaster preparedness is all about training and planning for events that you hope will never happen. This training session, while benefitting us with an international perspective, also focused on the phycological wellbeing of the people at the forefront of disasters and emergencies, and as such was much needed and of great value,” Bredell said.

The training was attended by officials from Western Cape Disaster Management Centre, City of Cape Town and District Disaster Management Centres as well as the National Disaster Management Centre.

Graham Pause, Head of Department for the Western Cape Department of Local Government said: “Not all disasters can be prevented and the need to respond to major incidents and disasters have become more prevalent over the recent years in the province.  It is for this reason that the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre place a big focus on disaster risk reduction and disaster response to ensure that we can mitigate, prevent, or effectively respond to any potential disaster.”

Colin Deiner, Manager of the WC: PDMC said the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) is part of the international emergency response system for sudden-onset emergencies. UNDAC is designed to help the United Nations and governments of disaster-affected countries during the first phase of a sudden-onset emergency. UNDAC also assists in the coordination of incoming international relief at national level and/or at the site of the emergency.

“During the past week Western Cape Provincial Disaster Management staff together with officials from the city and District municipalities across the province received training in the management of sudden-onset emergencies and how to work together as a team in dealing with all the aspects of a disaster. The province faces many disasters annually and this training programme has exposed the team to well-developed disaster management methods and strategies which will be included in our own systems,” Deiner said.

Source: Government of South Africa

Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, supports the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) in its call to the public not to approach, touch or handle seabirds, as four new cases of avian influenza has been detected in the Boulders Penguin Colony, and a further seven cases are suspected, according to a statement released by the TMNP today.

“Our Disaster Management Centre has been alerted of these new cases. Avian influenza holds almost no risk to humans, but if transmitted from wild seabirds to poultry flocks, poses a great risk to the agricultural sector,” Bredell said.

According to the TMNP statement, there are currently around 3000 penguins at Boulders in Simon’s Town. Avian Influenza is spread between birds through faeces and other body excretions, and by humans who handle sick birds.

According to TMNP, the Boulders colony will not be closed to visitors at this stage, but the public is asked to stay on the designated boardwalks and report any sick looking or dead birds to the TMNP management at 021 786 2329/021 780 9100, or to the South African Foundation For The Conservation Of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) at 021 557 6155. Alternatively, the penguin rangers can be contacted at 064 844 9075.

The Western Cape Department of Local Government, through the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre, earlier this year made a R300 000 donation to SANCCOB specifically towards supporting its work with testing seabirds for avian influenza.

Source: Government of South Africa