ABOUT US

Safehouse is a voluntary group of electrical industry stalwarts: technical experts and leaders of our respective businesses and fields.

We believe it’s our civic and commercial duty to protect our industry and fellow South Africans from nefarious suppliers of unsafe electrical products and services.

We work tirelessly to eradicate dangerous products from the market, to make electrical safety information understandable and accessible and to hold one another, and our industry, to the highest standards of excellence.

Our Mandate

We protect and grow our members’ market share – reclaiming share lost to non-compliant suppliers whose products can harm lives and livelihoods.

We protect consumers from preventable loss and harm caused by non-compliant electrical products or services

Operational Management

Connie Jonker

Connie worked in the Lighting Technology Division at the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) for almost four decades. He’s well known and highly respected throughout the lighting industry for his uncompromising stance on product compliance and safety. He regularly liaises with NRCS, SABS and other associations to keep up to date with regulatory developments and the impacts that these have on suppliers and consumers. Connie joined Safehouse in May 2018, where he continues to advocate product compliance and safety.

Barry O'leary

Barry spent his professional career, spanning over 40 years, in the Electrical Industry of South Africa. During this time, he worked at Bowthorpe Hellermann , Three-D Agencies, Panduit (USA) and Major Tech; in senior positions ranging from national sales manager to operations director. He was also responsible for sales to ARMSCOR, including the Air Force , Navy and Army – a position which required national security clearance. Barry brings this pedigree of safety and compliance with him to strengthen the Safehouse philosophy.

Kevin Flack

Kevin has recently retired from the electrical industry after over 40 years of service.

He gained vast practical knowledge that he wants to share by guiding and training future generations. He has led product testing to required technical standards across a range of products made or sourced for sale in South Africa. Kevin is now part of the management team at Safehouse, where his broad academic background helps the organisation solve complex challenges.

Wimpie Lyons

Wimpie started his career in Standards and Auditing during 1994 at the SABS. Soon after, He was appointed as Manager in the Electrotechnical Regulatory Department of the SABS. He resumed the role as Manager for both the Electrotechnical and Automotive Regulatory Departments until 2003, after which he joined the private sector. He became involved with all the Electrotechnical and Automotive Working Groups, Technical Committees and Steering Committees within the SABS. He has a passion for Standards and Regulatory affairs and has extensive experience with international product certification requirements.

Elected Exco members

Willem Olivier

Apex Cordset Technologies

Willem Olivier is the Sales and Marketing Executive at Apex Cordset Technologies, bringing over 25 years of extensive experience in the automotive and electrical manufacturing industries. Throughout his career, Willem has held various senior positions, including Manufacturing Director at Pasdec Automotive Technologies and Operations Manager at BCE Global/Fulmen. Known for his strategic leadership and expertise in lean manufacturing, Willem has successfully overseen and supported manufacturing operations globally, ensuring compliance with ISO standards and driving continuous improvement. Joining Safehouse, he aims to leverage his deep industry knowledge to enhance the organization’s commitment to safety and quality in all its products and services.

Mishack Matla

Aberdare Cables

Mishack is an Executive Director of Marketing, Sales & Distribution at Aberdare Cables. He has a combined 20 years of management experience in both the healthcare and electrical industry. He currently sits on the Safehouse EXCO, AECMSA Exco, Aberdare Cables Board, and also Aberdare Intelec Board. He has a passion for quality & compliance, having joined Safehouse 7 years ago to ensure that South Africa’s consumers and electrical businessess are protected.

Richard Egenrieder

CED

Richard is the General Manager of Consolidated Electrical Distributor. He has over 12 years of experience in the low-voltage electrical industry, focusing on switchgear and motor control. He is passionate about introducing and growing new brands in the South African market that conforms to international and local standards. He joined the Safehouse EXCO on November 2022 with the vision of driving Safehouse to become the recognised market leader in compliance and safety amongst its members, while protecting the market from non-compliant products.

What we do for our members:

Support

Our members receive discounted rates on professional testing and advice services, with in-house technical support free of charge.

Self-regulation Guidance

We facilitate every aspect of your journey to self-regulate.

Problem Solving

We work with industry bodies to lobby government to address issues that affect the prosperity of our member’s organisations.

Exposure

Promotion of your brand to the industry and our customer bases, which include end consumers, contractors, developers and insurers.

Industry Surveillance

We survey the industry on your behalf and act as your contact point for any safety & compliance issues that require further investigation.

Safe Products Database

We list all of your brand products in our product database (launching soon), exposing you to new customers throughout the country.

Safety Mark

Members may use the Safehouse mark on all product packaging, positioning your products as worthy of the highest safety recognition in South Africa.

Our Purpose

To protect lives and livelihoods

The systems designed to protect South African consumers and producers of electrical goods and services have failed. As leaders within our field, we’re equipped with the tools, the experience and the power to reform this reality.

Members of our industry deserve to operate within a fair business environment, and their customers deserve to go home with products that are reliable and safe. We’re on a quest to ensure electrical compliance is commonplace in South Africa.
Join us.

A South Africa where every electrical product is compliant and safe.

We’re on a quest to ensure electrical compliance is commonplace in South Africa.

This means uniting the electrical industry in a commitment to offering products and services that protect, rather than harm. It means empowering non-compliant companies with the knowledge and tools they need to change their ways and uphold crucial safety standards. It means ensuring that customers no longer carry the burden of having to know which products are safe and which are not. They should all be.

In our ideal future world, there is no need for Safehouse. Until then, we’re committed to protecting people, saving lives and livelihoods, and preventing avoidable disasters.