RE: From and arising since Wed 25th: including Key inputs

[Nigel Lowe]

Hi to all who attended the NRW-IAM Extended Team meeting on Wednesday 25^th.

 

Thank you for your contributions and what was agreed.  There was progress. The notes are I believe, still coming from Moses and or I trust those are shared soon.  This email does not pre-empt those emerging.

 

Rather much has continued to happen and this email is to rather indicate how things continue to move and how even I have shaped my own actions since that meeting.  Lots was already lined up and even continues.

 

With regard to the meeting, the inputs prepared and used in that meeting are ALL found here.  The notes of the meeting can also be posted here when available;

hotlink

 

That space includes even other things that were not shown or used but might in fact still have value.  Once example is the functional activity analysis (Spreadsheet) I was referring to which is still extremely relevant.

 

My first impression when that meeting concluded was rather thoughtful to say the least.  It was not an easy meeting.  Since the meeting, I have turned much, much more positive.  What challenged me most was the inability of our meeting to actually give any real organisational direction (more than individual) to ‘programming’.  Most notably, immediately after our meeting I went to the CSIR to join a WRC Symposium meeting.  What did I find? – key people from DWA (Tandeka Mbasa) and others like Oliver Ive (EC Service Provider) discussing the need for related Operational Management interventions for WSA’s?  Is the programming needed – absolutely!  In fact Oliver and I were already set to meet in connection with something about additional projects in East London – see google groups for more.  And be assured that I WILL be taking forward and continuing to shape such programing proposals, even apart from what-ever our meeting proposed.  In fact this has only sharpened since out meeting and I will personally be taking those matters up with other parties and especially close to government.

 

Overall I am well satisfied with the level of organisational interest and especially ownership linked to the Project SPV.  In fact I am now in this email wanting, in my own capacity, to strengthen the organisational ownership of it.  Using the direction given on Thursday, some key words have really resonated with me.  Those include the incremental application of our NRW_IAM thinking in the building of realistic project-based alliances and practical partnerships.  This has already led to new and sharpened Project-based case proposals have emerged in two distinct areas – Tlokwe LM and grouped Northern Cape Mining Towns.  The latter is particularly intriguing as there is a distinct opportunity of finding mining sponsors in lieu of international donors.  These very opportunities will actually now benefit and even need that Project SPV (in what-ever form it can emerge with some kind of collective ownership) to urgently emerge.

 

So with reflection I then trust our Organisational Reps will put some urgency into their follow through meeting.  I am now urging special separate attention and urgency to be given to the notably Initial Project SPV and especially in isolation of other matters.  I for one, hope that ownership can be turned into something tangible and quickly.  Of our team I further want to nominate that if the decision is positive, that Chris (from out of our core team) be nominated to continue to take that forward.  Further I want to challenge the organisational representatives to discuss how to empower our teams efforts with additional resources (people and funds) to run that SPV to becoming some visible product as a matter of urgency.   See what follows.

 

Further and with regard to programming I assert that our organisational leaders give due consideration and get additional institutional advice as to the Functional Activity Analysis.  Even leading into the meeting I was looking for this and it was not forth-coming in time.  This is to give more attention and get a better understanding of that analysis.  Perhaps there are ways that it can be simplified and further guidance, including resource people will actually be helping the team.  I can make myself available to take this specific issue further.

 

Also I am no longer expecting explicit overall leadership from this organisational grouping in connection with such programming.  This is merely a revised proposal subject to confirmation at a next meeting.  I want these organisations to collectively give their attention to what do they actually WANT from such programming (e.g. esp to help support the Project SPV) and ‘throw’ such requirements and conditionalities back at myself and our team to find the necessary means (funds if possible), structures and partners to deliver that. The structures we have proposed can surely be segmented if necessary.  I am personally looking for some kind of brokering mandate for myself and I propose, those in our team prepared to take this on.  The need is there, it’s a matter of defining, packaging and selling our solutions to also attach other partners.  This also might enable us all to keep this progressive, phased and actually realistic.  But it is only fair that consideration is also given as how the non-organisational reps like myself are actually compensated for this.  I will be making similar proposals to other core team members.  But then I want to ask that we reconvene in not more than 2-3 weeks time.  Our next group discussion should then be an interesting one!  

 

Also I am now hard at work in preparation to visit Bulawayo and Harare Zimbabwe in the week commencing the 7^th October.  Other sources of soft funds have emerged and the means to get to actual ‘work’, and better still ‘enabling’ has also improved.

 

I think that it is only fair that what-ever comes up from inter-actions in coming weeks depends either on ownership being taken at such meetings or being brought back to this grouping before it is taken elsewhere.  We as core team members need to be allowed to seek interested partners with those interested and available.  The provision is that further extended meetings are convened, like those proposed on Wednesday afternoon.

 

Lastly I provide an attached zip file that provides the electronic linkages (Google groups and Dropbox) to remain connected and aware of what initiatives I am continuing to take.  They contain a lot of background and especially key emails in the google group links.  I am not making any explicit references to or raising expectations about yourselves other than stating that I am trying to work with yourselves. 

 

I trust this is all acceptable and or please engage me directly with any counter suggestions.

 

Regards,

 

Nigel Lowe

Infrastructure Management & Development Services

(Now trading as “SAIMIC” for Service, Support, Integrity)

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