2018 Voorsittersverslag

ALGEMENE JAARVERGADERING – 2018 - ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT -//- VOORSITTER’SVERSLAG

Die PWAV is ‘n jong volwasse organisasie van 23 jaar oud. Hierdie, my eerste voorsitterverslag in ‘n jaar van baie verwikkelinge, goed en sleg in die vuurwapeneienaarkringe. Ons het aanslae in die howe oorwin en weer verloor, meer hieroor in u President se terugvoer later.

Forgive me for repeating the opening statement John left you with last year. I believe it has never been more pertinent:

It is up to people like us to ensure, through legitimate and constitutional means, to protect our rights, however, bearing in mind what Mark Twain said in 1866, “No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session”.
In this southern-most part of Africa we have fought for freedom and liberty since time immemorial. We are equal before God and the law and accordingly we demand equal treatment by government. Free, law abiding and responsible people have the right to expect that their language, culture, history, liberty, employment or occupation, and to participate in activities that do not constitute a threat to government or society, shall not be infringed. In this regard the wise words of Thomas Jefferson are apt: “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have”. As a non-political and non-racial organization, with no allegiance to anyone but God, our family, our Constitution, the laws of our country, and our Association, we shall continue to strive for the protection of our rights.

We may not have a second amendment in our constitution guaranteeing the right to bear arms, but we do have a right to own property and this we will defend at all cost. Over the past few weeks your president have worked tirelessly engaging with various stakeholders to facilitate a workable solution given the recent ConCourt ruling. John will elaborate on this later in his address.

Ek kan u wel verseker dat u bestuur vars en taakfiks is vir die uitdagings wat op ons wag. Ons werk onverpoos voort agter die skerms en skakel voortdurend met die SAPD, NAACCSA en ander belangegroepe.

Dit is my plig, as voorsitter van die PWAV, om aan u verslag te doen oor die bestuur van die Vereeniging, en dit is u verantwoordelikheid om goeie bestuur te verwag en inderdaad te vereis.

Om te bepaal of die Vereeniging goed bestuur word is dit nodig om die aktiwiteite wat aan die lede gebied word te meet aan die doelstellings van die Vereeniging en die statutêre vereistes wat deur die owerheid gestel word, en om te verseker dat die finansies tot voordeel van die Vereeniging aangewend word.

Wanneer ons die aktiwiteite van nader beskou is dit duidelik dat die verkseidenheid iets vir almal bied. Ten speite van die weer het u vereeniging die afgelope jaar nie minder nie as vyf vuurwapen-versamelkunde programme en agt praktiese aktiwiteite aangebied. Al hierdie aktiwiteite is daarop gemik om lede meer bewus te maak van hul verantwoordelikhede betreffende vuurwapenversameling en veilige gebruik van wapens. Nie alleen word lede die geleentheid gebied om al hul versamelbare vuurwapens onder veilige omstandighede te gebruik nie, die klaskamer onderrig is daarop gemik om hul kennis van vuurwapens en die versameling daarvan te verbreed. Dit is vir my ‘n riem onder die hart om te kan rapporteer dat laasgenoemde bywoningsgetalle stelselmatig styg en dat ons veiligheidsrekord nogsteeds ongeskonde is!

Voorts het ons die gebruik van ‘n addisionele skeepshouer in gebruik geneem te Bluegum. Dit verlig baie van die komplikasies met die bestaande oorvol houer en die plasing is ook heelwat meer toeganklik. Ons moet vermelding maak en erkenning gee aan die toegeweide baanoffisiere en helpers wat dou-voor-dag al bymekaarkom om die baanuitlegte voor te berei.

Ons webwerf is ingelyf so vier jaar gelede. Die gebruik en funsionaliteit word deurgaans bygewerk en u insette om dit vars en relefant to hou is van kardinale belang. Nie alleen is dit ‘n kommunikasie medium met u as lid nie, dit bied ook aan ons lede die geleentheid om aktief deel te neem, hul menings te lug en hul kennis oor vuurwapens, ammunisie en versamelkunde te deel.

Een so vernuwing deel dan juis oor betrokkenheid by die aktiwiteite van die vereeniging .

The FCA requires accredited associations to report on their membership “good standing”. A person or organization in good standing is regarded as having complied with all their explicit obligations, while not being subject to any form of sanction, suspension or disciplinary censure.

The FCA defines a “person in good standing” as someone who “(a) is and remains acceptable to an accredited hunting association, sports-shooting association, professional hunters association or collectors' association as a dedicated member, professional hunter or collector, as the case may be;

(b) complies with the aims and objectives of the Act in respect of his or her status as a dedicated hunter or dedicated sports person, professional hunter, or collector, as the case may be;”.

By definition, this is a subjective matter leaving the interpretation wide-open. In terms of this definition the accredited association primarily decides what is acceptable to it for its members to remain persons in good standing.

Since the PAAA has members in various parts of the country and many others who find it difficult to attend activities, we have decided to allocate points for a wide variety of activities, including the following:

Payment of annual dues

Timeous submission of the annual written declaration

[The first two activities are prerequisites to any other and no points will be allocated unless the member is up to date with the payment of his membership fees and annually signs and submits his declaration.]

Participation in the association’s activities, for example taking part in practical and firearm knowledge events; acting as range officers; making presentations at the firearm knowledge events; writing of articles; formal sharing of information with other members; acquisition of collectable firearms, accessories and ammunition; visiting firearm-related museums, firearm festivals, exhibitions and the like; and a point for the every 10 years of continuous membership.

A minimum of 5 points must be collected annually counted from the 1st of June.

Although this list is not exhaustive a member must convince the Executive Committee that s/he is and remains a person in good standing.

You are most welcome to keep a logbook of your participation and involvement in the Association’s affairs. Also make sure that the information supplied is verifiable.

In order for this process not be become yet another admin burden on your Exco and to simplify the process to you, we implemented a self-service function on the web-site which will be launched and demonstrated later today.

Since the PAAA does not live and function in isolation, it actively interacts with various role players, such as NAACCSA, SAGA, SAPS, Parliament, sport shooting bodies, hunters’ associations and others.

John will, in his role as President of the PAAA, provide in depth feedback of such interaction and progress over the past year.

A current challenge that NAACCSA has is to ensure legislative compliance with regards to the certification of collectability of prohibited and restricted firearms and the legitimate use of such firearms. This is an ongoing discussion point in our recurring session with SAPS and we can now report that some good progress had been made regarding acceptable guidelines to all NAACCSA member organizations and around the issuing of ammunition collector’s permits.

We are aware of some refusals due to “technical compliance” requirements and we urge you to please submit to our secretary copies of all such applications made so that we can address this with the CFR.

Ek het reeds verwys na die suksesse en neerslae in die howe. Groot was almal se verwagting nadat SA Jagters- en Wildbewarings-Vereniging hul hofsaak teen die Minister van Polisie (25 & 26 April 2017) gewen het. Die Polisie het egter die saak onmiddlelik op appél na die Grondwethof geneem en laasgenoemde het die hooggeregshof se uitspraak ter syde gestel en inderdaad bevind dat artikel 24 en 28 NIE ongrondwetlik was nie.

Dit het die spreukwoordelike blik vol wurms oopgemaak en die hele industrie in rep en roer gedompel. Daar is planne te maak en as NAACCSA het ons verskeie oplossings en voorstelle ter tafel gelê. U president gaan breedvoerig hieroor terugvoer gee in sy rede bietjie later.

Grondwet wysigings

Gedurende die AJV van 2017 het die vergadering die Bestuurskomitee goedkeuring gegee om die grondwet te wysig om voorsiening te maak vir ‘n amp van President van die PWAV met inter alia die volgende gekoöpteerde spesiale uitvoerende magte:

Ø Grondwetlike aangeleenthede, wetgewing en skakeling met die wetgewer;

Ø Skakeling met die SAPD;

Ø Buitelandse Betrekkinge; en

Ø Appèlowerheid.

Hierdie wysigings is grootendeels aangebring en u President sal verdure terugvoer in hierdie veband gee.

Laastens moet ek u, ons geëerde lede, bedank vir u getroue ondersteuning, hulp en onderskraging die afgelope jaar. Die jong bestuurspan het groot skoene om te vul, maar met die grondslag wat vir ons gelê was het dit baie vlot verloop.

U is die PWAV en u sin vir verantwoordelikheid en veiligheid het dit vir ons makliker gemaak om u op die versamelpad te lei.

God bless South Africa and God bless the PAAA.

I thank you.

Hubert Wentzel

Chairman

23 June 2018