South Africa: Chief Human Resource, Vice Admiral A. Kubu held Human Resource Division Communication Period at Thaba Tshwane Hall, where all units under his command gathered.
The aim of the communication period was to give feedback to the members with regard to all Human Resource matters and hear members’ concerns, and give feedback.
Brigadier General M.A.T. Mogotsi, Director of Human Resource Divisional Staff, opened the proceedings and welcomed all members to the communication period.
External partners Sanlam, Represented by P. Louw, Capital Legacy, represented by D. Rademeyer, and Crisis Shield, represented by D. Smith, were invited to present to the members about their product offerings and the benefits they can get from these products.
Vice Admiral Kubu welcomed everyone and mentioned the long overdue communication period. He mentioned that the departmental programs had kept members of the Military Command Council very busy. Hence there have been postponements to the communication period.
“Communication as a construct is not merely the exchange of information but could serve as a foundation of trust, be a catalyst for innovation and driving force behind collective accomplishments. Even though it does not happen as often as I would like, it is important that we do have these platforms to communicate the current issues and allow for those pertinent questions to be asked,” he said.
He further informed members that the SA National Defence Force has been challenged with reduced compensation for employee allocation below the current Human Resource strength, which has a considerable negative impact on the organisation’s overall expenditure. Moreover, he mentioned that as an organisation, the SA National Defence Force is required to cover the deficit of employees’ salaries with a deficit budget.
“What seems worse is that these budgetary constraints are continuing, and National Treasury recently has warned the department of a possible 10% reduction of the allocated in-year budget for all national departments across the board. Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, these are the realities we have to face, whether we want to or not. As I mentioned earlier, unprecedented challenges aren’t because the challenges we face result from global changes, which impacts everything due to the inter-connectedness of everything.” said Vice Admiral Kubu.
In conclusion, Vice Admiral Kubu asked the members to take time to examine one important aspect of our rapidly changing world. He mentioned that these changes were inevitable and they we happening and that they will happen both in our personal and professional lives. Moreover, these challenges are going to test our resilience, creativity, determination and, most of all, patience.
“I would like to tell you about a philosophy that I very much believe in. Why not find hidden opportunities for growth, innovation, and success in these challenges? Any challenges force one to think outside the box and find alternative solutions; one should not be overwhelmed and discouraged but let these challenges shift our mindset and explore unconventional paths and seek innovative approaches we might have overlooked. Doing that often leads to personal and professional development as one is forced to operate outside one’s comfort zone.” Concluded Vice Admiral Kubu.