Wikimedia South Africa/2023-AGM

This is the minutes and agenda record for the 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Wikimedia South Africa. It outlines the time, location, agenda, and serves as the official record of decisions made during the AGM.

Bobby spoke and reminded of everyone of the chapters friendly space policy which everyone has to adhere to.

All attendees agree to abide by Wikimedia South Africa's friendly space policy when attending chapter events such as this one.

An audio recording of the AGM can be found on commons here.

Venue

Wikimedia South Africa AGM 2023

Date: 18 November 2023

Time: 09:00 to 12:00

Location:

Digital location: On your computer via Google Hangouts at the details below-

Wikimedia South Africa AGM

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/xwv-wvbr-sjj

Or dial: (ZA) +27 10 823 1034 PIN: 193 592 737#

More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/xwv-wvbr-sjj?pin=2539819516374

In-person location:

Catalyst Hotel, 100 Pretoria Avenue Wierda Valley Sandton, Gauteng, South Africa, 2196

Attendees

Please fill out AGM attendance form to confirm your attendance or nominate a proxy.

In person

• Bobby Shabangu
• Deon Styen
• Michael Graaf
• Douglas Ian Scott
• Coenraad Loubser
• Jeremiah Petersen
• Ingrid Thomson
• Nobantu Modise
• Jan Hendrick
• Itumeleng Mpofu
• Derek Moore -Creative Commons South Africa
• Lindani
• Tinashe
• Shupai Mchuchu
• Mucha Muchemwa
• Matete Lesele

Online

• Dumisani Ndubane [WMF]
• Belinda Mbambo [WMF]
• Adri Baard
• Mohau Monaledi
• Reuben Honigwachs
• Kyla Rose [Recreate ZA]
• Veer Gosai

Apologies & Proxies

Please fill out the membership proxy section on the AGM 2023 attendance form to nominate your proxy.

• Khethiwe Marias, appointed Bobby Shabangu to be her proxy
• Gwinyai Masukume apologised

Agenda

Approval of 2022 AGM minutes

2022 AGM minutes can be reviewed here: Wikimedia South Africa/2022-AGM Approval of 2022 AGM minutes Last year's meeting minutes were presented. Douglas proposed for the 2022 AGM minutes approved by Michael Graaf and seconded seconded by Bobby Shabangu. Dumisani asked for clarity from 2022 proposals, if there were approved or not. Shupai to look into the proposals of 2022 if there were passed or not.

2022 AGM Proposals

Proposal: Nobantu: suggests that a prior "hiring committee" review prospective board members before the AGM where they are elected. Bobby agrees but points out that the WMZA currently does not have a "hiring committee." Proposal: "Requirements to become a board member. Propose to pass a resolution that only chapter members who have made more than 5 edits on a non-profit free knowledge movement Wiki or open contribution platform (such as Wikipedia and sister Wiki sites, Open Street Maps, ect.) can be nominated or appointed to the Wikimedia South Africa board." - proposed by Douglas

Chapter Finances

The trail bank balance for Wikimedia South Africa's bank accounts for the period 1 July 2023 to 31 October 2023 and presented to the chapter at the WMZA AGM on 18 November 2023.

Report on current state of chapter finances and active grants.

Douglas presented a financial report which outlines the status of Wikimedia ZA 2023/24 financial year. Douglas stated that the Chapter has two accounts. One account is for chapter funds, and as per requirements we have a second account which are funds for WMF activities. The Wikimedia Foundation account as they are our primary grant. We have received two large grant amounts from the foundation. Our financial year runs from the beginning of June 2023 until the end of July 2024 and in 2023 we received. R2.4 million to fund chapter projects which is an annual grant We received an additional R2.4 million to run WikiIndaba Morocco 2023. The Chapter has further received just over R700 000 thousand to run as a fiscal sponsor for Botswana Wikimedia user group. They applied a separate grant, which was awarded to Wikimedia South Africa. the chapter receives a commission for running as a fiscal sponsor which is 13% It was highlighted that the chapter has made some income from facilitating fiscal sponsorships. The chapter currently just under R2 million in the account. Some monies still needs to be used for projects. It was noted that the statement was compiled by the bookkeepers COPIA, BGC the accountant are currently running the Chapters audit. A question was asked about SADILAR, as one of the chapters partnership. SADILAR project has its own budget. Scholarship budget is exhausted, but there are funds to reallocate. Douglas gave the breakdown of the account and its expenditures. It was noted that we have money in our account due to facilitating conferences and running as a fiscal sponsor and this is due to Bobby's work. The chapter receives most money from funding and facilitation fees It was suggested to budget our monies around what the foundation can fund. These monies are used to fund and give scholarships to community members. In future it was suggested to send financial statements to participants 3 days prior so people can go through the statements. Deon was okay to continue with the meeting regardless, of this not been done and to be practiced for the future Coenraad proposed for the financial report to approved and Michael seconded it.

Retreat workshop: Five-year plan (2024-2029)

Belinda from the Wikimedia Foundation provided a summary of the 3 days workshop which was held at the constitution hill to discuss a strategy on how the Chapter wants to move forward in the next 3 to 5 years. Review and vote on the 2024-2029 WMZA strategic plan developed during the chapter Retreat workshop (15-17 November 2023).

What have we achieved for previous financial year

See activity report for 2022/23 for more details. The WMZA financial year (FY) runs from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.

Report on WikiIndaba 2023

Strategy workshop report

Forward looking vision

By 2027, the free knowledge movement will be better understood, valued and accessed by increasingly large sections of the public. Misinformation will decline in public and political discourse. Our external and internal analysis in developing this strategy consistently highlights the need to address matters of advocacy, reach of audiences and growth of community. By creating popular support for free knowledge we will create the conditions for those in the South African movement to regard the protection and promotion of free knowledge as important. Local leaders, country knowledge champions and editors also have a vital role in making this change. Rooting support within communities, making this work more real, relevant and visible to people’s lives is key to this change. We do this because people think and communicate in different ways. Curiosity and candor are how we learn to understand and trust each other. Assumptions and biases are at the root of most misunderstandings.

Pillars

• Advocate
• Reach
• Grow

Objectives

Specific Objective 1: Professionally reorganize the chapter before the end of Q1 of 2024=

• Strategy: Activate a systematic review of the Chapter’s structure and processes by 31 January 2024

• Design a relevant organogram for the Chapter with consensus from the Board and Community

Articulate written job descriptions for every position with relevant key objectives and results Recruit for relevant positions through proper due diligence

• Strategy: Build an effective and accountable team to lead the chapter’s processes from administration, operations to finances and evaluation.

• Successfully hire, onboard and induct a competent Secretariat
• Successfully hire, onboard and induct an accountable COO,
• Successfully hire, onboard and induct two interns: outreach and chapter support.
• Onboard new hires through education of Wikimedia policies and engagement with the community and other stakeholders
• Create OKRs for every role and hold quarterly performance appraisals to track progress and evaluation.

Define a period to validate success

Specific Objective 2 : Create a comprehensive and engaging Internal Communications Strategy by beginning of Q2 in 2024

• Strategy: Ensure effective, transparent flow of information between Chapter Board, Leadership and community members by deploying an internal communication workplan.

Empower community to share their thoughts and ideas on how they want to engage through a google survey

• Host office hours or have direct engagements with members to map out what type of communications make them feel most valued and connected to the Chapter
• Create communications flow and revisit internal communications channels to gauge reach and effectiveness
• Refresh and reimagine communications strategy with communications goals, milestones and frequencies.
• Design Internal communications strategy with clear targets, channels and messaging deck.
• Create a new induction path for newcomers through internal communication strategy
• Define a period to validate success

Specific Objective 3: Develop External Communications plan by the beginning of Q2 in 2024,begin full implementation by Q3, 2024

• Strategy: Actively promote the Chapters image, build its reputation and relationship with key stakeholders.
• Strategy: Inform and educate South Africa and they Wikimedia ZA exists, its mission and impact.
• Map out and segment Wikimedia ZA external audiences
• Analyze, position and refine target audiences
• Define requirements for external communications strategy
• Design external communications strategy with clear targets, channels and messaging deck.
• Define a period to validate success

Specific Objective 4: Activate at least 4 champions by the end of Q1 to lead on (1) orientation, (2)mentorship, (3) knowledge management and (4) libraries thematic area with clear guidelines of engagement.

• Strategy: Increase Engagement, Improve Team Knowledge
• Isolate potential candidates for Champion Roles
• Create guidelines for Champion Role and Requirements
• Define Review process Activate Champions
• Define a period to validate success

Specific Objective 5: Grow the community by xx percent by 2026 through sensitization of values and regular, impactful connection.

• Strategy :Improve the entrenchment of core Values within community
• Schedule outreach workshops with community to entrench values
• Training of newcomers
• Isolate method of tracking growth in community
• Create process for periodic review of community growth

Specific Objective 6 : Map out relevant partners and begin specific stakeholder engagement by Q2 , 2024

• Strategy: Create synergies across different spaces to bolster the Wikimedia ZA Chapter and ecosystem
• Review of current partner list creation of potential partnership
• Creation of partner stakeholder engagement plan to improve on current partnerships
• Creation of messaging deck and chapter credentials booklet
• Creation of potential partnership engagement plan
• Meet and connect,

Specific Objective 7: Increase the number of South African language wikis by xx percent by 2026

• Strategy: Reach South Africa in its mother tongue languages to create an authentic, relatable and trusted community that is diverse, inclusive and equitable.
• Analyze of current language status
• Activation of Knowledge experts with an agreement within chapter on percentage for improvement by 2026
• Development of succession plan for the current language wikis
• Analyze current chapter members for allocation to possible champion role for new language wiki’s and assign targeted objectives and key results to apportion accountability.

Review of events still to come in FY 2023/24 and into FY 2024/25.

• SADiLaR African language Wikipedia training and outreach workshops
• Wiki Loves Science 2023
• Wiki Loves Plants
• Afrikaans Wikipedia outreach
• Wiki Loves South African Libraries
• #1lib1ref campaign
• Wikimania 2023 scholarships (report)
• Others

Board Members Votes

Bobby has proxy of Khethiwe Marais, seconded by Douglas with no objections. Ingrid Thomson, nominated Jeremiah Peteresen to be on the board and it was secended. Michael Graaf, Douglas, Scott, Bobby Shabangu,Nobantu Modise, Coenraad Loubser, Jan-Hendrik du Doit, Veer Gosai,Deon Steyn put themselves up for the board and it was seconded with no objections. Nominations for new members of the WMZA board for 2023/24

• The new board elected to the WMZA board for 2023/24 are:
  • Jan Hendrik
  • Ingrid
  • Bobby
  • Jeremiah
  • Deon
  • Douglas
  • Veer
  • Nobantu
  • Coenraad
  • Michael
  • Khethiwe

AGM 2024

• the 2024 AGM, will be held on 26 October 2024

Next AGM Meeting

• 26 October 2024