Steel and engineering body elects new president amid industry challenges

The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa announced on Sunday that it had elected Arabella Holdings executive chair Elias Monage as its new president and chair of its board of directors. 

The national engineering federation, which says it represents 23 independent employer associations in the metals and engineering sectors, concluded the election of Monage to the position on Friday.

Seifsa CEO Kaizer Nyatsumba said that the meeting’s elections meant that the board was now the most diverse since its inception.

“We commend Seifsa membership associations for having elected the most transformed board in the Federation’s history, both in terms of race and gender. Colleagues and I are encouraged by this development, which we believe to bode well for transformation in the metals and engineering sector,” said Nyatsumba.

Outgoing interim president Alpheus Ngapo said although production in the metals and engineering sector was generally increasing alongside international commodity prices, the cluster was still going through a structural adjustment and its challenges were still prevalent. 

“Its growth pattern still fluctuates, productivity is generally poor, capacity utilisation is still below the required 85% and investment and profit levels are low. Domestic production costs have also been rising alongside output levels,” Ngapo said.

• READ: 'Uncontrollable' fuel and energy costs added to jobs losses - Seifsa

University of Johannesburg’s Pan-African Institute Associate Professor Mcebesi Ndletyana said in a keynote address at the annual general meeting that while the initial optimism that came about as a result of the replacement of former President Jacob Zuma by Cyril Ramaphosa in February had since subsided, he remained hopeful that a new dawn and a promise of renewal was still possible.

• READ: Budget 2018: Steel, engineering see lack of improved domestic demand

Also elected at Seifsa’s 76^th annual general meeting in Johannesburg were ArcelorMittal South Africa Marketing Director for Africa Alpheus Ngapo, Babcock International Africa Division Company Secretary Neil Penson, Auto Industrial Group CEO Andrea Moz, South African Mint Company’s Managing Director Tumi Tsehlo, MphoNo Energies Managing Director and KSB Pumps & Valves Board Member Nonhlanhla Ngwenya, Lixil Africa Chief Legal and Human Resources Officer Seneca Lutchmana and Murray & Roberts Power & Energy Human Resources Executive Patrick Metswi.

They join Africa Steel Holdings Founding Director Mayleen Kyster and Zimco Group Human Resources Manager Ellen Veldhoven on the Seifsa board.

Ngapo said other challenges currently facing the sector were South Africa’s lacklustre economic performance, followed by continuing significant imports of cheap products and skills as well as the manufacturing sector’s apparent lack of international competitiveness.

Monage has also served as the Black Business Council’s Convener at Nedlac and is the former president of Capes and a former director of Steloy Casting. He was first elected onto the Seifsa Board in 2016.