24/12/2021
To all staff, customers, suppliers, associates and friends.
As we reflect on 2021 it has been another incredible year for our group; Northfield Engineering , Waikato South Africa , Rockwood Rotary Platforms , NF Hire and Ikamva Labantu.
As we sit in the middle of the “4th Covid wave”, with the motor industry hamstrung by the shortage of microchips, retailers still opting to import milk as opposed to supporting the local industry, and the not so clever “Policy Makers” still decimating the tourism and hospitality industries.
2021 has been a stop/start year for most people, both personally and professionally, not to mention the effect that this pandemic still is having on all our children.
Our youth is under huge social pressure with the lack of social interaction, forced social distancing. Many a young person’s sports, academic and cultural dreams have been unravelled by Covid policies. This is still going to have some far-reaching effects on society going forward.
No sooner does it feel like life is going to reach some form of normality and the world imposes it’s next ban on Southern Africa - throwing business and leisure travel on its head, and keeping many loved ones apart for further periods.
We can only hope that in 2022 a bit more logic and level headedness will prevail and these “knee jerking”, ill-informed prejudicial decisions are muted. Unfortunately I believe most political leaders have climbed too far up the “Lock Down Tree” now they cannot actually figure their way back down.
On a more positive note we have been blessed with good rains recently, with the Eastern Cape being at its most beautiful in many a year. The Karoo has also had good rains and this will hopefully start relieving some of the incredible hardship these communities have suffered during the last 7 years.
For our metro, we still need increased rainfall in our catchment areas to fill our supply dams. Without this, the impact on industry would be immense and have devastating effects on all the people in the metro, should industry be forced to shut due to the lack of water. To our metro management I urge you to please invest in our infrastructure, without this investment the infrastructure will most certainly fail in the not too distant future.
To our Northfield family (and by this I mean everyone in our group), that has grown in numbers and talent this year; many thanks for the effort put in by each and every one of you, the growth of many individuals this year has been phenomenal.
I look to 2022 with great pride and excitement to see what the new year brings.
For those taking a break; enjoy it, you deserve it. To those working, thank you for the continued effort. To each one reading this newsletter today, I hope you make the effort to spend some time with loved ones over the festive season.
We have witnessed this year again that those close to us can be taken from us without warning.
Enjoy the last bit of 2021, celebrate with those which you hold dear and lets tackle 2022 with renewed vigour.
Kind Regards
Robert Archibald
