The Durban University of Technology’s (DUT’s) Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Registered Occupational Safety Practitioner, Lehlohonolo Mokhohlouloane, has been elected as the new President of the Safety Health and Environment Campus Association of South Africa (SHECASA), for three years.
SHECASA was established in 2012 with very few member universities and it has grown momentum yearly. SHECASA’s vision is to be the platform for sustainable relationships and standards of excellence in occupational health, safety and environmental management at tertiary education Institutions. Its aim is to promote exchange of information on health, safety and environment between SHE professionals in tertiary institutions.
Speaking about his appointment, Mokhohlouloane said he was ecstatic upon hearing the news. “Being elected as the president of SHECASA means a lot to me, since the inception of SHECASA. I am the first black president and that indeed is a sign of ensuring our (DUT’s) capabilities in the course of responsibility. I am so humbled and honoured that out of 26 universities in the country, 19 that were represented in our 2018 conference had faith in me to lead,” he said excitedly.
Further discussing his new role as president of SHECASA, he said that DUT cannot dismiss the fact that in addition to DUT’s accolades, this is one addition that cannot be overlooked. “DUT is not just a member of SHECASA, but now holds the presidency of SHECASA, which means that more work is to be done to make sure that we set a good leadership role on issues of safety,” he stressed.
As the president of SHECASA, the issues close to his heart that he feels should be given priority was of signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Universities South Africa (USAF). On 14 February 2019 this dream came true. He had a meeting with the CEO of USAF, Professor Bawa, and one of the things in the agenda was to reach a level of signing some agreement with regards to recognition of SHECASA by USAF, and after their deliberations both signed such a document.
Another issue close to Mokhohlouloane’s heart is that SHECASA should not be just a South African University Association, but a global one. “Currently, there are talks with the SADEC region to penetrate the universities thereof. I have personally been in touch with some colleagues in Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Namibia. It will be highly humbling to be able to get one country on board because we are so keen to know what is happening on the other side of the world, so that we can learn more in terms of the latest developments in the health and safety profession. In our ratings, we have realised that there are a few universities that have not joined SHECASA and we are aiming to bring them on board as a matter of urgency because without them, SHECASA is non-existent,” he said.
Apart from his appointment as president of SHECASA, Mokhohlouloane is also a member of Institute of Safety Management (IOSM) and a member of South African Institute of Safety and Health (SAIOSH).
Pictured: Lehlohonolo Phillip Mokhohlouloane, the new President of the Safety Health and Environment Campus Association of South Africa (SHECASA), with CEO of USAF, Professor Bawa.
Waheeda Peters
