(Mauritz Naude Chair person SAPTU Ditsong Branch 2015)

Ditsong is the collective name of an amalgamation of Museums mainly located in and around Pretoria. The Ditsong National Museums of South Africa receives it subsidy from the national Department of Arts and Culture. It includes the National Museum of Cultural History, The National Museum of Natural History (former Transvaal Museum), the Kruger museum, The Tswaing Crater (Soshanguve), the National Museum for Military History (Johannesburg), the Pioneer Museum (Silverton). The Sammy Marks Museum, the Willem Prinsloo Agricultural Museum and the Coert Steynberg Museum. Its head office is located in the Gamohle Building (the former Native Commissioners Building) adjacent to Kruger House in Church Street, Pretoria.

The branch is small with only 16 members. Most of the members form part of the qualified group of specialists and professional staff in the organization. This number used to be higher but due to retirements, resignations and other causes, the numbers have dwindled. Over the years SAPTU has managed to become part of most of the planning and management processes including drafting and revision of policies and all short listings and interviews of new staff. A Local Labor Relations Forum was established in 2014 and both SAPTU and Nehawu (the larger of the labor unions) take part in discussions and negotiations. It is believed that if and when the Union forms part of the planning process most of the collective corporate conflicts can be mitigated prior to any conflict arising from potential irrational policies and procedures.

Tel: 012 324 6082
Cell: 083 44 722 32
E-mail: mauritz@ditsong.org.za