Jamie Cliffe returns for his second guest blog which focuses on his recent trip to South Africa.
SMTS South Africa!
The life of a health and safety professional is rarely a dull one and as the MD of an health and safety training company I relish the opportunities that I have to travel abroad. I recently wrote of a trip to India where I was exploring the possibility of setting up a division of my company, SMTS, in New Delhi but I have also been to South Africa to investigate possibilities there.
If you have never been it is entirely as you might imagine, or indeed have seen on your television screen. Spectacular scenery, glorious weather and a wealth of culture, wildlife and wilderness that rivals anywhere else on Earth greets you the moment you step off the plane. The people you meet are not only extremely welcoming, hospitable and helpful but also rather excited at present and for very good reason.
For the first time in it’s history, the Football World Cup is being hosted on African soil and the sports governing body FIFA, selected South Africa as the nation that will have the honour of welcoming teams and fans from across the world. To be held in nine cities across the nation from Johannesburg, the economic hub and Pretoria the capital, to Capetown on the African Riviera, and Durban on the balmy coast of the Indian Ocean. It will also give visitors a reason to travel to lesser know destinations such as Bloemfontein, Rustenburg, Nelspruit and Polokwane.
Expectations are high that the tournament will focus attention on South Africa as a good place to do business, the expected third of a million visitors spending nearly ten billion Rand while the event as a whole will create 129,000 jobs and contribute over twenty billion Rand to the country’s economy.
Already a world leader in mining and mineral industries, South Africa holds nearly 90% of the worlds platinum and 41% of the gold and is a stable and sophisticated nation, one in which the ability and will to do business on the global stage impressed me greatly. Yet more so when you consider that it is a nation of extraordinary diversity, it’s 47 million population embracing eleven official languages, yet more unofficial tongues and an enviable range of cultural and religious beliefs.
It has excellent transport and telecommunications infrastructure, superb hotels, world-class medical facilities and a general sense of vibrancy and zest that I can only assume is derived from its wonderful climate. From the UK perspective it also has the advantage of being in a time zone just two hours ahead of GMT.
There are visible contrasts between extraordinary wealth and abject poverty, similar to those I wrote about in India, but there is also a strong sense of a nation moving forward as a whole, with a united purpose and a common aim, From the health and safety perspective, it is an evolved nation with good legislation that is largely conformed to and actively monitored in most of the big industries from mining and mineral exploitation to construction.
It is therefore my great honour and enormous pleasure to announce that we are now in the process of setting up our first SMTS office in Johannesburg and are even at this early stage are already in talks with a number of bluechip organisations to deliver a full range of internationally accredited safety courses. And if that wasn’t good news enough I am delighted that there is already keen interest in the schedule of open NEBOSH International General Certificate courses that we are running in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and Pretoria.
In the meantime, on behalf of the whole SMTS team, I wish South Africa a hugely successful World Cup 2010. Now then, come on you whites… or reds… or blues… or greens.. or…!
Jamie Cliffe
jamie.cliffe@smtsltd.com
Jamie Cliffe has more than 20 years’ experience within the petroleum downstream environment, and is currently managing director of safety training provider SMTS.
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