Dear PRISA Members, Friends, Supporters and Aspiring Professionals!

My name is Victor Sibeko, and it’s an honor to introduce myself to you as the new Executive Director of the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA) with effect from 01 October 2018.

I am humbled and excited to lead this important Institute in its over sixty years of existence to the next envisaged glorified profession’s heights. As always, it seems that we have our work cut out for us, especially in strategic leadership. I have grown in the profession from humble beginning as an Associate Member to serving in strategic committees and rose to Presidency.

Little did I realise, I will come back in the helm wearing a different hat. With that said, I am confident that we can and we will rise to the challenges, facing member based professional organisations such as PRISA. I’m also immensely grateful to people like you, our steadfast members whose engagement and support make PRISA’s existence possible.

Not forgetting our fore-bearers and stalwarts, including past presidents viz. Mr. Sej Motau, Mrs. Kate Bapela, Merle O’Brien, Professor Ronel van Rensburg, Mr. Solly Moeng, Mr. Tshepo Matseba, Thabisile Phumo and our current honorary president Mr. Malesela Maubane as well as president elect Dalien Rene Benecke. Your contribution together with the supportive Board of Directors including my amazing A-TEAM, PRISA National Office Staff is highly appreciated. You are the wind below my wings in my endeavors to take PRISA to another level and favorably position it strategically in all respects.

Just in case you miss out on my planned Meet & Greet road shows, feel free to send me an email, victor@www.prisa.co.za and let us have a conversation. You also welcome to give me a tinkle (call) and share your thoughts. For now I’d like to share with you my immediate priorities for PRISA:

1. Become a stronger Southern Africa wide Institute as the name suggest. Work with you and our partner organisations to ensure all members, whether in Limpopo, Namibia or Botswana can exercise your rights and enjoy membership benefits.

2. Assist revive all regional structures through our National Office administrative support. I will be making rounds conducting Meet & Greet sessions with all our regional leadership structures, members and aspiring future practitioners as well as Consultants.

3. How can I forget my first love – students, newcomers in the industry, our future professionals. These visits will also include Universities and Colleges Meet & Greet with strategic academic institutions.

4. Encourage all aspiring and existing small Public Relations & Communication wanna-be Consultants or Agencies. I strongly recommend you consider joining JumpStart. Our profession also has a role and responsibility to create employers and not just attract employees.

5. Push for better spread of PRISA training programmes, introduce breakfast and / or evening networking sessions. This will include pulling in local resources, qualified fellow professionals to assist facilitate these interventions. By so doing we will be addressing the previous rampant Gauteng ONLY hosted events and isolation of other regions.

I invite you, our members to join forces and fight to ensure that PRISA is more visible in your regions, obviously I cannot do this alone. Together we can make a difference, let us claim our space in both workplace and the industry. Most importantly earn the respect we deserve as a profession.

I hope you’ll continue to stay engaged and consider renewing your membership. PRISA is a member based organization, without you there is no PRISA.

On that note, we are open to engagement and look forward to hear from you. Please stop by and say hello at our new offices, let us have a cuppa-coffee. Find us at 54 Queens Road, Bryanston, Johannesburg. If not, we are only a telephone call or email away. You are welcome to check us on our new vibrant website www.prisa.co.za

Kindest of regards,

Victor Sibeko
Executive Director
victor@www.prisa.co.za