From the Chairman’s Table

2025 is in full swing and we thank all members who have already renewed their annual memberships and who are in good standing. If you have not received your annual invoice, please check your spam folders or check your contact details with our admin department who will also gladly resend any required documents to you. We have already by the end of January 2025 increased our membership take on compared to previous years.

The LEEASA board has been busy behind the scenes gearing up towards 2025 with some much-needed implementation of some strategic initiatives aiming to take the association into the next decade.

As you are aware the LEEASA board of directors is made up of strictly volunteers that all have there own responsibilities which include but are not limited to running their own companies, working in corporate environments, being an employee that has the responsibility of taking the day to day of there day jobs as first priority and in some cases even retires that should be spending the well-deserved time off with their grandkids.

Although each director gives the association their best efforts it is simply just not enough to give the membership base and industry the dedicated input that’s needed.

This is the biggest limiting factor the association has had over the past years, and it would be inevitable that the association would not have the continuity that it requires if this challenge was not addressed.

LEEASA has reached a turning point and what we believe will be a new era in the history of the association.

After much deliberation and strategy as well as collaboration with key industry stakeholders we are pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Gert Oosthuizen as Association Development Manager, and he will report directly to the LEEASA Board of Directors.

Gert who has over 40 years’ experience in the lifting industry alone was one of the founders of LEEASA many years ago and shares the same vision, mission and values as the LEEASA board and is geared up to take on the challenge in a semi-permanent role.

Gert will initially be focused on some much-needed functions such as (In no order)

• Increasing Personal Members (PM)

• Increasing Company Members (CM)

• Implement QA Vetting for Companies (QAV)

• Increase Seminars / Events

• Increase Training

• CPD

• Lifting Product training

• LMI Mentoring – How to Test Machines Correctly

• LMI Candidates Upliftment

As well as other representation / dealings with

• Other Industry Associations

• DOEL

• ECSA

• SABS

• Client / Member / Public / Industry Feedback

We do not want to take all the glory and will allow Gert to introduce himself and give you all a taste of what we will be working on in the upcoming months to fast track LEEASA’s strategic initiatives.

Welcome to our Team Gert, we are all excited to collaborate with you and take LEEASA to new heights.

In the interim feel free to reach out to Gert on gert@leeasa.co.za

Some good news that after a long period of inactivity at SABS meeting are back on and the first meeting of the year is being held on the 6th  March 2025 for SABS/TC 096 “Cranes” and as usual LEEASA will be represented and are looking forwards to providing feedback on the meeting activities once completed.

We are finalizing our year planner for 2025 and please consider supporting us by saving the dates for the planned CPD conferences below:

• Durban - KITE: 23rd July 2025

• Johannesburg - Birchwood: 28th & 29th August

We currently have one open seat on the LEEASA Board of directors and are inviting nominees to contact us should you wish to be getting involved at this level.

Chairman: Kyle Graham: kyle@leeasa.co.za

Vice Chair: Ashley Davis: ashley@leeasa.co.za

Ordinary Members:

Francois Weideman: francoisw@leeasa.co.za

Roger Day: roger@leeasa.co.za

Katiso Mogaki: katiso@leeasa.co.za

Carlos Marques: carlos@leeasa.co.za

Administration: Desiré Davis: admin@leeasa.co.za

Marketing and Design: Xané Roestroff: production@leeasa.co.za