lizinga issue 3

L i z i n g a

..means its quallity You Can Trust!!

The Dawn of A New Era

SWaSa approved...

The official magazine of The Swaziland Standards Authority (SWASA)The Standard

Standards Development“our Core Mandate”

Also in this issue: The WTO SPS agreement, why you should know it...

Mlungisi J. [email protected]

SWaSa CounCiL

Dr. Mandla MliphaCouncil Chairman

Dr. Lomkhosi L. MkhontaSecretary

CounCiL MeMberSMr. Wandile HlatshwayoMrs. Phindile Bhembe

Mr. Mluleki DlaminiDr. Nhlanhla Shongwe

Dr. Simon Zwane

The SWaSa TeaM

Administration

Dr. Lomkhosi MkhontaExecutive Director of SWASA

Mrs. Rethabile DlaminiPA to the Executive Director

Mr. Melusi SigwaneChief Financial Officer

Ms. Zandi MkhatswaAccountant

Ms. Thandiwe HlatshwayoCorporate Affairs Officer

Mr. Mlungisi DlaminiMarketing and Communications Officer

Technical department

Mr. Themba DlaminiTechnical Manager

Mr. Keneth ShongweInformation Officer

Mrs. Nqobile MasekoTechnical Officer Standards Development

Standards Developers:Mr. Andile Zwane

Mr. Nhlanhla DlaminiMs. Xolile MaphangaMrs. Nelsiwe Dube

Quality assurance department

Mr. Wilfred MdluliQuality Assurance Manager

Systems Auditors:Mr. Philip MndaweMr. Tony MasekoMs. Philie Dlamini

Ms. Phetsile Mamba

Ms. Nobuhle NkambuleConsumer Liaison Officer

SupportMrs. Zinhle Kunene

Mrs. Nqobile MakamoMr. Kwanele DlaminiMr. Wilson MhlangaMrs. Nqobile Dludlu

The Swaziland Standards Authority (SWASA) is

inSide►Just a thought!!! ►SWASA… In ThE DAWn OF AnEW ErA.►STAnDArDS DEvELOPMEnT – Our COrE mANDATE►Swaziland and standardization►Laboratory quality management systems training in India ►Standards and quality- my Indian experience►My TQM Experience in Germany ►ThE WTO SAnITAry AnD PhyTOSAnITAry (SPS) AgrEEMEnT►SWASA CErTIFICATIOn

Welcome.......Welcome to the 1st issue of 2012s Lizinga (The Standard) magazine. This issue comes at a particularly significant time in the history of the Swaziland Standards Authority (SWASA), as not only is it upon the appointment of a new Council it also coincides with the launch of our certification scheme. It was our pleasure to welcome the Honourable Minister of Commerce Industry and Trade, senator Jabulile Mashwama, for her first visit to SWASA’s new premises. This was the second time she had graced a SWASA event, as we were honoured to have had her present during the launch of SWASA’s certification scheme.

This issue not only covers SWASA’s certification scheme but also introduces you to our core business, standards development. To ensure not only the sustainability but also the credibility of the standards developed and adopted by us, this issue highlights one of SWASA’s core values, to develop its human capital. SWASA management sent the entire audit team to the Bureau of India standards, to get the training they would need to better provide services to the Swazi nation. I would rather they tell you their exciting adventures themselves.

Remember this magazine only contains but a fraction of all the SWASA’s activities for this quarter,

Lizinga (The Standards) is the Official magazine of the Swaziland Standards

Authority (SWASA):

to keep up to date will all SWASA activities you can check our website or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/szns2005).

2 i LiziNgA First Issue 2012

SWASA hosted the Honourable Minister for Commerce, Industry and Trade Senator Jabulile Mashwama who had come to visit our premises for the first time since we moved to Matsapha, the purpose of the visit was not only to view SWASA’s new operating premises but also to officially welcome new SWASA council members.

From the 13th to the 17th of August 2012, the Swaziland Standards Authority conducted Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) training at SIMPA’s Matsapha premises. Of the 185 received applications, 40 were successfully trained.

On the 16th of March 2012, the Swaziland Standards Authority (SWASA) launched its Management and Product certification scheme. The product Mark Certification Scheme allows manufacturers whose products have conformed to Swazi standards to use the ‘Ligcebesha’ Mark of Quality on their products. The scheme requires that the product complies with relevant Swazi (SZNS) standards. The Ligcebesha Mark of Quality is a symbol which manufacturers may use to promote their products and consumers seek as prima facie evidence of quality.

iN brief

First Issue 2012 LiziNgA i 3

SWASA participated in this year’s World Environment Day event held at the Royal Swazi Convention center. Quality Assurance Manager Mr Wilfred Mdluli was a guest keynote speaker at this event. SWASA has under its portfolio SZNS ISO 14001 as one of its national standards and offers systems certification to the standard.

As part of our mandate, SWASA is responsible for the dissemination of information on standards and quality principles. SWASA continues to partner with other Public Enterprise Unit (PEU) partners, like SEDCO, to spread the use and adoption of standards in manufacturing and business activities.

On the 12 of January 2012 the Swaziland Standards Authority received a visit from the Director General of the Tanzanian Bureau of Standards (TBS), Mr Charles M Ekelege. (seated 2nd from the left)

Team SWASA at this year’s Sibebe Survivor challenge. This annual test of endurance, known as Sibebe Survivor, attracts people from all over Swaziland. Well over 3,000 people gather to climb up this rock– 7km’s up and then 7km’s back to the bottom. SWASA management encourages its staff to keep in top physical shape by not only subsidizing a gym membership but also engaging them in external activities. All proceeds from the challenge are donated to charity.

SnapS


assessment has become an important component of world trade which is most often carried out by specialist organizations, such as inspection and certification bodies and testing laboratories. Third party conformity assessment, Certification, by recognized “institutions” such as the Swaziland Standards Authority, SWASA, is most preferred as it is less time and resource consuming and provides for one assessment and multiple worldwide acceptance.

That said, it is without doubt that certification offered by SWASA is instrumental towards attestation and positioning of Swaziland as an investor’s “paradise”. If Swazi businesses would use certification to international standards to demonstrate that Swazi manufactures and service providers, amongst others, take pride in producing products and offering services that meet international standards. Not only will investors flock to Swaziland but the man on the street would benefit as the products and services available to the Swazi citizens will also be of exceptional Quality.

Quality defined by ISO as “degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfill requirements” is of essence and which is importance cannot be over emphasized. Quality has to be planned for as quality is never an accident but is a result of planned regulated and controlled activities. Quality Management Systems such as ISO 9001 provide means to manage processes with the aim of meeting customer requirements. The Ingelo

Certification Scheme is a SWASA developed model of implementing SZNS ISO 9001: 2008 for the SMME sector. The scheme provides for a systematic approach to compliance with SZNS ISO 9001:2008. This is an innovative four-phase approach that allows the level of growth to increase over time. The Scheme encourages the creation of organizational learning, customer orientation, people involvement, leadership, continual improvement and the development of a quality culture.The scheme is a vehicle for SMMEs to attain the full SZNS ISO 9001:2008 certification at the end of the fourth phase, ultimately enabling SMMEs to move up the business strata and compete in the international business arena. For Swaziland to unleash the “promise” and her potential, it is without doubt that use of conformity assessment tools offered by SWASA to the business community and the incorporation of standards into the education system and the business model is a inevitable. Certification offered by SWASA is based on international standards that provide internationally accepted criteria against which such assessments are made. Needless to say, Swaziland’s competitiveness lies in her being able to offer the world services and products that meet international standards.

By Philile Nomalanga Dlamini Since International Standards (even Swaziland National Standards) ensure that products and services are safe, reliable and of acceptable quality. For businesses, they are strategic tools that reduce costs by minimizing waste and errors and increasing productivity. They help companies to access new markets, level the playing field for developing countries and facilitate free and fair global trade.” International standards are also a powerful tool for organizations of all sizes, supporting innovation and increasing productivity. In this day and age, the ability to for a country, even a company/organisation to demonstrate compliance with international standards and international best-practices is an effective means of differentiation in a competitive marketplace. Furthermore, manufacturing products or supplying services to appropriate standards improves their compatibility with those manufactured or offered by others, thereby increasing potential sales and acceptance. In addition, if consumers demanded “safe” food, goods and services, and value for their money, the conformity to standards would become pivotal. It, therefore, makes business and economic sense to produce products and/or services that meet the demands of the consumer. However, consumers may not be in a position to assess the safety and/or performance of a product/service and rely on an independent third party verification/ conformity assessment to establish such. Conformity assessment, checking that products, materials, services, systems or people measure up to the specifications of a relevant standard has become instrumental in procurement and in some cases meeting regulatory requirements. In fact, conformity

JuST A

ThoughT.


Standards for quality products and services are found in all sectors of the Swazi economy. These have to be coordinated from a central point so as to ensure that the left hand knows what the right hand is doing. This is the function of the national standards body which reports to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade. You could say that this is the best place for the national standards body (NSB) since all commodities produced, whether goods or services, inadvertently end up in commerce. With these commodities coming from all walks of the economy it becomes imperative that the national standards body becomes somewhat a centre of excellence composed of personnel with a wide range of subject expertise. Depending on the major thrusts of the economic operations, present and futuristic, the degree of depth of expertise in each subject is determined. The Swaziland Standards Authority (SWASA) is now preparing for a new era of operation and hence is going into a spring-coiling mode in preparation for being catapulted into its final stage of development into a fully matured NSB. The issues of conflict of interest presented by the integrated model are now beginning to emerge. This calls for a reconfiguration of the overall national institutional framework of Swazi SQAM which unfortunately calls for a reconfiguration of the existing legislative framework. I say “unfortunately” because from experience this is never a palatable task even to the people that prepare legislation. Matters of national quality, health, safety and environmental standards need to be supported by cross-cutting legislation that underlies the coordination all the regulatory practices, across all

government ministries, especially those that have a direct contribution to the commerce and trade of Swaziland.

The words “commerce and trade” brings to

mind a picture of the whole plethora of stakeholders in this busy arena and the way in which they have to relate and inter-relate for the benefit of the national bottom-line. It brings to mind the nature of the relationship between the public and the private sector. It brings to mind the roles of each of these two and their separate responsibilities in forming a well coordinated national trading regime. Deny it as anyone might want to, standards for quality, health, safety and environment come into play. In Swaziland it means SWASA becomes important, hence the need to continually develop this bod y into a robust, reliable and transparent NSB. Presently operating an integrated model as dictated by the Standards and Quality Act (10) 2003 the matters of conflict of interest now have to be addressed as a matter of urgency by building in the necessary firewalls between the various aspects of the business. As it is, preparations for the registration of a separate entity that will be guided by unique articles are at an advanced stage.

The formation of the National Laboratory Association of Swaziland (NLAS) is a new and exciting development instituted by SWASA. With the realization that SWASA does not have laboratories of her own, it was decided that it would be interesting to monitor the national operation of a skills resources tool such as the NLAS. The recent visit of the NLAS to the NLA- SA was a major milestone since benchmarking this new national asset was imperative. Collaboration between these two bodies will boost the Swazi laboratory practitioners profession and bring it to a level at which Swaziland through SWASA will be able to responsibly

account for all investment made in the field of testing and calibration. One major deliverable that the NLAS has for this year is the development of 3 national databases for laboratory personnel, reagents, skills, equipment and scopes of testing and calibration. This will serve as a springboard for further exciting activities on the laboratory front. The NLAS will be a forum for the whole ISO CASCO toolkit and importantly for ISO/IEC 17025. The present membership of the NLAS is quite impressive at 53 but could be better. It is hoped that the planned NLAS activities will encourage more laboratories to join the Association.

The African NSB CEO’s forum which was hosted by the SABS at Kwa Maritane at the end of February 2012 was very refreshing. Even though only 12 CEO’s of African NSB’s turned up, the discussions were thought-provoking and highly inspirational. The issue of the intellectual property that is contained in all standards can baffle and confuse anyone who is not involved in the process of standards development. The fact that huge sums of money are spent to send experts to ISO to stretch their brains for the benefit of the global citizens is quite humbling. More humbling is the amount of priceless intellect that is poured into these documents that can be used to stir whole nations. Global citizens still want to access and use the intellectual property in the standards for free. This must not happen. Standards have to be bought from ISO, and SWASA is ISO in Swaziland. The SWASA information Centre is teeming with all this intellectual property in the form of standards. SWASA can gladly report a healthy standards-sales portfolio which means that Swazi citizens have caught on to the idea that standards are not for free. At the CEO’s forum, the bone of contention was the fact that NSB’s then do not remit the royalties to ISO even though it is at a very friendly concessionary rate. Indeed an area for improvement.

Also discussed at the CEO’s forum was the imperative introduction of the

SWaSa


SWaSaBalanced Score Card (BSC) System in the running of the NSB. With the promise of impressive results, the BSC was realized to have the potential of being confusing when not properly adopted and introduced. Discussing with organizations that were established more than thirty years ago, with five times more activity than SWASA and with a staff compliment of fifty times that of SWASA, it looked very attractive to introduce the BSC as early as now. Coupled with the Internal Quality Management System of SWASA, only improved performance can be hoped for as the organization moves into the future. CEOs compared notes and realized that political interference may be a threat to the operation of a third party certification scheme. This is when political figures want the NSB to approve commodities that does not meet the specifications of standards. CEO’s lamented this as a very career-limiting exercise which they agreed leaves them with the option to abandon ship than taint their names and all the good traits they have built into the name brand of the organisation. The overall solution was proactive constant education of the legislators.

Several stories were told of indigenous technologies that normally request to be approved especially for the purpose of accessing the tender-based market. NSB CEO’s agreed that they had the responsibility not to discourage innovation and to capture innovation into the standards as the standards form a foundation for further innovation.

CEOs also lamented on the challenge of having to ignore big FDI that enter FDI hungry countries to create jobs and yet flout all the requirements of standards in terms of occupational health and safety as well as environmental protection. This is where the CEO’s agreed that they needed to conscientise FDI agents and legislators on the need for a constant consideration of standards by being stakeholders in the standards body. The clear message was that the overall

benefit for a country that welcomes FDI that flouts standards is negative. The negative effects manifest on the ordinary man on the street in terms of health safety and the environment, while the legislators have registered 100% on their performance records and have been rewarded handsomely. The highlight of the CEO’s forum was the team-building talk by Ian Thomas with his analogy to the Pride of Lions. This was a very interesting story that made me glad to realize that we do not have warthog-hunters at SWASA. We are all still hunting buffalo.

SWASA welcomes the new members of staff in the persons of Mr. Mlungisi Dlamini the Marketing and Communication Officer and Miss Thandiwe Hlatshwayo the Corporate Affairs Officer. These two young individuals beautifully compliment the team of young professional already within the SWASA ranks. We are looking forward to more activities from the marketing unit in terms of photo shoots and road shows. We are already impressed by the articles that are prepared for the Swazi News very Saturday about the new generation of

standards that we need to introduce to the country. Mlungisi has unveiled the Social Responsibility Standards as well as the Risk management one. His series of articles on the Shoppers Guide to Consumers on Everything Standard is an interesting Saturday

read. We look forward to the Energy Management Standard and the Information Security Standard as these are areas that are quite prominent in Swazi business, the latter being more important to the public sector at the moment. His arrival gives us hope that now our “Lizinga – the Standard” magazine will be out regularly every quarter.

Thandiwe already has her work cut out for her. What with the arrival of the new members of the SWASA Council. This will give her an opportunity to organize a Corporate Governance Training session, a team-building exercise, a strategic plan review session and a rehash session of all the SWASA policies and procedures, for the whole Council and management, all in a space of three months. A mouthful, but for someone with a legal background this should be a walk in the park. These two new officers will experience the teamwork that is displayed at SWASA when we organize the launch of all the SWASA services in the middle of March. The main highlight here being the launch of an operational certification scheme. By the end of that event we hope that they will feel welcome and ready to fall into line and hunt with the rest of the pride.

As SWASA moves into the 2012/13 financial year, the Authority is grateful for the continued political will behind the organization as displayed by the commitment of funds by government. Albeit not fully adequate to cover all the operational aspirations of the Authority, SWASA is Thankful for all countries that are willing to share resources with the Swaziland Authority on standards. These include the EC, India, Norway, Mauritius, Sweden, Germany and the greater SADC SQAM family. As originally envisaged in 2007 that the year 2012 would be SWASA’s year of maturity, SWASA is looking forward to a great many good achievements.■

....in the dawn of a new era.

Ms. Thandiwe hlatshwayoCorporate Affairs Officer


and Safety, Food and Agriculture, Chemicals and Textiles, Information Technology, Electrical and Mechani-cal Engineering, and Building and Construction. It is important to note that SWASA does not unilaterally decide on the standards to be devel-oped. First, SWASA receives propos-als for standards development from individual consumers, organized for-mations that are Non-Governmental, the public and private sector. These proposals are then screened and prioritized according to the prevailing economic imperatives of the country by the SAC which is a stakeholder committee outside the of the SWASA administrative structures. This is important to ensure that SWASA’s standards development programme is demand driven and will be useful to address real societal needs.

Standards development at SWASA involves bringing together experts representing different interest groups to deliberate on the contents of the standard. This is through the Tech-nical Committee meetings where about 15 stakeholders, who meet at least three times before a standard is published, discuss the contents of the standard. The TC meetings which oc-cur in a round robin fashion are called to reach consensus on issues pertain-ing to the development of standards. Since standards may affect industry and be used in public policy formula-tion it is vital that all key stakeholders participate in their development so as

By Themba Dlamini

Standards development is at the centre of SWASA’s mandate. This is because there can never be any claim of qual-ity unless there is a standard against which the quality claim can be verified. It is therefore, in this regard that the Technical Department of SWASA which consists of the Standards Development Unit, the Training Unit and the Informa-tion Centre was first to be developed and has been operational for the few years that SWASA has been in exis-tence.

The Standards Development Unit has to date facilitated the develop-ment and publication of 50 Swaziland National Standards (SZNS) with a further 41 standards already at the Final Draft Stage, being almost ready to be churned out. For its current work programme the SWASA Standards Ad-visory Committee (SAC) has approved the development of a further 51 national standards which cut across all economic sectors. These sectors are namely, Gen-eral and Services, Environment, Health

Standardsdevelopment

- our core mandate

to influence the final outcome. Once the committee has drafted the stan-dard, the general public is allowed and encouraged to request copies of the draft and make comments on it before it is finalized as a national standard. This is in tandem with Good standardization practices of the WTO TBT agreement.

Standards are technical by nature. It is for this reason that once published SWASA offers standards-based train-ing. These training courses are meant to capacitate organizations that want to implement the standards. There are nine courses that SWASA offers.

SWASA boasts of a highly competent group of instructors that have been trained internationally in organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Standards Australia, DIN in Germany, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as well as the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). The partnership with the EU Competiveness and Trade Support Programme allowed SWASA to also develop a pool of trainers in both public and private sector from which it may draw for any collaborative train-ing need that arise.

The SWASA Information Centre is the starting point for those seeking information on standards and quality matters. Being the first unit of the Technical Department to be formed,


our Information Centre. Clients looking for infor-mation on any foreign standard can be assisted by our centre.■

it has a fair collection of ISO standards available for reference. The centre also has a collection of books, CDs, DVDs and journal publications on standards and quality that can be used for refer-ence. Our Information Centre also acts as the WTO TBT Enquiry Point for Swaziland. It handles enquiries through the medium of telephone, email, letter and walk-in. Organizations wanting to purchase ISO standards can also buy them from

Standards-based Training Courses


especially for management systems standard. Adding to the multinational companies, we recently had 2 parastat-als being certified to MSS that is the Swaziland Water Services Corpora-tion (SWSC) and Swaziland Railways. The Swaziland Standards Authority as mandated by the Standards and Quality Act (10) 2003 continues to support the Swazi industry especially the SMEs in its core function of developing of national standards and maximizing the benefits of international standards through adoptions, which enhances the competitiveness of the Swazi industry putting Swaziland on the international map.There are a number of benefits that we stand to gain as a country if standards are successfully implemented across all the regions. For businesses Inter-national Standards are strategic tools to ensure that business operations are as efficient as possible, increase productivity and help companies’ access new markets. International Standards help to prevent trade barriers and open up global markets. With the number of SMEs that we have in the country, this can actually assist them increas-ing competitive advantage over local ‘big’ companies. Furthermore this can also put pressure on the companies to improve the quality of their products and in turn increase sales, which is quite a challenge for the country. In the past, there are countries that have approached Swaziland to trade with but many times we have not been able to do so. This is because most companies in Swaziland have not rightfully positioned themselves in the business of standards and quality therefore they tend to lose out on such trade opportunities. These benefits further extend to the society at large for instance, when products and services conform to International Standards consumers gain more confidence that they are safe,

reliable and of good quality. Interna-tional Standards on air, water and soil quality, emissions of gases, radiation and environmental aspects of products contribute to efforts to preserve the environment and the health of citizens. This is in line with SWASA’s mission to reduce technical barriers to trade and investment, ensure a sustainable Swazi economy and safeguard the nation’s health, safety and environment.

On a larger national scale, standards draw on international expertise and experience and are therefore a vi-tal resource for governments when developing regulations. In so doing, the integration of standards into national regulation, ensures that requirements for imports and exports are the same the world over, therefore facilitating the movement of goods, services and technologies from country to country. SWASA provides a lot of support for government in this endeavor. A large number of regulating authorities in Swaziland continue to seek international standards that they would like to refer to in legislation. For Swaziland, standards can offer an alternative to regulation, with less red tape and business costs, while still ensuring that products and services are safe and healthy.

There is no doubt that the implementa-tion of standards would put Swaziland on the globe, providing solutions and achieve benefits for almost all sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, construction, mechanical engineering, transport, information and communica-tion technologies, quality management, the environment energy and conformity assessment services transport modes, machinery and tools we use are safe. Standards reduce technical barriers to international trade, thus positioning Swazi industries to compete in the world economy.

By: Xolile Maphanga

International Standards have become such an integral component of our economic, social and legal systems and yet they are frequently taken for granted and their crucial role in a modern society is often not well recognized. There are quite a number of benefits that can be realized by a country if standards are implemented. International standards have the advantage of being backed by international consensus on the state of the art. In the business of standards and quality it is important for a national standards body to be aware of any impediments to the successful inculca-tion of standards and quality. There are several issues that need to the ad-dressed in the Swazi market for which it looks like they are caused by the lack of standardization. Particularly the standardization of ‘problematic’ products such as electric products, building and construction materials and indigenous products. The uptake of standards in a small country such as Swaziland should be easy but this is not the case. There are several reasons why this has been hap-pening such as companies citing that the cost of implementation of standards is very high versus the benefits; myths such as implementation of standards are only for the export orientated com-panies. The trend is starting to change however, as more and more companies in Swaziland are now being certified

Swaziland & Standardization


The course content included general concepts of the Laboratory Quality Management Systems, Quality Management Systems Documentation requirements,

Auditing, Implementation of ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and Accreditation of Laboratories. Presenters came from various fields including experts from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), National Institute of Training for Standardization (NITS), the department of Weights and Measures and the National Accreditation Board for laboratories (NABL). The combination of high profile experts facilitating the course signifies the commitment the Government of India has in ensuring that the participants get invaluable competence, and positions them as the best laboratory specialists.

A salient observation is that India has extensively implemented the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Standard, and has even gone to the extent of implementing technical regulations on some products such as bottled water and vehicle tyres. It was noted that all regulated

products were tested by accredited testing facilities. It was also interesting

to note that the Government of India owns laboratories that are actually accredited to this standard (ISO/IEC 17025:2005), and these are the laboratories mainly used in the implementation of technical regulations as a legitimate objective. In areas where there are no accredited government owned laboratories, the BIS on behalf of the government has in place a Laboratory Recognition Scheme through which private owned testing facilities are identified, assessed and then get included into a vendors’ list for government. The basic requirement is that each laboratory has to be accredited to

ISO/IEC 17025 and must be actively participating in a proficiency testing scheme (PTS) before it is accepted and recognized as a vendor for testing products that are regulated by the Government of India.

Other than formal learning experiences, the Government of India arranged sightseeing activities for the participants which included visits to places like the Taj Mahal, the Gate of India, to name a few. Incidentally, the period of this training coincided with an interesting Indian cultural activity called Happy Holi. Happy Holi is a cultural celebration characterized by splashing powdery materials on people. The powder is in different colours resulting in people becoming colourful and that is the fun of the game. The day on which Happy Holi is celebrated is actually declared a public Holiday in India.■

By Tony MasekoThe Testing and Laboratory Services Officer at, Mr. Tony Maseko and the Technical Officer-Standardization, Ms. Nelisiwe Phakathi attended training on the Laboratory Quality Management Systems (ISO/IEC 17025:2005 - General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories) Standard in New Delhi, India. The training took place between February and March 2012 at the courtesy of the Government of India. Swaziland was one of the few fortunate countries to be admitted for this training since this course was running for the second time. The training was administered by the government through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and the Special Commonwealth Assistance for Africa Programme (SCAAP). In 2012, the training was attended by participants from twenty developing countries which include Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Egypt, Eritrea, Gabon, Ghana, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Mali, Myanmar, Nepal, Sultanate of Oman, Palestine, Peru, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, and Uzbekistan. Participants during the training were exposed to both classroom and field experiences where they had an opportunity to see accredited testing and calibration laboratories.

Laboratory Quality Management Systems....training in india


and functions of a National Standards Body (NSB). The aims, principles, types and levels of standardization were unpacked with emphasis on the point that standards should be wanted, used and planned. This is the same approach we take at SWASA when we invite industry and stakeholders to propose and further deliberate on the standards to ensure that they will be used once they are published.

After introducing participants to standardisation focus shifted to quality assurance activities such as product certification, management system certification, hallmarking and laboratory recognition scheme. To further understand quality assurance activities there were block lectures on management system standards which include Quality Management System (ISO 9001), Environmental Management System (ISO 14001), Occupational Health and Safety (OHSAS 18001), Food Safety Management (ISO 22000), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and Energy Management System (ISO 50001).The industrial visits were a highlight of the training programme. With all the knowledge we had gained on the last five weeks we were ready to see the implementation of the standards practically. We went to four different cities namely; Jaipur, Hyderebad, Bhopal and Chandirgah. I was in the group to Chandirgah which is named the “Green City” because of its cleanliness and green environment. I visited a total of six companies who are mainly manufacturers of sowing threads, submersible pumps, LPG cylinders, valves and regulators, bottled mineral water; and milk products. This attachment provided a good

platform to see management systems implementation and how product certification is conducted. Although Quality Management System and HACCP are well implemented in the organizations, the Occupational Health and Safety of the workers leaves a lot to be desired. Most of the companies do not provide the relevant Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and the working conditions may be thought of as being not up to standard by others. The good thing is that the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is in a drive to market the Occupational Health and Safety standard to industry in order to alleviate the above problem.

It would be in order for me to express my gratitude to the Government of India, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and National Institute of Training for Standardisation for providing the opportunity to be part of the 44th International Programme on Standardisation and Quality Assurance. It was an amazing experience especially the Indian hospitality. I was impressed by the overwhelming kindness of the BIS staff. I feel the program offers excellent training and a diversity of cultural experiences for a well-rounded education. I enjoyed meeting with several participants from around the world and sharing our experiences in the field of standardization and quality assurance. Lastly, I would like to thank the management of SWASA for affording us the opportunity to sharpen our skills with international leaders in the field of standardisation. The knowledge gained from this programme will indeed help us to improve the world we live in.■

by Andile Zwane

After being selected to attend the 44th International training programme on Standardisation and Quality Assurance at the National Institute Training on Standardisation (NITS), we arrived in New Delhi, India on Sunday night, 18 March 2012. There were a total of six Officers from SWASA namely; Mr. Mdluli, Mr. Dlamini, Mr. Mndawe , Miss Maphanga, Miss Dlamini and myself. It was the most exotic place we had ever visited. Beautiful and ugly. Amazing and depressing. It was perhaps the most difficult trip I ever took and it was also the most inspiring. It was a trip in which, after I returned, I wanted to go right back. We visited a lot of places including Aggra (the site of the Taj Mahal), Lotus Temple and Himalayan to name but a few. India is a country which is full of beautiful contrasts. It is a land of rich rituals, colorful festivals and mesmerizing ceremonies, all of which transpires into a fascinating world that will live in the heart, mind and soul of all who visit.

There were a total of 41 participants from 22 different countries in the training programme. The programme was spread over eight weeks, with seven weeks dedicated to classroom instructions and one week for industrial visit. The first five weeks were for introducing participants to the principles of standardisation and, organization

STandardS and QuaLiTy....my india experiance


theory learnt in class.The full course was staggered into three sections, offered by the Saarbrücken University of Applied Sciences; TÜV Rheinland; and three different International Leadership Training consultants. Two seminars were also presented: one on the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) focusing on organisational excellence and benchmarking; and the other on Six Sigma Green Belt- statistical methods of analysis.The training comprised 15 participants from the SADC region and one from Sierra Leon, coming from different professional backgrounds – National Standards Bodies, Private sector, Public sector and Non-Governmental Organisations. The combination gave a positive environment and a challenge of different cultures and professions. This gave me a chance to learn more outside of my scope and see the world from a wider professional angle. Quality Management System, being generic as it is, seems more transparent and fun in production environments than in service provision - that is my take! German organisations have lived this system for decades now, as evidenced from the educational tours. One of which I marvelled a lot was Nepak, an automotive engine manufacturing company. They manufacture engine blocks for Mercedes Benz, BMW, Porsche, VW, and Subaru to name a few. As much as half the job is automated, the precision and diligence at which the manual work is done and controlled, gives one the urge to be part of the company. All is because of the

successful implementation, maintenance and continual improvement of the system’s efficiency and effectiveness.Process Oriented Quality Management System involves all employees and stakeholders of an organisation. Management, over and above giving direction to the organisation, should make it a point that each and every employee understands and implements his role in the organisation with the focus on achieving the organisational goals. Communication, two-ways that is, is seen as the backbone of a successful organisation but not outdone by the provision of resources to achieve the desired goal. More important topics learned from this course included employee motivation, statistical methods of analysis, supply chain management, project management, communication skills and internal auditing.After finishing the course, for four (4) months I was attached to DGQ (German Society for Quality) which has been in existence for over fifty (50) years. This organisation engages in management consulting, professional training and personal certification which focus on the design of quality and development of excellence for companies, organizations and individuals. I was mainly responsible for the organisation and establishment of English trainings and exams, as none had ever been rendered before by the same organisation, but in Deutsch. BMW in England became the first recipients of my work in July this year, and I should pass my regards and pride to the management of SWASA for giving me this opportunity to be part of the world changers.

My TQM experience in Germany - in a nut shellMalume Hitler left this place up in smoke and scattered debris. In this day and time it is a complex of metropolitans side by side to now-restored Napolonean stone buildings. Yes! You guessed right- Deutschland Bundes- aka the Federal Republic of Germany. For twelve months I have had the opportunity to stay in this land- studying Total Quality Management (TQM).

TQM is a management philosophy with a goal of anchoring methods and culture of quality in an entire organisation sustainably, aiming for continuous improvement for stakeholders, customer and organisational orientation. Its strength is in Process Oriented Quality Management, stretching through the whole supply chain. It is based on Deming’s fourteen (14) management practices in improving their productivity or services. The internationally recognised ISO 9001- Quality Management System is the basis for this philosophy.The course was ISO 9001 based, across different sectors of industry from service providers, non-food production, pharmaceuticals, automotives, hospitals, environment, to food production. In all these sectors, educational tours were undertaken to relevant organisations to have a first hand experience of the

My TQM experiencein germany


SPS Agreement basically means that, in seeking to protect health, WTO members must not use SPS measures that are: unnecessary, not science-based, arbitrary, or which constitute a disguised restriction on international trade.The SPS Agreement is administered by the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the ‘SPS Committee’), in which all WTO members can participate. The SPS Committee is a forum for consultations where WTO members regularly come together to discuss SPS measures and their effects on trade, to oversee implementation of the SPS Agreement, and to seek to avoid potential disputes.

What does the SPS agreement say?

The SPS Agreement has 14 Articles, containing the rights and obligations and key principles that WTO members have agreed to. The SPS Agreement also has three annexes giving definitions of various terms, and elaborating on certain obligations in the body of the SPS Agreement.

The SPS Agreement applies to essentially all measures taken by

a WTO member to protect human, animal or plant life or health within its territory from certain risks, and which may affect international trade. The risks to animal life or health come from: the entry, establishment or spread of pests (including weeds), diseases, disease-carrying organisms or disease-causing organisms; or additives, contaminants (including pesticide and veterinary drug residues and extraneous matter), toxins or disease-causing organisms in feedstuffs. The risks to plant life or health may come from: the entry, establishment or spread of pests (including weeds), diseases, disease-carrying organisms or disease-causing organisms. The risks to human life or health come from additives, contaminants, toxins or disease-causing organisms in foods or beverages; diseases carried by animals, plants or their products; or the entry, establishment or spread of pests. Therefore, imports of food, plants (including plant products), and animals (including animal products) are three of the main risk pathways — but risks are not restricted to food and agricultural commodities.

We export machinery, not agricultural

By Phetsile Mamba

It is very important for all who are interested in international trade in agricultural commodities and any other commodity to have knowledge of the SPS Agreement. The SPS Agreement is essentially about health and international trade. International trade and travel have expanded significantly in the past years. This has increased the movement of products that may pose health risks. The SPS Agreement recognizes the need for WTO members to protect themselves from the risks posed by the entry of pests and diseases, but also seeks to minimize any negative effects of SPS measures on trade. The health aspect of the SPS Agreement basically means that WTO members can protect human, animal or plant life or health by applying measures to manage the risks associated with imports. The measures usually take the form of quarantine or food safety requirements. The measures that WTO members apply can be classified as sanitary (relating to human or animal life or health) or phytosanitary (relating to plant life or health). They are commonly known as SPS measures. The international trade aspect of the

The WTo Sanitary & phytosanitary (SpS) agreement....Why you need to know it!


commodities. Why do we need to know about the SPS Agreement and SPS measures? While your exports themselves may not represent a risk, they may be contaminated with soil or plant residues, or may be shipped using packaging materials such as timber pallets or plant straw. SPS measures are therefore relevant to all exporters and importers.

Central principles of the SPS Agreement

The central principles of harmonization, equivalence, appropriate level of protection (ALOP), risk assessment, regional conditions and transparency are covered by specific Articles of the SPS Agreement.

WTO members are entitled to determine their own SPS measures provided they are in accordance with the terms of the SPS Agreement. However, under the principle of harmonization WTO members are encouraged to base their SPS measures on international standards, guidelines and recommendations, where they exist. There are three international standard-setting bodies specifically mentioned in the SPS Agreement. These are often

referred to as the ‘Three Sisters’:• the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) dealing with plant health• the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) dealing with animal health• the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) dealing with food safety.The TBT Agreement vs the SPS AgreementThe TBT Agreement and the SPS Agreement differ in the following ways:

• The scope of coverage , according to the SPS Agreement, a measure is based on science whilst according to the TBT Agreement, a measure is based on both science and the objectives.

• The TBT Agreement is open i.e. it does not specify the standard bodies it recognize whilst the SPS Agreement is closed i.e. it recognizes the 3 sisters(as commonly known) which are CODEX, OIE and IPPC; and

• The SPS Agreement allows members to adopt measures which deals with protection of human or

animal life from risks arising additives, contaminants, toxins or disease causing organisms in food, beverages and feedstuffs, Human life from plant or animal carried diseases, Animal and plant life from pests, diseases or disease causing organisms and to protect a country from damage caused by entry or establishment or spread of pests, whilst the TBT Agreement allows members to adopt measures that deals with the protection of human, plant or animal life and health, protection of the environment, the quality of the exports, the protection of its essential security interest and the prevention of deceptive practices.


By Wilfred Mdluli

SWASA launches Management Systems and Product Certification Schemes: Ushering a new era for competitiveness of local industriesSWASA’s vision to become a premier certification body of the Kingdom of Swaziland was initiated by the formation of the Quality Assurance Department in October 2009. Leading up to February 2012, most of the activities within the Quality Assurance Department were focusing on capacity building, strategy development and laying down the necessary operational mechanisms for the effective and efficient running of a certification body in alignment with international principles.The SWASA Management Systems and Product Certification Schemes were officially launched on the 16th March 2012 by the Honorable Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, Senator Mrs Jabulile Mashwama at The George Hotel in Manzini. The SWASA Certification Schemes provide an easily-understood and robust way to show that your processes, products and services

meet standards requirements.The launch is certainly to be welcomed and comes amidst growing concerns around product quality and the need to raise productivity in order to resuscitate our ailing economy through export-oriented trade. “The launch of SWASA’s certification services was timely, given the government’s commitment to export oriented development that has been the drive behind the Fiscal Adjustment Roadmap (FAR) and the Economic Recovery Strategy as we continue to look to the private sector as an engine for growth. The launch of SWASA’s certification activities is in line with Government’s primary role of eliminating barriers to trade, and providing an enabling environment in which the private sector will thrive and build capacity to produce quality goods and services competitively, reliably and on a sustainable basis” said the Minister.The aim of the SWASA Certification Schemes is becoming established on the market with the greatest possible degree of success, and developing into an industry destination for conformity assessment services. Furthermore we strive to make the SWASA Certification Marks internationally recognized and trustworthy symbols for consumers, retailers, industry, as well as public tender authoritiesThe deployment of the SWASA Certification Schemes for use by the Swazi industry also facilitates the attainment of objectives of other national policies, most notably the Investor Roadmap 2012 “Towards a competitive Swaziland” under objective 13 “improve quality and standards on products and services”

Certification builds trustDoes the product do what I expect? Will

the organization provide the right item when I need it? Is my product safe? Everyone has an interest in finding out whether something (or organization or system) meets their expectations.Since products and services are like promises, business customers, consumers, users and regulators have certain expectations about products and services relating to features like quality, safety, reliability, compatibility, interoperability, efficiency, effectiveness and environmental sustainability. It is therefore imperative that every organization doing business must ensure their customers have trust and confidence in their products and services.In order to build trust and ensure your customer peace of mind, SWASA has created for you the Management Systems and Product Certification Schemes with recognizable logos. Once certified, your organization will be able to display the SWASA’s certification marks on the products produced, offering objective verification of its conformity to requirements.

The SWASA Certification Schemes are designed to helping and assuring the manufacturers and service providers that they are delivering on their promises to their clients thereby building trust in client-buyer relationships.“Certification inspires consumer confidence and builds trust of your organization’s products and services”

SWASA Certification....ushering a new era


SWASA Certification

Certification enables export success

Swaziland is signatory to a number of trade and trade-related agreements. These include the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU); the Interim Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the African Union (AU). Swaziland is also a beneficiary of non-reciprocal unilateral trade preferences such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) of the United States. All these arrangements provide our industries with varying levels of improved market access opportunities into the respective markets. With these certification schemes we hope to unlock the potential of our products and services enabling them a level playing field for competing with the foreign products.

Benefits of certification

There are several reasons why an organization should seek certification of their processes, products and/or services and may vary from organization-to-organization. Here are some compelling reasons for industries to adopt standards and certification today:

1. Increase sales and market share (Market Access)

Some products before they can be sold in some markets have to meet certain specifications and some of your customers will only buy from you because your company complies with certain standards. Standards help to

promote trade by lowering technical barriers to trade.

2. Improve the quality of your products and services

Certification can lead to an improvement in the quality of your products or services thereby likely to increase customer satisfaction levels – one of the best ways to retain existing customers.. This could in turn lead to fewer returns, less rework and rejects, lower costs and eventually a bigger market share.

3. Increases chances of winning public and private sector tenders If your business has complied with specific standards, you will find it easier to win government procurement contracts as they are generally based on national or international standards.

4. Enhance customer confidence and gain competitive advantage

Your company’s image is enhanced if your products or services are certified to standards, especially standards which are widely recognized. Certification will enhance your reputation for being a business that is committed to achieving excellence. This could provide you with an important advantage over competitors that are not certified – maybe even helping you to win business from them.

5. Helps your organization meet legal and regulatory requirements

Most standards are voluntary, thus the related certification schemes are also voluntary. Some certification schemes

are mandatory and subject to legal enforcement. You will not be able to sell your goods in some markets unless they meet certain quality and safety criteria and carry the certification mark.

6. Promotes continual improvement A fundamental part of standards and certification is continual improvement, challenging you to strive to make improvements year on year.

SWASA your partner for future success

Due to globalization and trade liberalization, it is obvious that your product will increasingly face aggressive competition in the local markets due to inflows of imported consumer goods and export markets from other countries products whose international competitiveness has improved.

Organizations are invited and encouraged to contact SWASA to utilize the certification services of their own National Standards Body. Certification is certainly the passport for entry in some markets; make the right choice by partnering with us. Would you use a life jacket with no flotation guarantee? Not certifying your products and services is likely to be putting your business at serious risk.

A parting note; Is certification mandatory? NO, as long as your organization’s SURVIVAL is NOT MANDATORY.

The best way to predict the future is to have a hand in shaping it – Peter Drucker.


improving the world we live in

SWaziLand STandardS auThoriTy (SWaSa)Plot 471, 2nd Floor SMITHCO Building

11th Street King Mswati III Avenue WestMatsapha Industrial Site.

P.O. Box 1399, Matsapha M202Tel: (+268)2518 4633/10 I Fax: (+268) 2518 4526 Consumer Toll Free: 800 5050

E: [email protected] I Website: www.swasa.co.sz

lizinga issue 3

Documents

swasa management

swasa activities

bureau of india standards

swasa event

issue highlights

swasas activities

swasas core values

official magazine