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Left: De Beers Central Power Station atKimberley - March 1951.Bottom left: A general view of the VaalPower Station in 1944.continued from page 21Many of the electrical engineers had come to South Africa fromBritain where they had been trained and, as one engineer remarkedin the early 1900s, the Rand “is undoubtedly the greatest electricalcentre in the World, with, I believe, Newcastle (in England) a fairsecond. . .”.At that time, being an electrical engineer in South Africa was notwithout its hazards and the first 11 obituaries recorded by the SAIEEshowed that only one person had lived to beyond 70 years of age.Most of the other deaths were among men (only men were electricalengineers in those days) in their 60s and even one of South Africa’sown electrical pioneers, Hubert Davies died prematurely in 1918 atthe age of 60. By then he’d made a fortune but, more importantly, hadleft a really valuable legacy by spreadingelectricity to all but the remotest partsof southern Africa.Much of the SAIEE’s early activities– and, I suppose, those of its members,too – were devoted to power engineering but by 1921, followingsignificant advances in radio-telegraphy, a specialist section of theInstitute was formed to monitor and advise on developments in thisspecialised field.This approach has remained a hallmark of the SAIEE over theyears with specialist groups being formed to keep pace with the manyrapid changes and advancements that have confronted the membersof the SAIEE.Du Toit Grobler, the SAIEE’s President in its centenary year,reaffirmed the objectives of the Institute today during a road showand tour of all the SAIEE centres in South Africa. He says that whilethe constitution of the SAIEE has been changed and amended overthe years its objectives today remain very much the same as thosethat were adopted at the first Annual General Meeting in November1909.Today these objectives are:• To advance electrical engineering and associated sciences andtheir applications.• To promote and uphold the professional standing of members ofthe Institute and provide career guidance for younger members.• To promote publications and other works pertaining to electricalengineering and associated sciences and to recognize the merits ofsuch publications and works.• To promote the investigation of electrical and associated matters.• To lead, direct and influence policy in electrical engineering andassociated matters in the public, private and educational sectors.• To promote and advance education and training in electricalengineering and associated sciences in southern Africa.• To identify and promote the use of creative methods of applyingelectrical engineering and associated sciences in the interest ofthe southern African community.continued on page 25June 2009 23