Support for proposal to withhold subscriptions
ALAN PEAT
AT A special general meeting on November 24 of the Western Cape regional arm of the SA Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) it was decided by a slim majority not to divorce from the national body of the association.
This followed a series of gripes from the regional group, accusing the national body of a lack of service and communication, and the fact that it had been effectively leaderless for the past year.
However, at a record gathering of 72% of the Cape-based full members of the association, the motion to break away from the national body was defeated by a narrow margin of 27 votes to 22.
Gavin Cooper, MD of Seair Freight and past chairman of the regional association who introduced the motion, said that SAAFF in the Western Cape had prided itself on maintaining high standards of service delivery and would always act in the best interests of its members.
“The mandate from members was clear in that they wish to remain part of a unified national association,” he told FTW. “However this did not mean that they were happy with the poor service and lack of direction that has kept the national association in a state of limbo for the past year.”
Also, Cooper added, there was considerable support from the members present to a proposal from the floor to withhold national subscriptions.
This until after what was described as “a very belated annual conference” had finally been convened - which the members hoped would be in January, and where it is believed that new leadership might emerge.
But how this new leadership might transpire finds little support amongst the Cape members.
In the proposed new national constitution, it is mooted that there will be a centralised association with a board of directors.
However, FTW was told, this has proved unacceptable to Cape members who did not believe that their interests would be adequately represented in the new structure.
The proposed constitution also met with disquiet in the Cape, with members accusing it of being heavily weighted in favour of the large national companies.
