The Africa Automation and Technology Fair proved to be another successful event – and that is before any formal figures have been released. The SAIMC held workshops to assist technicians, technologists and engineers to register with the Engineering Council of South Africa, and Pepper the friendly robot played a huge role, thanks to Jane van der Spuy and Pepper’s owner, Scott. Their contribution is much appreciated. Jane Collet played her usual role, arranging everything perfectly and timeously, while RX set the stage for a wonderful experience for our members.
October 2025 will mark the beginning of a new phase for the SAIMC when the well-known MESA Summit will have a makeover and become the first SAIMC User Summit. We are expecting users from many disciplines to contribute their experiences so that we can learn from one another. Regular planning meetings are ensuring that this will be an outstanding event. For more information, please visit our website at saimc.co.za
The SAIMC recently had the privilege of sponsoring the awards for the top third-year Mechatronics and Computer Engineering students at North-West University. This event was a revelation for Ina and myself as it provided insight into the distribution of high-achieving students across different engineering fields. Interestingly, female students excelled in Chemical Engineering, while male students were more prevalent in Mechanical Engineering. This challenges the notion that equality can be reduced to mere numbers. It highlights the fact that true equality should address biases against certain races or genders, as opposed to considering how many of each we have in South Africa. Despite this, some individuals continue to focus on percentages, creating a facade of fairness through numerical manipulation.
It is essential to prioritise the identification and removal of genuine barriers that prevent certain races and genders from entering engineering, rather than relying on superficial mathematical exercises that only give the appearance of progress. Real efforts should be made to understand and dismantle the systemic obstacles that impede diversity and inclusion in engineering. This approach is far more meaningful than the rhetoric often used by political figures seeking votes or media outlets aiming to increase sales. By focusing on substantive change rather than numerical illusions, we can strive towards a truly equitable environment where everyone has the opportunity to succeed in engineering disciplines.
On the international scene, it is interesting to note how the world is changing and how some people, even countries, are being left behind, while people are becoming accustomed to ‘new normals’. For example, some people criticise Elon Musk for pointing out wastages, completely ignoring the fact that he and his team are playing a vital role in saving the USA from bankruptcy, as can be seen from the country’s debt to GDP ratio of over 120%.They criticise Musk for interfering in government expenditure while seemingly having no issue with their own country’s tax base being abused. They are influenced by the media, who either benefit from this wasteful spending or sell more stories by stirring up the public. When he leaves the government, they then accuse him of running away to save Tesla. The reason I am writing about him is that I am highlighting the mentality of losers. They have done nothing to improve the world around them, but tell anyone who will listen how the people who are actually doing something are wrong, or have the wrong motives.
South Africa built its infrastructure while under heavy boycotts. We are now downgraded to junk status and everybody accepts this because our leaders have convinced us that we are entitled to being beggars. We give many reasons − apartheid, COVID, Trump, Musk − to convince the people whose votes can be bought with free T-shirts that we are entitled to beg. Automation will not cost any new jobs, our attitudes will cause us to lose even the few jobs that we still have.
This letter isn’t about persuading you to vote for any particular party. It’s intended for those who are educated enough to read this, and fortunate enough to receive the outstanding technical publication you are now reading. It’s a call to wake up and think independently. The real issue isn’t Trump, Musk, COVID, our government or past governments − it’s our own attitudes.
The Africa Automation and Technology Fair has shown us that we have the expertise and equipment to make South Africa great again. We can once more create power stations that work the first time. We can create our own fuel for Koeberg again. We can create more Sasols again. We can build and maintain roads again. We can build and maintain our railroad system again. We can even fix problems like loadshedding, potholes, police, and even traffic lights. All we need is a change of attitude. Losers create excuses, winners create plans.
Yours in automation
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