Department of Minerals and Energy: Women in Nuclear South Africa

On this page, you can read about:

Introduction to the charter

Strategic objectives

Working committee

General meetings and briefings

Charter of Women in Nuclear South Africa

1. Introduction

Women in Nuclear South Africa (hereafter referred to as WiNSA) is an affiliate of Women in Nuclear Global (here after referred to as WiN). WiN is a worldwide association of individuals, focusing on women, working professionally in various fields of nuclear energy and radiation applications. The Department of Minerals and Energy recognised the need to mobilise and support the involvement of women in the various nuclear-related fields within South Africa by initiating WiNSA. WiNSA supports the mission and vision of WiN by also addressing issues that impact on women in nuclear in South Africa.

2. Vision

To be the leading organisation promoting the participation of women in South Africa in the various nuclear-related fields and supporting them to realise their full potential in those fields.

3 Mission

WiNSA will promote meaningful participation of women in the various-nuclear related fields by:

3.1 Creating a national forum for women in nuclear to network in order to contribute to the knowledge and experience amongst them.
3.2 Promoting broad-based understanding of the fields of nuclear technology and application, and radiation protection through targeted public information programmes.
3.3 Promoting career interests in various nuclear-related fields amongst young people, especially among young women.

4. Objectives

WiNSA aims to achieve its vision and mission through the objectives below, to:

4.1 Identify opportunities for human resource development and training and target women and the girl child, particularly from previously disadvantaged groups, for participation in such opportunities.
4.2 Interface with Government, and organs of state, industry role-players, and institutions of learning to advance human resource development.
4.3 Maintain a database of all women in the various nuclear-related fields.
4.5 Associate with the worldwide association of Women in Nuclear and contribute to public information through participation in global WiN activities. 4.6 Establish cooperative relationships and liaison as well as mechanisms and techniques by sharing information and materials with organisations whose objectives complement those of WiNSA.

5. Membership

WiNSA is open to any individual involved in the factual promotion of nuclear technology who conducts themselves in a professional manner and pledges to adhere to the vision, mission and objectives of this Charter. Associate membership may be afforded to any organisation and individual with similar objectives to those of WiNSA. Associate members cannot vote. A membership application is required for any individual seeking to join WiNSA. The WiNSA Board may bestow honorary membership on any person who has demonstrated outstanding commitment and achievement in the fields of nuclear technology and related fields.

6. Structure

WiNSA, in the context of this Charter, refers to the national organisation of individuals. Institutional WiNSA Committees or Chapters are recognised by WiNSA and are represented in the various components of the structure and voting practices of the organisation. The constitutional authorities of WiNSA are:

The General Assembly
The Board
The Executive
The President
The Vice President
The secretariat

6.1 The General Assembly

The General Assembly is held once a year. It is open to all WiNSA members, associate members, and invited members of the public. The WiNSA President will direct and chair the proceedings. The General Assembly has the following powers:

To amend the Charter
To affirm the board members determined by the member Chapter
To elect the President
To decide membership fees should they be deemed necessary
To dissolve the Chapter

The General Assembly is most often used to provide information to the members or affirm a recommendation from the Board. A simple verbal response by the Assembly is required to conduct official business in affirming Board recommendations. In the event an issue requires a vote of the members, a role call vote of the attendees must be taken to ensure that only members are voting. Members not in attendance during a formal role call vote at the General Assembly will be permitted to cast their vote by email within 30 days. In the case of dissolving the association a more formal recorded response from each member is required. All business issues brought before the General Assembly for a vote must be the result of a Board recommendation or as directed by the President and the Executives. The location of the General Assembly is to be determined by the Board. It must rotate location to provide opportunity for all members to attend.

6.2 The General Assembly

The Board is the working core of the Association. Every recognized WiNSA chapter or institutional committee may be represented by two voting delegates. A chapter or institutional committee is defined to be a regularly meeting assembly of members in good standing of WiNSA. All such chapters or institutional committees must be officially recognized and affirmed by the Board. Recognised chapters or institutional committees must present their nominated representatives to the Board at the General Assembly for affirmation by the General Assembly. An individual may serve concurrently as an Executive and Board member, but would have only a single vote on any matter. The WiNSA President will Chair all interactions. The Board has the following powers:

To make recommendations to the General Assembly to amend the Charter
To make recommendations to the General Assembly to elect the President
To approve the appointment of Executives
To accept associate members
To establish relationships with independent organizations
To decide membership fees if deemed necessary and
To dissolve the Association.

A single delegate from each recognized WiNSA chapter or organization is recognized as the Board member and permitted to cast a single vote on business matters brought before the Board. The process for selection of the delegate is determined by the chapter or institutional committee being represented. Board members shall hold office for two years and shall be eligible for re-election for a second term only. In the event the official Board member is not able to attend a meeting, an alternate may substitute provided the WiNSA President and Secretariat are notified prior to the meeting. In addition to the chapter or institutional delegate, voting members of the Board include the WiNSA President and WiNSA Executives. The WiNSA President or WiNSA Executive may or may not concurrently represent a Chapter. The WiNSA President or WiNSA Executive will, however, be permitted only a single vote on any matter brought before the Board. A quorum of a simple majority of members must be present in a meeting for any actions to become binding. An email vote with participation by a simple majority of members may constitute a quorum in the event that a simple majority is not achieved. In a case of a tie vote the WiNSA President and Executives will determine the outcome. The only exception is in regards to any action to dissolve the Association. This action must be by 100 percent approval of the recognized WiNSA Board members prior to moving to recommend action by the General Assembly. Past WiNSA Presidents may participate in all Board activities including voting. Past WiNSA Presidents will not be included in the quorum count. The Board will conduct meetings bi-monthly in a calendar year. One of the meetings is to be held at the same time as the General Assembly. Chapters or institutional committees’ Board members represent must finance them. The Department of Minerals and Energy, as the host of the Secretariat, may be represented on the Board with one vote.

6.3 The President

The WiNSA President is recommended by the Board and elected by the General Assembly. The WiNSA President may serve a maximum of two, two year terms. The duties of the President are as follows:

Chair the general assembly
Chair the Board
Chair the Executives
Conduct the general business of the Association
Compile reports on WiNSA activities

The WiNSA President will be financed by the institution she comes from. A candidate for WiNSA President should have served on the Board and receive endorsement from the Executives prior to a vote. Candidates for WiNSA President must be identified to a member of the Executives. The candidate(s) for WiNSA President must be provided for vote to the Board at least two months prior to the identified deadline for a decision. A Deputy President will be elected amongst the Board. The role of the Deputy President will be to assist the President in carrying out her duties. In the case where the President is no longer able to carry out her duties, the Board will elect a new President. In the event that the WiNSA President is no longer able to serve, the Deputy Chair will automatically become the new President and the Board will elect a new Deputy Chair.

6.4 The secretariat

The secretariat shall be located within the Department of Minerals and Energy in Pretoria to necessitate easy consultation and interaction amongst stakeholders. The Department of Minerals and Energy will finance all activities of the secretariat in relation to the business of WiNSA. The responsibilities of the secretariat are as follows:

Assist the President in acquiring funding for WiNSA activities when necessary
Ensure communication between WiNSA and relevant government stakeholders
Maintain the membership list
Writing and distributing minutes of all meetings
Maintain the member website
Distribute general WiNSA correspondence

6.5 Finances

WiNSA proposes to work independently with as little funds as possible. Sponsors will be identified for special events and projects. The President, Deputy President, Board members and Executives will seek financing from their respective institutions to attend to WiNSA activities.

7. Charter Updates

The WiNSA charter must be reviewed and reaffirmed every five years or updated when needed. A committee comprised of Board members will be established by the request of the WiNSA President and charged with conducting a review. The committee will provide the results of their review and any recommendations to the Executives for comment, further direction before distribution to the entire Board. Any permanent changes to this Charter and By-Laws will require approval by the General Assembly.

Department of Mineral and Energy Affairs | Private Bag X59, 0001 Pretoria |
Tel (012) 317-8000 | Fax (012) 320-4327 | www.dme.gov.za