The original EIF, established in 1971, initially focussed mainly on the telecommunications sector. Later it included other sectors, but some years ago it fizzled out and ceased to exist.
On 18 February 2010, the minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Rob Davies, launched the 2010/11 - 2012/13 Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP). IPAP2, as it has become known, builds on the National Industrial Policy Framework (NIPF) and the 2007/8 IPAP. According to Dr. Davies this represents a significant step forward in scaling up efforts to promote long-term industrialisation and industrial diversification beyond our current reliance on traditional commodities and non-tradable services. "Its purpose is to expand production in value-added sectors with high employment and growth multipliers that compete in export markets as well as compete in the domestic market against imports."
IPAP2 is a "living document" which outlines a range and combination of industrial policy interventions and instruments to address the critical challenges of our economy.
It is against this background that representatives of the electronics industry and specialist industry bodies such as ADEC, NAMEC, KZN ICT and Electronics Sector and SAEEC, with the support of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), met on 21 May 2010 to map out a plan to form a new electronics industry association. A steering committee was selected to develop a framework.
In many sectors of industry, it is the industry associations that drive the input needed by the DTI to make IPAP2 work. "It is high time that we develop a brand for the South African electronics industry", said Sagran Pillay. He leads the task team which was set up at the May meeting, "The industry is to blame if government has a narrow view of electronics. We may be small but we are a very important sector!"
Additional elected members of the task team are Eugene van de Walt, Keith Thabo, Hannes Taute, Jaime Vilela, Roger Couzens and Jeenesh Manga. The seven-strong team represents all major sectors of the South African electronics industry.
The task team presented its proposals to form the SAEIF at the DTI meeting on 22 September 2010, as well as a draft constitution. Speaking on behalf of the task team, Pillay said that agreement had been reached to form a Section 21 company called SAEIF. SAEIF will be managed by a board of eight persons representing the various sectors of the industry. It was also agreed that to manage the diversity of the electronics industry, sub-committees would be formed to represent the different disciplines including contract manufacturing, design houses, component suppliers, wireless telecoms, consumer electronics, utility metering, education and training and defence.
The objectives of the SAEIF will be to:
- Protect and grow the industry
- Stimulate economic growth in the sector and sub-sectors
- Protect the industry with tariff and non-tariff barriers
- Identify and mitigate bottlenecks that restrict growth of the sector
- Develop skills by retaining, developing and attracting skills; and influence academia in respect of curricula
- Help empower government on various industry issues, challenges and to provide advice to ministers
- Provide mechanisms to market and promote the industry
The task team will finalise proposals for the sub-committees and nominations for the interim board, and will meet again towards the end of October 2010 to ratify the proposals and elect the board.
Contact Jeenesh Manga, Department of Trade & Industry,
South Africa's long term IEEE volunteer, Prof. Gerhard Hancke of the University of Pretoria's Department of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering, is up for election for the position of Director-Elect in the office of IEEE Region 8. 
