THE OPERATIONS RESEARCH SOCIETY of SOUTH AFRICA Meaningful Work Was Conducted in These Past and Current Activities of the Society Are Areas [3,7,8]

THE OPERATIONS RESEARCH RR Tusenius, attended the first OR con- SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA ference held in Oxford in September 1957 [5]. With this growing interest in OR it was HANS W. ITTMANN inevitable that this would lead to the estab- CSIR Built Environment, Pretoria, lishment of a formal society, which happened South Africa in 1969. One of the biggest supporters and V. S. SARMA YADAVALLI long-standing friends of the new society was Department of Industrial and Systems Professor Patrick Rivett, a well-known, inter- Engineering, University of Pretoria, national OR personality from the University Pretoria, South Africa of Sussex in the United Kingdom. Rivett was present at the inaugural meeting in 1969 [1]. As indicated above, the mining industry HISTORY OF ORSSA was a fertile ground for OR applications in the early years of OR in South Africa. The Operations Research Society of South Whereas mining companies had strong OR Africa (ORSSA) was formally founded on groups, these all disappeared during the late Thursday 20 November 1969 in Johannes- 1970s and early 1980s when mining compa- burg [1]. Some 150 individuals, from all over nies came under severe financial pressures. South Africa and also the then Rhodesia, The development of OR was given a boost were present as this founding meeting. The in South Africa when the CSIR established society is one of only a few OR societies an OR group in the early 1960s. Many currently active on the African continent, in of the members of this initial group went fact, for many years it was the only one on to different universities where they were the continent. It is interesting to note that instrumental in establishing the first formal the involvement of South Africans in OR academic programs in South Africa [6]. The goes back to World War II. South Africans group at the CSIR continues to be one of the scientists were members of the ‘‘Blackett’s strongest OR groups in the country. Over Circus’’, for example, Professors Solly Zuck- the years, their work has involved more of erman and Frank Nabarro [1]. In addition consultations. OR also spread to industry, Dr Basil Schonland, professor in geophysics commerce, and defense. It is difficult to pin- at the University of the Witwatersrand, point a very strong sector where OR was used who was initially responsible for the South or is being used because of the wide variety African efforts around the development and of areas of application. A group in one of the application of radar, later became the super- banks was dominant at one stage; energy intendent of the British Army Operational modeling was conducted during the 1970s Research Group [2]. and early 1980s by the CSIR together with The use and practice of OR in South the University of Pretoria; it is a well-known Africa has its roots in the mining indus- fact that in the mid-1970s a very strong try [3] and in this regard, the Operational group was established to conduct defense Research Bureau was founded by Herbert OR although little was known about what Sichel in 1952, mainly to act as consultants to exactly the group was doing. Today there the mining industry [4]. Various other large are still defense OR groups, possibly smaller organizations embraced OR in the 1950s and than before democratization. Another notice- 1960s in South Africa including the Defense able area of application and a feature for Force, the main rail operator, and also the which South Africa is famous, is wildlife Council for Scientific and Industrial Research management, including the conservation (CSIR), the largest public research estab- of the wildlife heritage and ecological and lishment in the country. A South African, game range management. Considerable and Wiley Encyclopedia of Operations Research and Management Science, edited by James J. Cochran Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1 2 THE OPERATIONS RESEARCH SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA meaningful work was conducted in these Past and current activities of the society are areas [3,7,8]. Over the past 10 years a very the following: strong modeling and simulation group has • An annual conference is held in dif- been developing at SASOL, the largest chem- ferent parts of the country every year, ical company in South Africa, which is well usually in September of a year. The known for the production of gasoline from conference stretches typically over coal. Today, this group is possibly the only two or three days with around 70 to such group in industry and by far the largest. 80 delegates nowadays. In addition, A disappointing feature of OR in South the society endeavors to invite an Africa is the lack of OR usage in the public international OR expert as the keynote sector. The reasons are many but there is speaker. In 1996, the annual conference a general lack of appreciation of the value was held in a neighboring country, and potential contribution of quantitative namely, Swaziland. Joint conferences methods and scientific problem solving. have also been held in the past with the In the academic environment, the Univer- Statistical Association of South Africa sity of South Africa (UNISA) was the first to as well as the Institute for Industrial establish a department that focused on tradi- Engineers. In 2007 ORSSA also hosted tional OR. This happened in the early 1970s the Operations Research Practise in and was by far the strongest OR university Africa (ORPA) conference in Cape Town department for many years. The department jointly with its national conference. has remained strong but the focus has shifted • The main mechanism of communicating more toward financial modeling. One can find with members is through a newsletter, noticeable teaching in OR at various univer- which is published quarterly in printed sities, namely, Stellenbosch University, the format. The appearance of the newslet- University of Cape Town (UCT), the Univer- ter has changed over the years and sity of the Witwatersrand (WITS), the North- it is now a very professional looking West University, and also the University of newsletter. Pretoria. One or two of the ‘‘previously disad- • The society initially established three vantaged institutions’’, or Historically Black chapters and over the years, these Universities, have relative large OR depart- have been extended to cover the ments. In all cases except one, the depart- entire country. Currently there is ments that currently teach OR have different local representation in the form of names such as decision sciences, statistical five local chapters located in Cape sciences or industrial engineering. At Stellen- Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and two bosch University OR is located in the Depart- regions, namely, KwaZulu-Natal and ment of Logistics. The teaching of OR at all the Vaal Triangle. All these chapters these universities has always been dependent areactiveinonewayoranother. on the availability of suitable lecturing staff. • One of the founding members of the ORSSA exists primarily to further the society, Tom Rozwadowski, died trag- interests of those engaged in, or interested ically with his family in 1971. In his in, OR activities. To achieve these objectives, honor, the society established the Tom it is involved in matters that concern OR Rozwadowski award, which is awarded practitioners in general, such as drawing annually for the best paper published up guidelines for OR education, presenting by a member of the society. short courses and marketing OR, and • The society also runs a student compe- providing information to the public on the tition annually where the best Honors nature of and career opportunities in OR. and MSc students in the past year are Ever since its inception, the society has had a recognized by the society in the form of variety of activities, initially mainly through a monetary prize and a certificate. three chapters and an annual conference, • In 1981 the first international meeting but these have been extended over the years. held in South Africa was a joint THE OPERATIONS RESEARCH SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA 3 Israeli–South African conference on • The society is managed by an Executive OR. It was held at the CSIR Conference Committee that inter alia consists Center in Pretoria and attracted nearly of a President, who serves for two 200 delegates. years, a Vice President, Secretary, • The second international conference on Treasurer, two additional members, the ‘‘Operations Research in Resources and editors of the newsletter and journal, Requirements in Southern Africa’’ was respectively, as well as the business held in 1984, also at the CSIR in Preto- editor of the journal. They meet on a ria. This was an IFORS-sponsored event regular basis to conduct the business of that included nine prominent interna- ORSSA. tional speakers. • A number of honorary memberships of • In 1985 ORSSA established its own ORSSA have been awarded over the bi-annually published journal, ORiON. years and include Herbert Sichel, Pat The journal has developed over the Rivett, Gerhard Rudolph, Jos Grobbe- laar, Gerhard Geldenhuys, and Mike years to a quality publication with a Splaine. The society also has a retired high standard and an international member category. At the conference in advisory board. Volume 25 Number 1 2003 ORSSA introduced another form of has just been published. recognition, ORSSA Fellows, for long- • A very successful Multi-Criteria Deci- standing members and members who sion Making (MCDM) conference was have over the years contributed signif- held in January 1997 in Cape Town. icantly to OR in the country as well as Some 170 people, mainly international served ORSSA in various ways. delegates, attended the conference. • ORSSA joined IFORS in 1973 while it • The fourth International Conference on is also a member of the Association of OR for Development (ICORD) was orga- European Operational Research Soci- nized by ORSSA in May 2001 in the eties (EURO) since the latter is the Kruger National Park.

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