Supplied by SABS
The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) acknowledged and recognised the voluntary work of chairpersons, at the SABS in Pretoria.
Their roles are appreciated even more as they chair TCs ona voluntary basis and often hold full time employment within theirown industries. Supplied by SABS.
The engagement session included the welcoming of new members and a workshop to synchronise the approach to chairing committees. The chairing of committees is critical in the development, maintenance and publication of South African national standards (SANS).
South Africa, through the SABS, develops, maintains and promotes national standards. SABS is a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), the International Electro-technical Commission (IEC), the African Organisation for Standardisations (ARSO), the African Electrotechnical Standardisation Commission (AFSEC) and The Southern African Development Community Cooperation in Standardization (SADCSTAN).
National Standards or SANS are developed through consensus, via Technical Committees. Technical Committees (TCs) and subcommittees (SCs) are made up of representatives from industry bodies, government departments, companies, academics, policy makers, regulators, individuals, consumer groups and other stakeholders to ensure an inclusive, open and transparent process.
“Committees are chaired by a person that is elected by the members of that TC and they then become responsible for overseeing the development process of the relevant national standard, in accordance with governance framework. The work of the committee chairperson is critical to the development of standards and the SABS appreciates the expertise and the management ability of chairpersons in executing their roles. Without their expertise and commitment, the SABS would not have been able to publish more than 400 SANS in the financial year that ended on 31 March 2024. Their roles are appreciated even more as they chair TCs on a voluntary basis and often hold full time employment within their own industries,” explains Lungelo Ntobongwana, Acting CEO of the SABS.
