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Dear Colleagues

At the recent annual event held in July this year, SAIBPP, in a historic move launched a first ever annual list compiled and published in celebration of 100 top Black
property industry players – the SAIBPP 100.

These players are considered by the organisation to be the sector’s most influential leaders and prominent personalities. They have made their name playing a key and impactful role across the entire spectrum of the property sector, and had been nominated for the SAIBPP 100 because they define the standard for others to follow. With blue-chip resumés, they set the bar for excellence both within their realm of influence and within the broader industry.

Outside of the general criteria of principal activity and presence within the property sector, to be eligible for consideration in the SAIBPP 100 of 2022 the nominees had to align with the following benchmarks.

• have actively contributed to uplifting black people or are high achievers in a
  position of influence.
• have pre-eminent status or possess the power to exert a real influence on the
  significant events of our time; or use their acquired power to shape and effect
  changes in the sector through their actions and example.
• have transformed the world we live in through their ideas, talents and
  discoveries.
• have leveraged their status to bring attention to issues of concern which face
  the sector, or used their presence to bring about real and tangible change.

Even though influence is hard to measure, the SAIBPP 100 focuses on the most impactful individuals rather than the most popular or most powerful. Though some nominees may rarely be spoken about in public, if they have achieved pre-eminence or demonstrated real influence within the property sector, their nomination was considered deserved.

It is undeniable that appearing on the list is a highly-respected honour. As SAIBPP we recognize the harsh terrain that these black property professionals have had to traverse and the storms that they still weather even as we celebrate the SAIBPP 100 giants.

Dear Clients & Colleagues

As our country works to prevent the spread of coronavirus COVID-19, we at Mbatha Walters & Simpson (MW&S) also acknowledge that the safety and well-being of customers and employees is always our priority. As a result, we are currently implementing several measures to ensure business continuity while limiting any impact on the service we provide to you and mitigating the risk and further spread of the coronavirus.

MW&S’ leadership team is actively monitoring the Coronavirus/ COVID-19 situation and is taking steps to mitigate the risk and further spreading of the virus.

Some of the steps that we are taking include amongst others:

• Suspension of all non-essential face to face engagement, including: o Planning and site meetings of more than 5 (five) people, work events and non-essential travel.
• o The MW&S team remain available via teleconference and virtual methods to participate where essential and in so doing provide project and business continuity.
• Assisting employees – providing continuous education about importance of good hygiene and having structures in place for them to work from home should it be necessary.
• Limited access of visitors to our working space i.e. MW&S Offices.
• Suspension of all touch screen access controls and foremost maintaining social distancing.

The above measures in no way suggest that any of our employees have been infected or affected by the virus but we are being extra conscious of the safety and wellbeing of our employees and their families, our clients, and the communities in which we operate.

We assure you that MW&S will maintain business continuity and that we remain available on all communication channels i.e. landlines, and mobile phones, and we also encourage virtual meeting technology to engage and support you during these trying times as experienced by our economy.

Our management and staff will continue to monitor this situation closely and communicate further as the need arises in order to ensure that we do everything possible for you, our clients and colleagues, as well as our employees and the community at large.

Yours sincerely
MBATHA WALTERS & SIMPSON

QINISANI N. MBATHA
Managing Director

On Mandela Day, MW&S and Rivoningo Consulting Engineers joined Kaya Cares (Kaya FM) at Entandweni Primary School in Zondi, Soweto, to hand over a container library.

The core message: That we can all pull together and contribute to humanity, no matter how small the contribution.

Listen to the podcast below.

In the 70s and 80s the management of people within an organisation was dealt with by the “Personnel Department”, whose role was largely limited to recruitment, payroll and benefits.


In the 80s and 90s there was a growing realisation that people management had a more significant role to play and the concept of “Strategic Human Resources” emerged. The Personnel Department became known as the “Human Resources (HR) Department, and its role was expanded to include learning and development, organisational design and the development of “total remuneration” packages which included benefits, share options and bonuses, serving as a central point of communication for employee health and engagement. Heads of HR were recognised as critical contributors to business strategy and execution, and HR became seen as more than a business function.

• 
While strategic HR remains a focus today, the concept of talent management has evolved as a means to tackle a new set of strategic issues, some of which include:
• Developing managers and leaders better to reinforce culture, instil values and create a sustainable “leadership pipeline”;
• Identifying competency gaps quickly to enable the delivery of training, e-learning, or development programmes to fill these gaps;
• Managing people in a consistent and measurable way so that everyone is aligned, held accountable and paid fairly;
• Identifying successors to key positions throughout the organisation to ensure that the organisation is highly flexible and responsive; and
• Providing learning that is relevant, flexible, convenient and timely.

Today talent management provides a more integrated and direct approach to the collaboration between HR, performance enhancement and business management in real-time.


Within our own organisation, it is with delight that I introduce to you and welcome the following three newcomers:

Mr Roland Böhmer, who recently joined the company in the capacity of QS Consultant in the Durban office, will extend his role as acting Office Manager in Pietermaritzburg from 1 May 2017.

Roland brings with him an impressive and well-rounded record in the quantity surveying profession which spans over 37 years in all sectors of the built environment.

Roland looks forward to getting to know all of you, both old and new, and I’m sure given the opportunity you will also like to know more about him.

Thabo Litlhakanyane is a new Junior Quantity Surveyor starting out at MW&S. He brings with him a passion for construction and finance, an eagerness and willingness to learn, grow and mature into the construction cost management profession.

Dianne Radloff is the new Executive PA in my office.

PMR.Africa

have once again conducted an annual survey on quantity surveying practices in South Africa.

Respondents for the survey which included Architects, Consulting Engineers, Construction Companies and Property Developers, were requested to rate quantity surveying practices on a list of attributes which included budget/cost control, commitment, co-operation, responsiveness and timeous completion.

After receiving numerous awards over the years, including Diamond, Gold and Bronze Arrow, at the breakfast hosted on the 8th May, MWS achieved first place in the category of medium-sized quantity surveying firms, and were awarded the prestigious Diamond Arrow Award. The Diamond Arrow Award was first awarded to MWS in 2002, then again in 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2011.

The management of MWS acknowledge that this and previous awards are only possible through the continued efforts and contribution of each employee who form the members of team MWS, and this achievement is in recognition of your efforts and support.

Well done to each of you and thank you for making this possible.