Sparks Electrical News September 2019

CONTRACTORS’ CORNER

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ENTRIES OPEN FOR ECA(SA) PRESIDENTIAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2019 T he countdown has begun for the 8 th ECA(SA)’s Presidential Excel- lence Awards 2019 and it’s time for ECA members to enter their best projects and make it a night to remember. members should they need guidance or assistance with their entries. Simply enter your best projects, undertaken between 1 July 2018 and 31 July 2019, in one or more of the 14 categories; attach high resolution images of the work undertaken; and return the forms before the closing date on 13 October 2019. The Awards are not about the size of your company, they are about quality of work, and smaller contractors have as much chance of winning as the big names.

• Installation of the Year – Retail and Shopping Centres • Best Contributor to Energy Efficiency • Best Contributor to Renewable Energy • Reticulation Contractor of the Year • Apprentice of the Year • Women-Owned Business of the Year • National Safety Award • Special Innovative Projects Award • Host Employer of the Year

The awards acknowledge those members who have achieved the highest standards in the electrical contracting industry. Since 2012, the ECA(SA) Presidential Excellence Awards have grown – not just in size but also in importance, as more members recognise the significant value these awards add to their businessed, to staff morale and to their standing in the electrical contracting industry. Entries The first step towards winning an ECA(SA) Award and being counted amongst South Africa’s top electrical contracting companies, is to re- quest entry forms from Zinhle Ramashala, who is available to help

Categories • Installation of the Year – Industrial

The 8 th ECA(SA) Presidential Excellence Awards banquet will be held on 14 th November 2019 at the Birchwood Hotel and Confer- ence Centre.

• Installation of the Year – Residential (Housing) • Installation of the Year – Residential (Complexes) • Installation of the Year – Office Blocks • Installation of the Year – Hotels and Hospitals

Enquiries: +27 (0)11 392 0000 or zinhle@ecasa.co.za

ESKOM ‘SKA BAIZA’ ELECTRICITY SAFETY CAMPAIGN

ESKOM kicked off Electricity Safety month with the launch of the new ‘Ska Baiza’ campaign that is aimed at educating communities about the safe use of electricity. Derived from everyday South African ‘township lingo’, “U-ska baiza” means “don’t do anything foolish”. Eskom professionals will be spreading this message across the country during August, actively engaging local schools and communities to ensure that the safe use of electricity is top of everyone’s mind. Miranda Moahlodi, Corporate (Occupational Health & Safety) Senior Manager at Eskom said, “While issues like illegal connections, vandalism, electricity/cable theft, meter tampering and bypassing are national problems, there are some areas with a high prevalence. The hot spot areas are in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. Eskom officials will be shining the spotlight on these areas during this week and will be bringing members of the public important messages on how to stay safe from harm.” ThelaunchwashostedbyNdabankuluSecondary school in Butterworth and Eskom representatives, together with learners from surrounding schools, spent the morning engaging around the safe use of electricity. The message from Eskom was clear. U-Ska Baiza – don’t overload your plugs, don’t take chances with unsafe and illegal connections and don’t touch exposed cables. “It’s important for us to start speaking to young people, particularly in this age group, about the safe use of electricity because they soon will leave school and start being independent members of society. We care for the communities within which we work and if we want to have a consistent supply of electricity and for our communities to be safe, we must encourage the safe use and access to electricity right from the start,” emphasised Eskom General Manager in Distribution: Lindi Mthombeni. “With ‘Ska Baiza’ we are urging South Africans to go back to basics when it comes to using electricity safely. We’re encouraging people to actively monitor their environment inside and outside the home so as to avoid unnecessary injuries and fatalities. We want South Africans to know that we care about their safety and ask communities to assist us by reporting illegal connections in their neighbourhoods so as to ensure that we serve them effectively,” Zama Mpondwana, Senior Advisor Stakeholder Management concluded.

Enquiries: www.eskom.co.za

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

SEPTEMBER 2019