Industry Veteran Michael Pimstein elected SEIFSA President ahead of 2017 Wage Negotiations

JOHANNEBURG, 17 October 2016 – Industry veteran Michael Pimstein was elected President of the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday.

A Joint Chief Executive Officer of Capital Appreciation Limited and former CEO of Macsteel Service Centres SA, Mr Pimstein assumes the presidency of the Federation and the Chairmanship of its Board in a crucial year that will see wage negotiations taking place in the metals and engineering sector.

Mr Pimstein, who has previously served as SEIFSA President in 2006/7, replaces Transman Founder and CEO Angela Dick, who made history last year when she was elected SEIFSA’s first woman President.

At the AGM on Friday, ArcelorMittal South Africa Chief Marketing Officer Alph Ngapo and Aveng Group Employee Relations Manager Oupa Jacob Komane were elected SEIFSA Vice-Presidents. Also elected onto the new Board were Atlantis Foundries CEO Pieter du Plessis, Murray and Roberts (Power and Energy) Human Resources Executive Anthony Albert Boy and Arabela Holdings (Pty) Ltd Executive Chairman Elias Monage.

ABB South Africa CEO and former SEIFSA Vice-President Leon Viljoen continues into his second year as a member of the Board.

Mr Pimstein has more than 30 years’ experience as a senior executive in the steel, engineering and manufacturing sectors. He has also served as a member of various government, labour and business committees addressing industrial policy, growth and development plans, infrastructure requirements and investment, as well as in labour mediation and wage negotiations.

In his first address as president of the Federation on Friday, Mr Pimstein acknowledged the challenges currently confronting the South African economy in general and the metals and engineering sector in particular, and stressed the need for all SEIFSA member Associations and other stakeholders to work together.

“These difficult conditions are likely to prevail for some time since there are no signs that the world market is rapidly moving out of its weakness. We need to prepare ourselves in South Africa to do the best we can in a metals and engineering market that is not likely to exceed 4.5 million tons,” he said.

The University of the Witwatersrand’s Professor Susan Booysen was the guest speaker at SEIFSA’s Annual Presidential Breakfast, where she delivered an insightful address on the state of South African politics.

SEIFSA Chief Executive Officer Kaizer Nyatsumba congratulated the new Board Members.

“Colleagues and I welcome the new SEIFSA Board and the President and look forward to working with them. In them, the Federation is gaining a team with extensive and vast experience. I am confident that as we steer the metals and engineering sector through the current crisis and move toward negotiations, this Board will provide the necessary guidance and use its considerable leadership experience to instill confidence,” Mr Nyatsumba said.