Welcome to INCOSE South Africa on INCOSE South Africa Chapter

Basie Jansen

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

President #

The CHAPTER President is the senior officer and spokesperson for the CHAPTER, and the designated point of contact between the CHAPTER and the INCOSE. The person filling the position provides leadership and strategic direction. The office is an elected position, filled according to the bylaws of the CHAPTER. The standard term is five years, beginning in the elected position of President-Elect for a period of two years, followed by two-year term of office as President, and concluding in the fifth year as Immediate Past-President. The intention of this service is to provide continuity and benefit from access to the CHAPTER “memory”. The President serves as an officer of the CHAPTER and a voting member of the CMC.

Molawa Ngoetjana

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

President-elect #

The CHAPTER President-Elect assists the CHAPTER President, and when necessary, stands in for the President in his/her absence. The office is an elected position, filled according to the bylaws of the CHAPTER. The position of President-Elect is the first in a five-year progression defined in the CHAPTER bylaws. The President-Elect serves as an officer of the CHAPTER and a voting member of the CMC.

Bongani Mabuza

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Immediate Past President #

The CHAPTER Immediate Past President assists the CHAPTER President and the President-Elect. The office is an elected position, filled according to the bylaws of the CHAPTER. The Immediate Past President is an officer position with a one-year term of office following the successful completion of duties as CHAPTER President. The Immediate Past President serves as an officer of the CHAPTER and a voting member of the CMC.

Richard Shaw

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Administration Officer #

The CHAPTER Secretary (Known as Administration Officer, formulates agendas for all business meetings of the CHAPTER and the CMC, and, records the official proceedings and attendance at these meetings. The office is an elected position, filled according to the bylaws of the CHAPTER. The Secretary serves as an officer of the CHAPTER and a voting member of the CMC.

Paul Pretorius

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Treasurer #

The CHAPTER Treasurer maintains the financial records of the CHAPTER. The Treasurer guides the CMC in making purchasing and spending decisions, in accordance with strategic directions and plans of the CHAPTER and based on a sound business case. The office is an elected position, filled according to the bylaws of the CHAPTER. The Treasurer serves as an officer of the CHAPTER and a voting member of the CMC.

Alan John

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Technical Officer #

The INCOSE SA Technical Officer is responsible to guide the direction of the CHAPTER technical activities and programmes. These would include, but not limited to, leading the development of a technical strategy and associated plans for the CHAPTER. This includes the establishment and direction of CHAPTER technical working groups (WGs), ensuring technical participation of the CHAPTER in associated activities at the Central and EMEA levels, including WGs.

Stewart Gebbie

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Information Officer #

The Information Officer shall provide the means to communicate information to the CHAPTER membership and shall be responsible for the CHAPTER web site.

Tendani Ramudzuli

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Membership Officer #

The Membership Officer shall be responsible for retention and growth of CHAPTER membership.

Tseke Sydney Makola

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Programmes Officer #

The Programmes Officer shall plan and organise the CHAPTER meetings and annual CHAPTER conference.

Beyond the JOULE: What Building an Electric Car Taught Us About Systems Engineering

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0200

Many engineers dream of developing a product that changes the world, yet few have the opportunity to take an idea from a blank sheet of paper to a working vehicle. The JOULE electric car was South Africa’s bold attempt to do exactly that.

In this talk, Gerhard Swart, co-founder and CTO of Optimal Energy, reflects on the rise and fall of the JOULE and the lessons it offers Systems Engineers today. From a handful of engineers with a vision, to a team of more than one hundred people developing a world-class electric vehicle, the project became an extraordinary exercise in innovation, leadership, complexity management, and perseverance.

Delivering MeerKAT+ Science via Systems Engineering

Thu, 21 May 2026 17:30:00 +0200

MeerKAT, a precursor to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), marks a significant milestone in radio astronomy. Its capabilities are being further extended through the MeerKAT+ programme, delivering enhanced imaging sensitivity and resolution at centimetre wavelengths.

In this session, Dr Cristobal Bordiu, an astrophysicist and researcher at the INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, explored how these capabilities enable deeper exploration of complex astrophysical phenomena, including pulsar timing, mapping the Galactic centre, and the continued search for extraterrestrial signals.

INCOSE SA Q1 2026 Newsletter

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Message from the President #

I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to all members, partners and stakeholders for your continued support and active engagement with INCOSE South Africa. Through our collective efforts, we have made meaningful progress in strengthening and advancing the systems engineering community. The year 2026 presents further opportunities for growth, collaboration and impact.

Following the recent election results, we enter this year with renewed energy, committed leadership and a shared focus on excellence in systems engineering. I am encouraged by the programme of events and strategic initiatives planned for the year ahead, as these will further enhance our professional community and broaden our reach across South Africa.

Breaking the Plastic Wave

Tue, 20 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Problem Statement #

Breaking the Plastic Wave is not about fighting plastic—it is about fighting plastic pollution by creating a circular plastic economy.

Julia Quill is the newly appointed Chief Plastic Process Developer at Recycling SA (RecSA). RecSA is a large organisation with several subsidiary companies focusing on recycling aspects, including buying recyclables from informal waste pickers, who are responsible for over 51% of all recycling in South Africa.

The Trade in Donkeys

Mon, 20 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In recent years, there’s been a huge, rising demand for donkey hides in China, where they are used to make an ancient health-related product called ejiao.

Ejiao is made from collagen that’s been extracted from donkey hides. It’s the essential ingredient in products such as powders and chewable snacks which are used for health or beauty purposes. The huge demand for ejiao has led to a massive shortage of donkeys in China, and a massive increase in the poaching and theft of donkeys in Africa and other parts of the world.

Ampie's Endgame

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Hansie Steyn, 37 year old, lived in Jamestown, one of the suburbs of Stellenbosch, and was the only son of Ampie Steyn and his wife Katryn. The three of them lived together in a 3 bedroom house on a double plot in Jamestown. Ampie was born in 1935, and lived in the area his whole life. His father originally was a sharecropper on one of the strawberry farms in the area, but Ampie started working at the municipality after school. Through hard work, Ampie worked himself up to the position of foreman in the parks department of the Stellenbosch municipality. During this time, he bought the plot in Jamestown, and had the house built over a number of years. Katryn died in 2011, and he and Hansie continued living in the house.

Teaching Science

Sun, 28 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Parvati Mara has recently retired from her post as school inspector of science in Gauteng. She has dedicated her professional life to the emotional and cognitive development of children. She was a renowned and well-liked science teacher, before her promotion to inspector. Even as inspector she liked nothing better than to visit schools, observe classes and provide support to the science teachers.

She has long maintained that school children only learn optimally when their different senses are engaged, when they can play and touch things, have fun and share the learning experience with each other. This is especially true for the learning of science. However, the schools that Parvati visited were mostly severely under-resourced, and usually lacked laboratories and basic scientific instruments. As a result, teachers simply talked and children tried to absorb the learning material, with very little physical engagement with the fascinating world of science.

Better Meals for Everybody

Sat, 28 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Aamilah Slamet was a young lady from Macassar in the Western Cape. Her favourite school subjects were science and biology, in which she excelled. She had a passion for helping the underprivileged. She wanted to become a dietician so that she could make sure that people ate healthy and nutritious food.

Her parents died in a car accident when she was twelve years old and she went to live with her grandmother who supported them with her old age pension. Unfortunately her grandmother passed away while Aamilah was in grade 11. Due to financial constraints, she had to drop out of school and started a job as a packer at the local supermarket to support herself. She gave up on her dream of becoming a dietician. Instead, she decided to start a feeding scheme for the poor people of her community to make sure they had one healthy and nutritious meal a day.

Musa's Story

Fri, 28 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Problem Statement #

Musa Composano is a world renowned conductor who conducted the World Unified Philharmonic Orchestra (WUPO). Musa’s knowledge of music and his astute ability to connect with musicians allowed Musa and the orchestra to produce enthralling performances. Unfortunately, Musa was involved in a terrible accident that caused him to lose his right hand, left arm and leg below the knee. Consequently, Musa is no longer able to conduct and the World Unified Philharmonic Orchestra can no longer produce stellar performances.

Cancer Catcher System

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000

The mission of the Cancer Catcher system is the early detection of colorectal cancer. One of the biggest challenges faced by the medical profession with regards to colorectal cancer is how rapidly it takes hold and metastasises. By the time colorectal cancer is detected, it may already be too late. Currently the only sure way of diagnosing colorectal cancer is with a biopsy. The goal is not to eliminate this, but rather to find a way to test for the possible presence of colorectal cancer that will then justify a biopsy.

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Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000