Columns News for SAPREF people, neighbours and other stakeholders March 2013

Boost for HEALTH and WELFARE in SOUTH DURBAN

Ms Tessa Beaunoir, Manager of Blue Roof, receives a plaque from the MEC of Social Development, Wenziwe Thusi, and SAPREF’s MD, Robin Mooldijk.

Communities in and around Wentworth will now have HIV/AIDS services delivered to them

more reliably thanks to renovations to the Blue Roof Wellness Clinic undertaken by the SAPREF oil refinery. The clinic provides a comprehensive suite of AIDS-related care, treatment and support programs to more than 1900 people.

The renovations to Blue Roof Wellness Clinic form part of several projects that SAPREF, together with KZN Social Development MEC Weziwe Thusi, hand-ed over to South Durban communities at the end of last year as part of the oil refinery’s contribution to national initia-tives like World AIDS Day on December 1, World Disability Day on Dec 3 and

school at McCord Hospital.• Sponsorship of dance equipment and painting /renova-

tion of the premises of the Wentworth Arts and Culture organization.

In addition to the above projects, three NGOs were also the happy recipients of properties from SAPREF. Mzamo Child Guidance, Durban Child Welfare and SOS Children’s Villages now have homes for the vulnerable children that they look after.

Speaking at the launch, SAPREF’s Managing Director, Mr Robin Mooldijk, said: “The projects are part of SAPREF’s broader social investment programme and are aimed at uplifting social services and improving the quality of life for SAPREF’s neighbours. They represent our commitment to sustainable community development.”

the 16 Days Campaign for No Violence against Women and Children, which ended on Dec 10.

With a total investment of over R1.5millon, the projects include:• A Toyota Quantum minibus, an alternative exit to ensure

safety of residents in case of an emergency as well as a generator for alternative power in case of a power out-age for Umlazi Christian Care Society.

• Air-conditioning units for Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital.

• A community bakery for Lamontville HIV/AIDS Centre. • A library for a pre-school and aftercare centre for the

Malukazi Community Outreach organization. • School uniform vouchers for St Monica’s Children’s

Home on the Bluff.• A fully equipped computer laboratory for the nursing

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Long SERVICE awards

Ralph Adair with Managing Director Robin Mooldijk.

20 years: Warren Knowler, Rotating Equipment Engineer

30 years: Claudia Jali, Laboratory Technician

30 years: Alla Maheshwara Naidoo, Team Leader

30 years: Henry Manana, ICT Business Analyst

Congrat-ula-

tions to the staff members shown on this page who have received long service awards.

Forty years ago on 22 January 1973 Ralph Adair, Turnaround lead for contracts, started his career with SAPREF at the age of 17 as an instrument apprentice. He shares some of his memo-

ries:

My journey at SAPREF: I was promoted to instrument artisan after passing the government trade with B grade. I was later promoted to foreman for instrument projects in the SAPREF field project group. Later I was seconded to the new control room as an Instrument/supervisor for the installation of the field infrastructure between the Field Auxiliary room and the new control room. The highlights of my career at SAPREF have been the commission-ing of Demin 3 on utilities, which was the first Demin unit that per-formed to design specifications and ensured that we had a secure supply of Demin water for SAPREF boilers. Moving to procurement section as a specialised instrument/electrical buyer was another highlight. During this period I studied a Purchasing Management diploma.

To my colleagues, we have shared good and bad times but at the end of the day we have succeeded even in extremely demanding situations.

Down memory lane with Ralph Adair

To my younger colleagues, if you are not sure always feel free to ask, experienced colleagues are available to impart expertise.

Some great moments in my personal life include when my wife and I adopted two girls in 1990 who were siblings. At that time we were only the second couple in the history of Durban Child Welfare to adopt siblings in 1990 and 1992.

30 years: Karl Hyder, Rotating Equipment Technician

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From left, Regan Jean-Pierre: Operations Coach, Charity Mkhize, Contractors and Engineering Coach, Nonhlanhla Simamane, BBS Administrator, Msizi Msomi, Maintenance Coach and Jayson Nadarajan, Front Line Leader Coach

SAPREF has introduced a new process called BBS following

the success of a similar pro-gramme on one of SAPREF’s High/Medium risk contrac-tors. “In 2012 we introduced a Behavioural Based Program (BBS) with our High/Medium risk contractors. The programme is called Eyethu and it was suc-cessful in creating a culture of intervention which resulted in a steady decline in injuries”, says John van Belkum, HSSE manager.

During the BBS process, a trained observer will observe a colleague for safe behaviours and at-risk behaviours while executing the task. Further to the observation, support and reinforcement of safe behaviours is provided and at-risk behaviours will be dis-cussed to collectively seek ways to enable safe behaviours. “We hope that BBS will help us to change people’s behaviour so that working safely becomes the culture at SAPREF”, added David Radebe, SAPREF’s safety man-ager.

The Despatch section of OMUTDE has started 2013 on a very high note after achiev-

ing their 2012 milestone of the high-est record of the bitumen supply.

Said Simphiwe Mazibuko, OMUDTE Production Unit Manager, “I am finally the bearer of good news. Congratulations to the OM/Despatch and NZ teams for achieving a record on Bitumen Supply. I would also like to thank my team for the constant nagging to OM/Despatch and for looking after the customer require-ments and technical support on the critical units relating to this mile-stone.”

Over 200 000 tons of bitumen were supplied to the market in 2012; the previous best was in 2010 with 186 000 tons. Simphiwe Mazibuko attributes this great milestone to

Left:The team behind this remarkable achieve-ment.

Safely distributing over 200 000 tons of bitumen

Maturing SAPREF’s safety culture throughBehavioural Based Safety

OMUDTE’s staff who are always will-ing to go an extra mile, the availability and reliability of equipment and load-ing flexibility.

“We are hoping to achieve a record loading demand even during a Turnaround year”, Simphiwe con-cluded.

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Year-end event: They

Good Fellowship: Christopher Nyawo

Maintenance and Production: Karl Hyder

Engineering: Mark Meyer

Maintenance team: The Services Department con-sisting of Joseph Mthembu, Gavin Benjamin, Faisal Mansur, Andrew Ryan. Not in picture: Bradley Parsons and the late Derrick Ngcobo.

HR and Sustainable Development: Leonard Mbokazi

Good Fellowship: William Qwabe

Commercial: Sandile Nxumalo

HSSE: TC Arnachellam

Achiever: Casmir Memela

Technology/Organ-isational Capability Improvement (OCI):Carmel Smith

Good Fellowship: Penwell Makhathini

Finance/C&P: Simone de Bruyn

HSSE: Denise Luteijn

Technology/ Organisational Capability Improvement (OCI) team: PFU water investigation team of Pravin Naicker, Alan Chetty, Benu Nirmal, Nipho Khathi, Rajesh Singh, Ronnie Pillay and Mehmood Seedat.

S everal SAPREF employ-ees were honoured for exceptional performance in various categories in

the annual staff year-end parties. The parties, which were held in November are an annual high-light for many staff and their part-ners as it is an opportunity to let their hair down and celebrate the end of another year for SAPREF.

The people shown on these two pages won the award in the category mentioned, and were honoured for going the extra mile in 2012:

HH

H H H H

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shone at the STAR Awards

Production team: Island View Shift 2, Seated from left (from the front): Lindani Mhlongo, Stephen Ndlovu, Shailen Mahabeer, Sibusiso Maphumulo and Charity Mkhize. Standing from left: Jayson Moodley, Ryan Holmes, Veenal Praamraj, Raymond Moodley and Nhlanhla Dangazele. Not in picture: Ncamisile Mnyandu, Siyabonga Msomi and Mxolisi Mchunu.

Engineering team: Turnaround team, seated: Daniel Segope, Steven Green, Ngi Mkhize, Trevor Bennie; stand-ing: Ravi Pillay, Sagren Frank, Brian Fredericks, Trevor Jafter, Sifiso Dladla.

HHH

Production team: Central Zone Shift 4, front from left, Moeketsi Mofokeng, Nhlanhla Sibisi, Mlungisi Mthethwa, Tiara Barlow, Ashmeer Dewraj; back from left, Tsepang Machili, Rudy Reddy, Feedha Cassim, Innocent Shabalala, Jitesh Singh.Not in picture: Cleaveland Alexander, Slindokuhle Mbatha, Fikile Malishe, Thando Mbele.

At the award ceremony, SAPREF staff enjoyed live entertainment by Khaya Mthethwa, above, winner of South African Idols 2012, Season 8; and a battle of Durban best DJs, DJ Lekomoshini of Igagasi 99.5 and DJ Deon of East Coast Radio.

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Some of the GE club members with the staff from Feed The Babies Fund.

Dressed casually were Franco Forno, Elmaree Landers, Des van der Merwe and Norman Warren.

SAPREF ladies behind the Bandana Day.

The giving spiritIn 2012 SAPREF launched a staff social investment

programme aimed at encouraging staff to get involved in community related initiatives.

Through this programme called SERVE, SAPREF provides matching funds to employee teams who make a financial or physical contribution towards improving conditions in various communities. We take our hard hats off to members of team SAPREF who touched many lives through the several projects:

CASUAL DAYIn support of Casual Day, the Commercial team adopted three NGOs from the neighbouring com-munity that work with and support people with disabilities. Through the sale of casual day stickers on site, the team raised R10 000 for these NGOs, which was then matched by SAPREF, thus contribut-ing R20 000 to the Casual Day effort.

BANDANA DAYThe Sustainable Development team adopted the Bandana Day project which is one of the fundrais-ing initiatives of the Sunflower Fund. The Fund aims to educate and recruit potential bone marrow stem cell donors. The team raised R10700 through the sale of 535 bandanas. SAPREF matched the amount and a total of R21400 was donated to the Sunflower Fund.

FEED THE BABIES FUNDThe SAPREF Graduate Engineer (GE) Club initiated a fundraiser in support of the Feed the Babies Fund, which is a non-profit charity organisation that pro-vides meals and other items to orphans and vulner-able children in the rural areas, informal settlements and townships of KZN.

A whopping R14 000 was raised through contribu-tions by SAPREF staff and contractors. This amount was matched by SAPREF with the overall donation being R28000.

FOOD FOR THOUGHTA team of twenty staff from various departments at SAPREF started the Food for Thoughts project in 2011 and it continued in 2012. Through this project the team managed to raise R18 000 and cooked

lunch for 1200 learners including teachers at Windy Heights Primary School. SAPREF matched these funds by assisting the school with lunch benches and tables for the learners.

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of SAPREF staff

ECR WINTER WARMTH BLANKET COLLECTION DRIVEThe ECR winter warmth blanket collection driven by Simone de Bruyn was enthusiastically sup-ported by SAPREF staff and contractors. The programme is run by ECR and aims to collect blankets that can be distributed to people who desperately need to shield them from the winter months. In total 2489 blankets were donated.

The team behind the ECR winter warmth blanket drive.

Some of the staff from Haven Of Rest.

Thulani Majola with learners from Umlazi Secondary School.

THE DIGNITY PROJECTIn late 2011, a group of SAPREF women realised that in many needy schools young girls lose up to a week of schooling during their menstrual cycle because the family can’t afford sanitary pads and the best solution in eyes of the parent is for the girl to stay at home at this time. With this in mind, the Dignity project was born, an initiative whereby SAPREF women voluntarily donate sanitary pads monthly or as often as they like. Since the start of this project, SAPREF has done distributions to several schools and, thanks to the SERVE programme, the ladies were able to support more needy schools. SAPREF ladies also raised funds for school uniforms for learners at Ingonyameni and Isikwelo Primary School.

“We realised the need to buy these school uniforms during the time we handed over sanitary pads as some of the learners did not have school uniforms”, said Mbali Thabede.

MATRIC MATHS MADE EASYMembers of the SAPREF Engineering and Technology team started the Matric Maths Made Easy (MMME) project to provide extra maths lessons to grade 12 learn-ers. The team spent more than 20 Saturdays at Umlazi Secondary School helping matriculants from schools in Umlazi. All this passion and effort did not go in vain as at the end of 2012, Umlazi Secondary School produced 9 distinctions in Maths Higher Grade. The school was recognized as the top performing school for maths in the district and they received formal acknowledgement from the Department of Education.

HAVEN OF RESTIn November 2012, a team of eleven SAPREF employees from var-ious departments led by Vikes Jedidiah contributed money, cloth-ing and appliances to the value of R9 000 that SAPREF matched and handed to Haven of Rest in Tongaat. The matching funds were used to support the organization with tiling its premises to uplift the look and feel of the organisation. Haven of Rest is an institution that cares for the needs of the community and runs an orphanage, old age home, a school, medical centre and a hospice from their premises.

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Whatever your task during the Turnaround, do it safely.

Safety will come firstat upcoming TurnaroundSAPREF’s biggest Turnaround (TA)

on North and South Zone starts on 26 April. “The TA is an event where units are shutdown to restore integ-rity of equipment and to implement projects. The entire facility will be closed down for 56 days,” says Chris Kalaba, SAPREF’s Turnaround Events Manager.

The main activities at North Zone are the replacement of a 4-metre section column, C4101 and for the Central zone it is the refractory replacement in the regenerator R6102. The key projects will be the catalyst unload-ing lines, the prevention of liquid carry over, substation MV and LV gear

Pretty Dlamini

Over the past five years, Pretty Dlamini has notched up several

firsts. She joined the SAPREF learnership programme in 2004 and after that started what is shaping up to be a successful career in SAPREF. In 2010 she became the first female Senior Process Technician and last year she became the first female clear-ance issuer for SAPREF.

She notched these successes while studying part-time for a degree in environmental stud-ies through the University of KwaZulu-Natal. “I have always been driven by my personal

growth and development and this degree is in line with my work experience and where I want to be,” she says.

Her biggest focus now is to ensure that SAPREF has a suc-cessful Turnaround. “For the 2013 Turnaround I will be a clearance issuer/focal point and I will also be responsible for the execution of all jobs at unit 6250,” she explains.

In her personal time, Pretty enjoys spending time with her family. She says “While it’s difficult to balance shift work and home life, as a fam-ily we try to make the best of it.”

PRETTY keeps notching up firsts

Eight high-achieving matriculants from South Durban schools received bursaries

from SAPREF to study chemical, electrical or mechanical engineering as part of the refinery’s talent pipeline program.

The bursary recipients recently passed grade 12 with flying colours at schools in Amanzimtoti, Isipingo, Umlazi and Wentworth. They are now studying at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The total value of the bursaries for the four-year course is over R2 million for eight students, and it includes tuition, examination cost, residence fee, meals, books, laptops and a monthly allowance. SAPREF has also intro-duced the ICAS program that is also used internally by staff for employee assistance, wellness programs and psycho-social sup-port.

“SAPREF sees this programme as a holis-tic intervention which will create a pool of skilled young engineers for both the organisation and the country”, said Lindiwe Khuzwayo, SAPREF’s organisational sustain-ability manager.” Such projects form an integral part of SAPREF’S efforts to nurture talented youngsters from SAPREF’s neigh-bouring communities,” she concluded.

upgrade and MN column C6403.

“Through learnings from 2011 TA, we have introduced the Equipment Focus Team (EFT) concept that will dedicate resources to specific equipment without cross-contami-nation”, added Chris. He goes on to say: “Safety will continue to be our number one priority for this event and to ensure that we have an incident free TA we are giving craft and supervi-sion leadership skills ranging from Front Line Leadership, Behavioural Based Safety and practical training at Durban South Training.

Bursaries awarded

They learned more about retirement at a workshop.

Retirement workshop held The first-ever retirement workshop was held in January at

SAPREF for SAPREF employees who will soon be retiring after many years of commitment to the company. “We have divided this workshop into three steps. The first step is to explain the internal processes of retirement as well as post- retirement benefits. The second step is to look at financial advice and different investments products that are in the market and for the last step we will look at psychological preparedness,” explained Nozipho Ndhlovu, SAPREF’S remuneration and benefits Officer.

The annual luncheon for SAPREF pensioners was held at Elangeni Hotel in November 2012. This was a special

moment for the pensioners to catch up on the news with their previous colleagues and partners. Below are some retirees who were at the function.

She goes on to say: “In the past we only had one-on-one sessions with the retirees but this time we are giving them an overview of what to expect and they also get a chance to collectively share their concerns and expectations during the workshop.”

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Catching up with allfriends and colleagues

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Sixty-two students recently had the opportunity to experience the practical side of engineering when they worked over holidays as part of SAPREF vacation work

programme. The main aim for this program is to enable students to gain hands-on experience and to bridge the gap between theory and real life practice.

The program was structured to give students exposure to the operations of the refinery in a practical way by allowing them to work on actual projects in Electrical, Mechanical and Civil Engineering as well as Technology and Chemical Engineering. This was combined with a strong mentoring focus from SAPREF engineers and UKZN lecturers.

Said Kavita Juglal, fourth year chemical and process engi-neering student in the University of Western Australia: “Working at SAPREF gave us a chance to relate what we study at varsity with our careers. It was great to see the process in operation and the magnitude of those processes.”

Students had the opportunity to do presentations on projects that they had worked on and they were judged by UKZN Staff, SAPREF custodians and the SAPREF Leadership Team.

At the closing function, students were honoured with awards for their projects below:

Winners in Electrical, Mechanical and Civil Engineering, seen below with Gary Tate, Engineering Manager, and Albert Mabaso, Maintenance Manager

Winners in Chemical Engineering, seen below with John Harris, Technology Manager

Students get hands-on experience

Most Innovative: Faizal Mahomed and Lunga Ngcobo

Best presentation: Nkululeko Nene and Christopher Perumal

Best report: Shristi Sewpersad and Lisanne Etti

Business opportunity iden-tification: Kavita Juglal and Marushka Jawahar

Most innovative: Kirosha Pillay and Ashir Daya

Most practical application of chemi-cal engineering principles: Shristi Sewpersad and Lisanne Etti

Teamwork and support to others: Siphindile Radebe and Yovanna Reddy

Safety behaviour or intervention: Emmanuel Gande and Emmanuel Mchunu

Best presentation: Faizal Mahomed Best report: Amina Ismail

Most value to SAPREF: Lunga Ngcobo, Silindiwe Mhlanzi

Best field troubleshooting: Javed Jeewa, Mahomed Jhazbhay, Percival Mlotshwa

Most practical application of engi-neering principles: Amina Ismail

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In this edition of Columns, the doctor gives some useful tips on how to stop a headache.

Headaches are so common that it’s unlikely for people not to experience them at least once in their lifetime. That nag-ging pain can be caused by a number of factors including stress, hormones or fatigue, certain medications, diet, or some medical conditions. While the occasional headache is generally not cause for concern, in some cases head pain can point to more serious health problems so it’s important to consult your doctor if your headaches are persistent or affecting your life.

Top remedies to halt a headache

• StretchGently stretching your neck and head may relieve some of the pressure that has built up, or at least stop it from wors-ening.

• Get some shut-eyeSleeping might give your body the time it needs to release the tension. If you’re unable to sleep, try to relax. Close your eyes in a quiet, dim room.

The Doc says ...

• Go for a walkGetting some fresh air and gentle exercise may help to clear your head so if you’re up for it, go for a walk.

• Get a massageA soothing massage can help some people, so consider booking yourself an appointment.

Many over-the-counter medications target headaches, such as paracetamol, aspirin, and ibuprofen. Ask your pharmacist which is most appropriate for you and use as directed. Make sure to consult your doctor if you have any concerns.

Kickstart your financial planning

It is important to perform a ‘health check’ on your financial situation. You can start this by taking these simple steps:

1. Draw up a budget.Yes, it might seem rather simplistic, and it is. Note how much you earn, how much you spend, and how much you save, and invest. Take time each month to complete this exer-cise.

2. Establish who owns a part of your money.What is your total debt burden? Where do you have accounts open and what are the outstand-ing balances owed on each?

3. Monitor your budget and set goals.Compare your actual expenditure every month. Set goals for the following month to spend less so you have the ability to utilise more of your funds to settle the debt that you have accumulated.

4. Take action.Reduce the debt burden. Pay off your credit cards. Set a goal for yourself and monitor your progress. When you are

Rands and sense

tempted to apply for a new store card or purchase an item on credit again, take a few seconds, collect your thoughts, and ask yourself if you fully comprehend the impact that this will have on your personal budget. Only you will have to deal with the consequences of your decisions.

5. Start saving.Once you have taken control of your personal financial position and your debt, you have the opportunity to start investing your money. Contact a financial expert to help you make the right investment decisions.

6. Repeat.Persevere with these five steps.

By following these guidelines, you will be able to measure your financial success on a monthly basis. The benefits will filter into your physical and mental wellbeing as well.

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COLUMNS is the in-house magazine of SAPREF, the Shell and BP South African Petroleum Refineries (Pty) Limited, Durban, South Africa.

Editor: Londi Myeza.

For more information on SAPREF, visit www.sapref.com

It was TIME to say goodbye ....

Bob Cupusamy, OMUDTE Team Leader, retired last year after serving many years at SAPREF.

After years of commitment and hard work, Colene Campbell-Gibson, HR Administrator, finally said goodbye to her colleagues at a retirement function.

Anthony Sabela, Goods Receipt Clerk, gathered with friends and family at a farewell function when he retired after 30 years at SAPREF.

We said goodbye recently to Danny Thesan, Main Fuels Scheduler, who retired after 34 years at SAPREF.

Friends and colleagues of Amos Ngcobo, Senior Process Operator, gathered to bid him farewell when he retired after 27 years at SAPREF.

Norman Warren, ICT Network Operations Controller, with his IS Department colleagues at his retirement function. He served SAPREF for 33 years.