Presidents Message

Dear Colleagues

At the beginning of a brand new year, one automatically reflects on the past year, and contemplates what 2012 will bring. I am sure you will agree that 2011 was a very eventful year for our industry, which started with the influx or growth of illegal / unregistered mobile practice, and ended with the National Health Insurance submission, finalization and adoption of our democratic constitution.
 
Economists predict that 2012 will be a tough year, that we need to continue to tighten our belts, and as an optical industry we will have our fair share of challenges, e.g. Medical aid scheme 2012 optical benefits reduction, increased member co-payments. Fortunately the majority of economists remain optimistic about the resilience of our economy, and some even predict that by the end of 2012 the South African economy might be stronger than is considered possible at present.

2012 is an important year to accelerate the SAOA strategies; we will continue to focus much of our future effort on the growth of the association and further improvement of communication with our members and stakeholders.

Time is passing by quickly, and soon it will be time for nominations and elections of the board and our annual general meeting. I hope that you will choose to become involved in the election process and our programs. Please make plans to attend the AGM. I promise it will be a great learning and networking experience.

My wishes for us for 2012 is therefore that we will seize the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead, that we will persevere, strive towards excellence, capitalize on positive news and celebrate our achievements, notwithstanding the hardships. And on a more personal note: my wishes for you for 2012 are that you and your loved ones will enjoy good health, that you will find inspiration, meaning and happiness in your lives, and that you will savour the good times! May 2012 pleasantly surprise us!

I look forward to working with all of you again in the New Year.

Lebo Ntlabathi
SAOA President