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Blind SA Office Bearers

 

President: Ntshavheni Simon Netshituni

Ntshavheni from Pretoria in Gauteng, matriculated at Filadelfia Secondary School in 1994 and now has a LLB Degree from the University of South Africa (UNISA) and is currently studying for his Master in Laws – Human Rights.

 

Other Qualifications:

  • Labour Relations and Labour Law Management – 2015
  • Fundamentals of Project Management – 2013

Since 7 July 2008 he has been employed at UNISA as a Transcriber/Proofreader.  Previously he was employed at Blind SA as a proofreader.  From 2007 to 2013 Ntshavheni was also occupied in the translation of text books and Government documents with a company called Lovely Skills on an informal basis.

Other Activities and areas of responsibility:

  • Represented UNISA and presented a paper at the 7th Africa Forum for the Visually Impaired in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 2019
  • Facilitated the review Policy on Students with Disabilities at UNISA – 2019
  • Developed a Memorandum of Understanding between the South African Braille Authority (SABA) and the South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB), setting up a Braille Museum – 2019
  • Prepared a disciplinary report involving staff of Blind SA – 2018
  • Chairperson of the South African Disability Alliance (SADA) – 2017
  • Deputy Chairperson of the South African Disability Alliance (SADA) – current
  • Member of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJCD) Intersectoral Task Team on Accessible Children’s Court – 2015 to date
  • Attended the Mid-Term meeting of the International Council on English Braille (ICEB) in Dublin, Ireland – 2018
  • Represented South Africa at the 6th General Assembly of the International Council on English Braille (ICEB) in Baltimore, Maryland, USA – 2016
  • Chairperson of the bylaws committee of the International Council on English Braille (ICEB) 2016 to date
  • Chairperson of the policy committee of Blind SA reviewing all policies governing the organisation – 2016 to date
  • Acting Deputy Director Unisa (ARCSWiD): 30 March 2015 to 07 April 2015
  • Chairperson of the National Co-ordinating Committee (NCC) of the National Information Officers Forum (NIOF) – September 2015 to April 2016 (resigned)
  • Co-opted member of the National Information Officers Forum (NIOF) Co-ordinating Committee: March 2015 to date
  • Member of the Board of Directors South African Disability Alliance (SADA-NPC) – September 2015
  • Member of the South African National Council for the Blind’s Education Sub-committee – 2014 to date
  • Member at large of the Executive Committee of the International Council on English Braille (ICEB) – 2014
  • Member of the Braille Cup organising committee – 2014 to 2015
  • Represented the visually impaired kids at the Department of Social Development’s Meeting with the Minister: 2 March 2015
  • Represented the South African Braille Authority at the Round Table talk with the Minister for the Department of Basic Education (DBE): 01 April 2015
  • Acting President (Blind SA): 11 February 2015 to 03 March 2015
  • Vice Chairperson Unisa Employee Disability Forum (UEDF 2014 to 2016); Shop steward NEHAWU (Unisa): 2014 to date
  • Member of Blind SA’s Advocacy & Information Committee: September 2014 to date
  • President – The South African Braille Authority (SABA): 2014 to date
  • Convenor (SABA’s Advocacy Committee): 2013 to date
  • Served as vice-president of the South African Braille Authority (SABA): May 2012 to May 2014
  • Elected Vice-president of Blind SA: June 2012 to date
  • Communications & Liaison Officer; Unisa Employee Disability Forum (UEDF): April 2012 to September 2014
  • Appointed member of the National Coordinating Committee (NCC) of the National Information Officers Forum (NIOF): 2011 to 2013
  • Member: Careers Committee of Blind Sa: 2010 to date
  • Member: Constitutions Committee of Blind SA: 2010 to date
  • Chair of the subcommittee developing and reviewing policies of Blind SA 2016 to date
  • Chairperson: Chairpersons Forum: Blind SA: 2009 to September 2014
  • Member: Braille Advocacy Subcommittee: Braille South Africa {BSA}: 2008 – 2010
  • Member: Braille South Africa: {A braille standard setting body IN S.A}: 2008
  • Chairperson: Advocacy Committee: Blind SA: 2008 – 2012
  • Vice Chairperson: Blind SA’s Advocacy Committee: September 2012 to September 2014
  • Trustee Board member – SABWO Trust: 2008 to date
  • Blind SA representative to the SANCB biannual conferences (2009 & 2011); Chairperson: Vukani Ma-Afrika Blind SA Branch: 2008 to July 2014
  • Member: Executive Committee: Blind SA: 2008 – 2012
  • Drafted the Constitution for the Association of Students with Disabilities for Advocacy and Resource Centre for Students with Disabilities (ARCSWiD), a directorate at Unisa : 2010
  • Developed terms of reference for Unisa’s Regional Forums for students with disabilities
  • Developed and worked on the improvements of policies for ARCSWID (UNISA) : 2009 to date;
  • Delegate to the Human Rights Commission on Behalf of Blind Learners in S.A: 22 JULY 2009
  • Delegate to Gauteng Disability Forum; Policy Development: 2009
  • Participated at the 2017 discussions on the fight against femicide – 20 June 2017
  • Served as Shop Steward (BLIND SA): 2005-2008
  • Regional Executive Committee Member (CEPPWAWU): 2007-2008
  • Chairperson: Disabled Student Council: University of Venda {UNIVEN}: 2002 – 2003
  • Deputy Chairperson: Working Committee: Filadelfia Secondary School (1992 – 1993)

 

Contact Details:           president@blindsa.org.za

Mobile phone:             076 930 2661

 

 

Vice-President – Christoffel (Christo) de Klerk

Christo from Alberton in Ekurhuleni Gauteng, matriculated from the School for the Blind in Worcester, now known as Pioneer School for the Visually impaired in 1967.

He obtained his BA (Law) Degree in 1970 and his LLB Degree in 1972 at the University of Stellenbosch, and ran a private practice as an Advocate at the Cape Town Bar from 1973 to 1979

Career

  • From July 1979 to June 1985 he worked as a Computer Programmer at Standard Bank in Johannesburg and was one of the first class of three blind computer programmers to be trained at Standard Bank.  This training was a joint venture of the SA National Council for the Blind and Standard Bank.
  • From July, 1985 to December, 1988 he worked at the Pioneer School for the Visually Impaired in Worcester. Christo’s job there had two major components, namely: he had to initiate computerised braille production and develop a braille translation table for Afrikaans braille and taught various computer subjects for learners from standard 5 up to post matric, mercantile law for standards 8 to 10 and braille for some of the lower standards. He was also instrumental in setting up an agreement with Sanlam for the joint training of computer programmers and their employment at Sanlam.
  • In January 1989 he joined the then United Bank (now part of Absa Bank) as a computer programmer until retirement at the end of October, 2012.

 

VOLUNTEER WORK
Founding member and the first chairman of the Peninsula branch of the S A Blind Workers Organisation (now Blind SA) and also at various stages served as chairman of the Western Cape, Witwatersrand and Egoli Blind branches. He has served a term as vice president of Blind SA and has served on its executive and head committees for extended periods.  He has also served periods on the national executive of the S A National Council for the Blind and is currently an exco member of the South African Braille Authority which is the braille authority and standard setting body for braille in South Africa. He is also the Immediate Past President and also serves on various committees of the International Council on English Braille (ICEB and served on the committee which developed the new Unified English Braille Code (UEBC) since 1991 until its international adoption in 2004.  Christo developed braille translation tables for all South African languages for the Duxbury Braille Translation System and for Afrikaans for the LibLouis Braille Translator for which he is currently creating a table for isiXhosa/isiZulu.  He has also created an Afrikaans braille translation table for the MBraille iPhone app.

 

INTERESTS
Main interests include:  Languages: German was one of his matric subjects and he studied Xhosa for two years and Latin for one year at Stellenbosch University. Later he studied Spanish at Unisa and is now studying Norwegian and French privately. He has three as yet unpublished manuscripts, translations from Spanish into Afrikaans: a selection of poems by Federico García Lorca, a volume of the poetry of Pablo Neruda and a novel by Pío Baroja.

Reading: Christo’s favourite authors are John Fowles, Fyodor Dostoevsky and Victor Hugo.

Music: He took classical guitar lessons for about six years using braille music.

Chess: In 1992 he played chess in the International Braille Chess Olympiad in Majorca on board two of the South African team. While working for Standard Bank, he also regularly played for the Standard Bank chess team in the Insurance League.

Braille: Apart from the fact that he has been a braille user since he started to school, he developed a keen interest in braille and have maintained a close involvement in braille related matters over many years. This includes overseeing braille production at Braille Services, braille teaching and training, braille promotion and development, development of translation tables for all our local languages for the Duxbury Braille Translation system, serving in and later chairing the braille authority and more than 20 years involvement in the work of ICEB, especially the development of the Unified English Braille code.

Contact details:      cjdk@mweb.co.za

Mobile phone: 082 822 2706

 

 

TREASURER – FREDERIK (DERICK) A GREEFF

Self Employed: 1979-2013

Position Held:  Very successful Private practice in physiotherapy, 1979-2013

VOLUNTARY POSITIONS HELD:

  1. Executive Committee, South African Blind Workers Organisation (now Blind SA): 1996-2020 as Treasurer of the national organisation
  2. SABWO Trust: 1997-2020, Initiator and Chairman (1997-2004) and again from (2006-2020 now acting Chairperson) of this investment trust of Blind SA.
  3. Braille Services Trust: 2004-2006: Member and Treasurer of the Board of Trustees.
  4. Board of Management, Cape Town Society for the Blind. Member of the Board of Management and the Management Committee – Treasurer 2009-2017.
  5. CTSB Trust: 2000-2020: Member of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of this Investment Trust for the Cape Town Society for the Blind.

 

Contact details:            treasurer@blindsa.org.za

Mobile phone              079 871 7601