A representative body for the South African unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or drone, sector was recently launched in Johannesburg. This is the South African Federation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), officially abbreviated to Safu. (UAS is another term for drones; they are also referred to as remotely piloted aircraft systems, or RPASes.)
“Safu is a nonprofit organisation,” explained chairperson Sam Twala. “We currently have a strategic plan, but it is for a short time, only for this financial year.” This is because the federation is still in the process of setting itself up. “The complete [leadership] team is [made up of] three of us.” Nevertheless, Safu has set itself a number of missions to promote and support the development of the drone sector in South Africa. Perhaps, most importantly, the federation is intended to create and promote a common goal for the South African UAV sector.
“We [also] have a plan to have interest groups,” he reported. That is, under the aegis of Safu, various member companies will be able to set up groups to focus on issues of particular concern to them but not to all of the federation’s members.
Safu will also seek to educate drone operators in the safe and proper operation of UAVs, and ‘translate’ South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) regulations into simple and clear language, accessible on the federation’s website. In parallel, it intends to improve public knowledge about drones.
A really important function of Safu will be the collection and analysis of data about UAV operations in South Africa. Data, Twala highlighted, was essential for aviation safety. Data was essential to allow the federation to approach the different national agencies responsible for aviation safety to request changes in their regulations and rules which would facilitate the commercial operation of UAVs. In addition to the SACAA, these included Air Traffic Navigation Services (responsible for the country’s air traffic management).
Data was needed for other purposes as well. UAVs, he noted, had a place in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. But he pondered if government had enough information to understand this. Safu, he assured, would seek to supply government with the necessary information. Also, secure and safe command and control of drones would require that their operators be assigned a slice of the radio frequency spectrum for their activities.
In its press release covering its launch, Safu noted that it was four years since SACAA launched its regulations for the operation of UAVs, known as Part 101 of the South African Civil Aviation Regulations. Further, in May, the SACAA had set up the South African RPAS Industry Forum (Sarif), composed of government departments and entities, as well as a number of role-players in the industry.
Safu was created to be “an industry platform that will engage with the SACAA and other relevant government bodies,” it stated. “This [is] for the drone industry to realise its full potential, to uphold and improve safety and security standards, and for South Africa to reap the benefits of the industry’s huge economic potential . . . Safu will play a critical role by representing industry and assisting the [Sarif] forum with valuable industry data that has been collected since the promulgation of drone regulations in 2015. Safu looks forward to sharing this journey with all stakeholders and improving this industry for the benefit of all South Africans.”
The federation noted that it was understandable that UAVs were seen as challenges by regulators and other branches of government responsible for safety and security. “Whether these risks are real or perceived, they should be addressed in a collaborative manner and with all industry role-players critical to this process,” it urged.