Chairman’s Desk

As the year draws to a close, we should reflect on some of the achievements of the CMA in 2026. The hard work undertaken by our Working Groups is now paying off.

• We start with the Idler Working Group, with the announcement that after more than a decade, SANS 1313-1:2026 Edition 5.00 has been published and is available on the SABS webstore. SANS 1313-2 and SANS 1313-3 are in varying stages of completion at SABS.

• The Standards and Technical Work Group has achieved the adoption of ISO 5048 as a SANS standard. This is also available on the SABS webstore and is referenced as SANS 2608:2026 Edition 1.00.

• The technical review of the CMA Guideline – Safety around belt conveyors is nearing completion.

• The Belting Working Group has also been extremely busy with the review of SANS 1173 and SANS 1366, and in preparing new standards for straight-warp conveyor belting and for finger splicing of multi-ply and solid-woven conveyor belting.

All in all, we can report a most successful year in facilitating the production of the standards so sorely needed by our industry and promoting the excellence of belt conveying in southern Africa.