SACAI Newsletter
May 2022
Coffee with Keith
Keith Maseko – CEO of SACAI
SACAI is proud to release its first quarterly newsletter for 2022 after successfully conducting the ABET and NSC October/November 2021 examinations. There is always room for improvement in conducting examinations, hence the improvement plans about the ABET and NSC divisions drafted and submitted to Umalusi for consideration in response to the Quality Assurance Reports issued by Umalusi, will assist SACAI to address and take note of the directives, areas of concern and areas of good practice experienced during the conducted ABET and NSC October/November 2021 examinations.
As part of our improvement plan for 2022 additional staff members predominantly within the NSC, division have been appointed. Moreover, the creation of a third division called Support Services is aimed at creating synergy within the organization and respectively supporting the ABET and NSC divisions. This is change is necessary to enable SACAI to be more efficient and effective in administering current examinations and possibly other examinations for qualifications within the domain of SACAI’s interest as approved by its council in the new strategy document.
Despite internal changes within SACAI, the Assessment Body still believes in taking time to remember those that need help within our communities. SACAI took time recently to donate to the Queen’s Goal that partnered with the Inner city Missions and the House of God Team to provide disadvantaged children with two food solution packages, which are the Immediate Relief Package and the Sustainable Relief Packages.
As SACAI grows; it will continue to foster relationships with its key stakeholders such as the Department of Basic Education (DBE), Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the Independent Examination Board (IEB), Online schools/distance education providers, small independent schools, organizations embarking on ABET projects and Umalusi, with the vision of empowering the nation with quality education and assessments to create a “21st-century learner” in the 4th and soon to be the 5th industrial revolution.
We wish you well for the second term of this year.
Welcome to the new faces at SACAI
SACAI is not only growing in institution and client numbers but also in new staff numbers. We are excited to have four new people join our team. They come with a lot of knowledge and experience in the education field and will be a huge benefit for SACAI and our institutions. They have a wide range of interests that will surprise you! Please meet the new team members.
Lynette Blignaut
School-based Assessment (SBA) moderation and concessions for the NSC Division
Lynette is the new SBA Specialist within the NSC Division. She is responsible for managing concessions, moderation and assisting her fellow NSC team members.
Her first impression of SACAI was that the team is very professional, accommodating and driven. The team is service-oriented and showcases a strong work ethic. The SACAI building is inviting, neat and well-equipped. This creates a conducive working environment and professional image.
Lynette lived in four of South Africa’s provinces (Gauteng, KZN, Eastern and Western Cape) and attended 9 educational institutions. She has been exposed to South Africa’s beautiful landscape and diverse cultural groups. This experience has allowed her to meet interesting people, foster good friendships, welcome travel opportunities, and become inquisitive. These experiences lead to her studies in Tourism Management at Nelson Mandela University (George Campus). She has also completed her Assessor and Moderator training.
When Lynette is not working, she is a mystery diner and personal shopper. She also enjoys colouring- in, spending time with her family and friends, exercising, watching a movie and window- shopping. She is also a foodie, appreciates art and architecture and is a Francophile. Stoffie is her dapple Dachshund and the apple of her eye. She adopted him when he was one- year old and would recommend that pet owners consider adoption as there are many pets in need of a loving home.
The schools will be glad to hear that other people describe her as someone always willing to assist or lend an ear. She has been described as a ‘Giver’. Lynette believes in lifelong learning and wishes to acquire as much knowledge as possible.
Annette Cilliers
Administrative Assistant for the NSC Division
Annette loves languages, music and dogs. She completed her BA general degree at Tuks with main subjects as Afrikaans, English and Religious studies. She also finished her Afrikaans Honours degree. Annette was previously employed as a marker at SACAI, but she said that she had no idea what to expect. It seemed like a very intense environment where it’s all work, all the time. She says “we really are nice people! With great power comes great responsibility”. At SACAI decisions that are made are not taken lightly, by any means. The integrity of SACAI as an assessment body rests heavily on the procedures and regulations that are in place. “We are not trying to be difficult; we are sticking to the rules for a very good reason”. Another thing said Annette: “There are so many unseen processes that take place on our side. It is a full-time responsibility to maintain the consistency of our organisation, as it influences thousands of students”.
Annette says that people describe her as talkative and witty. She can easily join in a conversation and, more often than not, she would end up sharing a funny story. She is also described as being sensitive because she becomes heavily invested in the situations people share with her. She is the person that will laugh, cry, celebrate or rage with you. The other side of Annette is that she has a keen interest in the morbid and macabre elements of life. She always wants to know more about things like cults and serial killers.
When she is not working, she enjoys writing about everyday occurrences that people can relate to. She is passionate about writing and putting her thoughts into words. When people enjoy her stories, she feels as if she is heard. She also enjoys playing the piano and trumpet. There are some days when she is just content with watching series and chilling with her dogs. She has four dogs – Jessie and Joe are German Pointers crossed bread with Spaniels, whilst Rudi and Jimmy are both dachshunds/sausage dogs.
Johan-Tiaan Lamprecht
Administrative Assistant for the Support Division
You might know Johan-Tiaan as JT. He has been appointed as the administrative assistant for SACAI Support Services. According to JT, SACAI is not a business or place – it’s a group of people that care about each other, where every small detail is important and the quality of the work takes precedence.
He loves working at SACAI as he strongly believes that distance education is that it is an opportunity for people who live in remote areas and do not have the means to travel to places for education, to also be able to get the educational qualification that they would like to have.
The thing most people would find surprising about him is that he prefers to work alone instead of in a group and is a very good cook. People describe him as a silent person who works very hard and a caring person. When he is not working, he Googles things that he finds interesting, plays computer games, practices playing the piano and his favourite pastime is watching action movies. He loves the outdoors and indoors equally. JT is a huge fan of watching sports such as rugby, tennis, cricket and F1. He also plays cricket for Pretoria cricket club. He is fond of outdoor activities like fishing, camping, hunting and 4×4. He describes himself as a big window shopper. JT has an African grey Parrot called Dobbie.
Morokane Rakimane
Administrative Assistant for the NSC Division
Morakane prefers to be called Mo. She is an extrovert but does not like to share too much personal information. She likes her colleagues at SACAI. She says they are very warm and welcoming. Mo is talkative, inquisitive and loves to sing. When she is not working she is studying towards her honours degree in Psychology. She currently has BA in Behavioural Science degree.
We help make the world better
BANA BA THARI MINING TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY SHARE THEIR SUCCESSES
Responding to the social ills such as illiteracy, unemployment and crime in the communities, Bana Ba Thari’s embarked on a recruitment drive for the unemployed youth who could not achieve their Grade 12 qualification. They started ABET classes to assist learners to get an exit level certificate to help them access the Learnerships offered by the local mines as well as being able to qualify for other employment opportunities.
Bana Ba Thari managed to track some of their former learners to determine if their interventions brought changes in their lives. They found that they indeed made a positive impact on their lives and brought about renewed hope for the future. Numerous learners started attending the classes from ABET Level 1 to Level 4 and then proceeded to obtain learnerships in the various disciplines such as Rock Breaking, Mineral Processing and Occupational Health Safety and Environment. Others were employed in the local mines while more learners managed to start their own small businesses after completion of their Level 4 Certificates.
Bana Ba Thari’s, Solly Tjatji said that “the working relationship with SACAI, the commitment and guidance from their dedicated staff is highly appreciated. It contributed a lot in our successes throughout the years”.
Bana Ba Thari Mining Training and Development Academy is a training provider accredited by Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA). They are is situated in Burgersfort which is within the Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipal Area in Limpopo.
SACAI helps in the fight against food insecurity
The Queen’s Goals is a socially conscious initiative, that is targeted at the upliftment of the African girl child and her community.
Food insecurity in recent years has become a rising concern in South Africa. Drought, income inequalities, and increased levels of poverty are among a few contributing factors to food insecurity in the country, paired with the 2020 Covid-19 outbreak, more households and communities have been impacted by the crisis engendered. This has deepened the existing gap between communities regarding access to basic life needs such as housing, water, and nutrition.
Nutrition is a fundamental need for children’s optimal development. Regardless of where they come from and the economic particularities, they are found in, a well-balanced nutrition influences school performance and is one contributing factor to increased odds for primary and high-school completion.
Sponsored by SACAI, Queen’s Goal partnered with the Inner city Missions and the House of God Team to provide disadvantaged children with two food solution packages, which are the Immediate Relief Package and the Sustainable Relief Packages.