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Executive Committee
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The Executive Committee is not only the policy making body, it also develops
policy to continually improve the effectiveness of the SASAR Organisation.
The Executive Committee is chaired by the Head of SASAR, who is an official
appointed by the Director-General of the Department of Transport.
The SASAR Secretariat, is staffed by employees of the DOT, and is responsible
for providing a support service to the SASAR Executive Committee and for ensuring
the creation of an enabling environment for the provision of an effective and
efficient search and rescue service for South African.
Search and Rescue operations often take place in co-operation with states
neighbouring the South African Search and Rescue area of responsibility. Fourteen
countries border our Search and Rescue area of responsibility.
The Department of Transport, on behalf of SASAR, is responsible for negotiating
and concluding bilateral search and rescue agreements, which provide a framework
for co-operation.
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SASAR Secretariat
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All administrative and secretarial duties of SASAR shall be
carried out by designated officials in Search and Rescue section of the National
Department
of Transport.
The duties of the Secretariat shall in relation to the Executive
and Management Committee include:
- Organize and arrange all meeting of the Executive and Management Committees,
provided that all notices shall be issued in consultation with the
Chairperson. The duties shall include the preparation and circulation of
agenda to members,
preparation, receipt and distribution of papers and keeping minutes
of meetings.
- Attend and provide logistical support to all meetings of the Executive
and Management Committees.
- Collect and process statistical data on the Member Organization.
- Prepare and collate position papers.
- Obtain and circulate information that will facilitate the achievement
of the objectives of SASAR.
- Monitor the development of the objectives of SASAR on a continuous
basis.
The Secretariat shall also be responsible for making and drafting
amendments to the SASAR Manual and Assets Manual and circulate the amendments
to all Members
a month after adoption of the amendments by the Executive Committee.
The duties referred to above includes the strategic and functions
such as policy development, legislation development, international liaison
and representation,
negotiation of bilateral agreements for which the Secretariat is also responsible.
The Seat of Secretariat shall reside with the Department of
Transport, Forum Building, Private Bag X193, Pretoria, 0001.
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SASAR Management Committee
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The purpose of the Management Committee shall be to advise
the Executive Committee of any matter that may have policy and financial implications.
The goals and objectives of the Management Committee shall
be:
- To assess emerging technologies and other environmental
changes and advise the Executive Committee accordingly.
- To advise the Executive
Committee on specialist issues, appropriateness and necessity for developed
SAR plans, legislation, policies, rules, treaties
or agreements.
- To ensure a seamless administration of the SAR Programme.
- To ensure
that the limited search and rescue resources are used in the most economic,
efficient and effective way.
- To ensure that SAR operations are conducted in accordance with laid
down standards and recommended practices as reflected in the SASAR Manual
and as
considered the norm in terms of International Conventions.
- To take decisions on operational and administrative issues that may
not impact negatively on search and rescue policy, and does not necessarily
need
the approval of the Executive Committee.
The Management Committee shall be composed of the following:
- Head of SASAR;
- Head of Aeronautical SAR Operations;
- Head of Maritime SAR Operations;
- Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre Chief;
- Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre Chief; and
- The Secretariat.
The Head of SASAR shall preside over all meetings of the
Management Committee.
The Chairperson must designate a person to act as Chairperson
if he or she is unable to act as Chairperson.
The Management Committee shall meet at least twice a year
at the time and place determined by the members.
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The Secretariat must give notice to Members at least a week
prior to the date of the Management Committee meeting and provide all documents
relating to the business of the meeting at the same time.
The Chairperson may at any time, with reasonable notification,
call a special meeting of the committee to be held at the time and place
determined by the Chairperson.
A majority of the members present forms a quorum at any meeting
of the committee and a decision agreed to by the majority of members
present at a duly constituted meeting shall be the decision of
the committee.
The mode of voting during the process of the Management Committee
shall be by show of hands, with each member entitled to one vote.
In the event of an equality of votes on any matter, the Chairperson
shall have a casting vote in addition to a deliberative vote.
Observers may attend the Management Committee meeting by invitation
but will not have any voting rights and will only be allowed
to speak with due
permission of the Chairperson.
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Maritime Subcommittee
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| The Maritime Subcommittee is responsible for managing the effective provision
of a search and rescue service in the sea area of the South African Search
and Rescue Region. It is headed by the Chairperson of the Maritime Subcommittee
and it is required by law to meet at least twice a year. |
Aeronautical Subcommittee
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| The Aeronautical Subcommittee is responsible for
managing the efficient
and effective provision of a search and rescue service in the aeronautical
area of the South African area of responsibility and is headed by the Chairperson
of the Aeronautical Subcommittee. It is required by law to meet at least twice
a year. |
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SASAR's Operational Structure
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AERONAUTICAL
OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE
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The aeronautical operations component of SASAR is headed by the Head of SAROPS
who is an ATNS official. The ARCC is situated at Johannesburg International
Airport and staffed by employees of the ATNS. The Chief of the Aeronautical
Rescue Co-ordination Centre is the Manager of the Air Traffic Control Centre
in Johannesburg
The Chief of the ARCC is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the
ARCC. All neighbouring territories within the aeronautical search and rescue
region, namely Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland are considered to be permanent
RSC's. Each Air Traffic Service Unit within South Africa can be appointed as
an RSC on an ad hoc or temporary basis.
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Unlike the aeronautical component of SASAR, the maritime component has a diversity
of role-players. For this reason, it was necessary to create and appoint an
incumbent to the post of Manager: Maritime SAR Operations that is attached
to the agency, SAMSA. This person also serves as the Head of Maritime SAR Operations
and his main duties and functions are to ensure the efficient operation of
maritime SAR in the South African Maritime search and rescue region.
MRCC situated at 163 Tygerberg Park,HF Verwoerd Drive,Platter Kloof,Cape Town. The Head of Maritime SAROP's office is also situated at the MRCC.
The Chief of the MRCC is responsible for ensuring its smooth running. He reports
to the Head of Maritime SAROPS.
The permanent Rescue Sub centres are strategically placed along the coast
with each Port Control office acting as such. We have about 7 port control
offices
acting as permanent RSC's namely, Cape Town, Walvis Bay, Saldanha, Port Elizabeth,
East London, Durban and Richards Bay. The RSC's also report to the Head of
Maritime SAROPS. The permanent RSC's only handles operations that are not major
in nature and are within their scope and capability. If an operation becomes
too major, the operation is handed over to the MRCC.
Within the sub-region of the Port Captain, the various National Sea Rescue
Institute basis and Harbour Masters act as secondary- Rescue Sub centres for
the area that falls within their scope and capability. For instance, within
the sub-region of the Port Captain of Saldanha, the harbour master of Port
Nolloth and the NSRI in Saldanha Bay act as secondary- RSC's.
If a SAR operation becomes too complicated or big to be handled by them, the
operation is handed over to their respective permanent RSC.
They are responsible to the Chief of the RSC in whose area of responsibility
they are stationed e.g. the NSRI of Port Elizabeth is responsible to the
Chief of the East London RSC.
We have about six institutions/organisations serving as dedicated alerting
posts and staffed 24 hours a day, namely, Air Traffic Service Units, Port Control
Offices, Coastal Radio Stations, South African Police Stations, the MRCC and
of course the ARCC.
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SAR Communications
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The South African Government in the Department of Transport is responsible
for ensuring that maritime safety information including distress alert is provided.
Telkom SA provides this information on behalf of the Department, on a contractual
basis.
These services are provided in terms of, and according to, INMARSAT, the International
Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue and the International COSPAS-SARSAT
Programme Agreement and the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System embodied
in the SOLAS Convention.
The kind of services provided by Telkom on behalf of the Government of South
Africa includes the following:-
- Watch keeping services including voice, COSPAS-SARSAT and
Digital Selective calling.
- Navigation Warnings.
- Meteorological Services.
- Safetynet services via Inmarsat.
- Navtex services.
- SAFREP services
- Co-ordination of all Distress Communications
- Pre arrival
reports
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Autolink RT
- Manual RT
- Globe E-mail
- Shipping in Harbour
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AMVER
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To ensure the effective provision of these services, the following stations
and sites have been established:
Four manned stations at Cape Town, Klipheuwel, Durban and Port Elizabeth
- Thirty six MF and VHF remote sites along coast
- Cape Town, Milnerton - main controlling station and standby HF receiver
site
- Klipheuwel, 40 km from Milnerton - main HF high power transmitting station
- Port Elizabeth - smaller control station centralized to
Cape Town.
- Durban - smaller control station centralized to Cape Town.
- Yzerfontein - remote main HF receiving site
All controlling stations are manned 24 hours, 7 days a week and 365 days a
year.
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