WISDOM

COUNTING THE BEANS AND RESCUE THE MISHAPS

Wendell Beuke

The CFO is that nerd in the ivory tower who thinks he/she can stick their nose in anywhere they want. He’s the one who irritates everyone with his pesky questions at month-end reporting and at budget time. But he’s right – he does have that right (just ask Head Office!!). So humour him, and you’ll make a friend in a colleague for life. Really! Listen to him, and he will show you some amazing insights into the profitability (or not!!) of your operation or project. 

He might just show you which piece of your equipment is costing you so much diesel for the volumes that it is moving. He knows that down in the deepest part of your operations many things are not always what they seem. It pays to sometimes let him/her loose on your purchase requisitions and have some friendly chats with your foremen. Remember that he’s fighting for everyone in the company, especially when the auditors arrive to come and bayonet the wounded after the battle of financial year-end ...

He will be intrigued by all the technicalities of your equipment, so invite his/her team when you start planning for that expensive new piece of shiny yellow equipment you so must have. And when he/she ruffles everyone’s feathers by starting to show that he thinks you can’t afford it or that it is so much less cost-effective than you thought, let everyone cool off and then allow your and his team to cross-check each other’s assumptions.  It will save everyone so much time since the teams will be working together from the beginning, so there’s no nasty surprises just before budget deadlines. You’re all on the same team, believe it or not.

RISIKO HANTERING: WIE IS DIE REDELIKE MAN (OF VROU)?

Gerna Marais

Wanneer ‘n persoon benadeel word of skade ly as gevolg van ʼn ander se optrede word die “redelike man” toets gebruik om die element van skuld (nalatigheid) vas te stel en te bepaal of die dader aanspreeklik gehou kan word vir die skade.

Die mate van sorg wat die reg van ‘n persoon verwag is dié van die redelike persoon.  Met ander woorde:  Wat sou ʼn redelike persoon gedoen het indien hy in dieselfde omstandighede geplaas word?  Sou die redelike persoon voorsien het dat nadeel of skade vir ‘n ander uit sy optrede kan voortspruit?  Indien wel, watter stappe sou die redelike persoon geneem het om die skade te voorkom of te beperk?

Indien die stappe geneem deur die dader nie opweeg teen sodanige stappe as wat die redelike persoon sou geneem het nie word sy optrede as afkeurenswaardig beskou en word die skuld vir die ander se skade voor sy voete gelê.

Die vraag is egter wie of wat word beskou as “die redelike persoon”?

Die redelike persoon is ‘n fiktiewe persoon en hierdie term verteenwoordig die samelewing se verwagting van wat voldoende en redelike optrede in ‘n gegewe situasie is.

Die redelike persoon is nie ‘n buitengewoon begaafde, versigtige of ontwikkelde persoon nie, maar is ook nie onontwikkeld of iemand wat onverskillig is nie.  Die redelike persoon lê iewers tussen hierdie twee uiterstes.

Waar iemand egter oor spesifieke kundigheid beskik as gevolg van sy opleiding of ondervinding word ‘n hoër standaard van sorg van hom verwag.  ‘n Mediese dokter se optrede sal byvoorbeeld opgeweeg word teen die optrede van ‘n redelike mediese dokter wat oor dieselfde vlak van kundigheid beskik in dieselfde omstandighede.  Weereens word die hoogste standaard van kundigheid en sorg nie vereis nie, maar eerder die algemene standaard van persone met dieselfde kundigheid.

Net so ook sal iemand wat ‘n gebrek het, soos byvoorbeeld doofheid, beoordeel word teenoor die mate van sorg wat ‘n redelike dowe persoon in die dieselfde omstandighede aan die dag sou lê.

Wie en wat die redelike persoon is en hoe hy sal optree in bepaalde situasies is nie ‘n statiese maatstaf nie en verander voortdurend soos wat daar veranderinge in die samelewing plaasvind.  ʼn Verhoging in misdaadsyfers in ons land veroorsaak byvoorbeeld dat Suid-Afrikaners in die algemeen (en dus die redelike persoon) meer senuweeagtig sal wees in sekere omstandighede as wat vroeër jare die geval was.

Elke afsonderlike situasie moet dus op sy eie beoordeel word met inagneming van die al die omstandighede van die geval ten einde die standaard van die redelike persoon onder daardie spesifieke omstandighede vas te stel.

CULTURAL CHALLENGES

Yongama Skweyiya

Mining and construction is such a male-dominated environment. This is so much more in African culture. In traditional African custom, a paternalistic governance structure has emerged, men have become the gatekeepers, influences and rulers of every day. Women were sidelined and denied any form of development and growth.

Education has become the great equalizer - it has to yield a new crop of geo-engineers who work with and in some cases are the line manager of some hardened mining men.

I recently had the pleasure to do an introductory course into the building environment, specifically into road maintenance and building.

Though I could never claim to have skills in engineering, the course did offer some key introductory upskilling on the ins and outs of the industry. More than that, I got a snapshot on the kind of people/entrepreneurs/workers in the sector. A rough sort, battle-hardened men and some women.

What caught my attention throughout, was the cultural nuances that exist. Firstly, a mandate by the government to show employment numbers through the introduction of the intensive construction methodology. A great social up-lifter but not always an efficient method of fulfilling a project.

Now here in this industry, women are the bosses, can hire or fire you. Speaking to some of the ladies I met, soon, stories were shared on how ‘some men, just have no respect’. I was regaled on how at times they would need to fire whole crews because they did not want to do what she asked, did not work efficiently or did such sub-par work they had lost money on some sub-contract work received.

These ladies felt that the only reason for this behaviour was due to their gender, men in African culture are not encouraged to listen and take direction from women.

These are good business owners, generating millions of Rands a year, employing u pto 100 people and trying daily to keep it all together.

Thinking back on the pride men felt on leaving home to go work at the mines and be able to feed their families, living in barracks/hostels and working under a strict hierarchy. A paternal system that made no accommodation for women.

Similar issues are faced in the Agricultural sector, with the emergence of black female farmers, especially in the citrus industry.

Die Geotegniese Ingenieur

Hennie Greeff

Soos die huisarts die basiese vorm van ’n mediese dokter is, so is die geoloog die boublok van die kennis van die aarde beroep. ’n klipdokter spesialiseer  vêrder in ’n spesifieke sektor van die wêreld van klip en gesteentes en wanneer hulle die wêreld van die siviele ingenieur betree, kom die woordjie ‘tegnies’ by.

Soos die die geo-hidroloog jou vertel waar en hoeveel water jy in onder die aarde kan kry, so  ondersoek die geotegniese ingenieur die stukkie aarde en rots formasies waar jy jou wolkekrabber wil oprig  en skryf aan jou voor hoe diep jou fondasies moet wees en hoe dik en lank jou stutpilare onder die gebou moet wees sodat jou toring nie skeef gaan begin oorleun soos daardie een in Italië nie.

 

Vir die padmakers analiseer hy die steil rotswande waar die roete deur die kant van ’n heuwel of berg kortpad moet kies en skryf dan voor watter tipe bestutting soos spuitbeton of kabel-ankers nodig is om die padgebruiker veilig te hou.

Wanneer dit by ondergrondse uitgrawings en  tonnels kom, hang dit af van hoe lank mens dit wil oophou en adviseer die rotsmeganikus (selfde as geotegniese ing.)in die geval van die myne, of die geotegniese ingenieur in die geval van trein en water tonnels, die konstruksie maatskappy hoeveel staal rotsboute en konkreet belyning nodig gaan wees om ’n tonnel, vyf, tien of negentig jaar veilig, waterdig en oop te hou.