APM - Marine Talks - 2022 December by africanpioneer

Why sho monste

AT L KS M A R I N E

DECEMBER 2022

g pp y p p participants: "Thank you❤ it was honestly worth it I had fun on top of everything", and "I want to do the 5 km run next year!" Participants were: Grant Doyle, Zikoha Hashe, Nosiphiwe Kholobile, Onke Mqoqi, Caren Benjamin, Roché Vraagom, Noleen van Rooy, Olga Phillips, Jonize Van Dyk, Cameron Coraizen and Jameson Kearns

Not pictured: Lauren Masimla also completed the 21 km run

5 LOAD-SHEDDING WOES

HIK Abalone Farm employees show commitment and dedication during increased load-shedding

7 LEARNERSHIPS

Youth with disabilities

targeted by Glenryck and HIK

Abalone Farm permanently employee learnership graduates

6 TEAMWORK BRINGS HOPE

Hardworking teams and individuals at Pioneer Fishing bring hope for a bright future for the company

1 0 ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

Pioneer Fishing/Glenryck upskill and invest in local Small, Medium and Micro enterprises.

contents 2

BUILD COMMUNITIES WITHIN YOUR OWN WORK SPACES ALSO

As a group, we remain committed to being a responsible corporate citizen having clear corporate values, recognising the interest of communities, being transparent and following best corporate governance practices.

The company takes a broader view of its role in society and therefore realises the importance of socio-economic development, ethics, health and safety, and environmental management.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is considered an integral part of doing business and goes beyond making profits but looks to improve the community's welfare.

Through some of the initiatives in this edition you can see as a company, we are also committed to ploughing back into the communities and contributing to various facets of community development and environmental sustainability. But we also realise building communities at work is important, because it leads to better work and improves morale

But how do you start building a community? It's more than just tossing a dart at a map, hoping you'll hit the right place. You need to make sure that you're making your employees feel heard, appreciated, and understood and there are lots of ways to do that

One way is by creating a space where employees can gather and engage with one another. You can turn an unused room into a community space, or use an existing space in your office for this purpose

Another way is through rewards systems. Whether it is through Above & Beyond or being featured in the Marine Talks magazine, we want to

acknowledge our employees for outstanding work When we were looking at our own organisation's reward system, we realised something: it was motivating some to do their best work, but there is always room for improvement

Why is motivation so important? Because research shows that motivated employees are happier, more productive, and more committed to their jobs than their unmotivated counterparts

And as a manager or team leader/supervisor, that means you can spend less time worrying about morale and more time making plans for success in the future! So how do we motivate people? Simple: by building communities within our work spaces so employees feel connected and supported by each other.

RINK OF A NEW YEAR, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO RYONE OF YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION, LOYALTY AND COMMITMENT TO THE COMPANY DURING 2022

VALUABLE IDEAS AND HARD WORK MAKING US STRONGER AS A TEAM

HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON ” - STEPHEN

CEO AFRICAN PIONEER GROUP, STEPHEN DONDOLO

FROM THE GROUP CEO

MESSAGE

GEAR UP FOR A PRODUCTIVE NEW NEW YEAR WITH THESE TIPS

One way is by increasing productivity. When people are working hard and getting things done, they feel good about themselves and their work environment and they'll want to keep it up in order so they can enjoy those positive feelings again.

Another way is by increasing sales When you're selling more than ever before, it feels great! You're helping people solve problems by giving them what they need.

It also helps to set goals for yourself and your team, but be realistic about how much time each task will take (instead of trying to cram everything into one day).

You deserve a break. You've worked hard all year, and you deserve that vacation. But soon it will be time to get back to work, and we're here to help you through it with some tips on how to keep your momentum going after your holiday break.

For many of us, the new year is a time for reflection on the past and anticipation for the future.

We look back on our goals from last year, and set new ones for this year. We think about what we want to accomplish and how we can get there.

But

With the holidays over, it can be hard to get back into the swing of things at work. And if it's been a while since you've been in the office or factory, you might have forgotten all about your goals for yourself and for the business It can take some time to get motivated again!

So how do you get yourself ready to take on the challenges that await? How do you motivate your teams so they feel ready to grow?

You can also use a daily checklist of tasks, which makes sure nothing is left undone until the very end of the day

Have regular check-ins with managers and supervisors or team leaders and other departments around the office or factories so everyone stays connected with one another and knows what they need to do next

It happens every year: people start out their work year with great intentions and then slowly lose steam as the months go by.

And by February, they're wondering why they even bothered coming back in the first place But there's no reason for this!

There are simple things we can do every day to keep ourselves motivated throughout the year and keep ourselves productive and happy at work

All it takes is some planning and dedication on our part.

All of these things combined ensures we are ready for whatever challenges 2023 might bring our way!

“AS YOU PREPARE TO GO ON HOLIDAY DURING THE FESTIVE SEASON, WE WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK OVER THE LAST YEAR WE KNOW THAT IT CAN BE STRESSFUL AND OVERWHELMING AT TIMES, BUT IT'S A PRIVILEGE TO WORK WITH SUCH AN AMAZING TEAM

WE HOPE THAT THIS HOLIDAY SEASON IS FILLED WITH LOVE, LAUGHTER, AND LOTS OF YUMMY FOOD! PIETER

MESSAGE FROM THE GROUP CEO

PIONEER FISHING COO PIETER GREEFF

COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION SHOWN

Justin Meys, Research and Development Manager at HIK Abalone Farm says the Research and Development (R&D) department has grown tremendously over the last two years

HIK has placed particular emphasis on the department to improve standing stock yields for greater profit margins.

The goal of the R&D department was to develop and grow relations between company divisions for a better understanding of business unit desires. This has aided in the accomplishment of set goals and increased the scope of research within the company A major project development area for HIK’s R&D department has been the expansion of its seaweed cultivation capacity The capacity has increased by seven times over the last two years. The department is also in the developmental stage of introducing a tailored product in an attempt to match customer requirements.

The development of interdepartmental relations and seaweed cultivation is aligned with the company’s vision to produce the finest quality abalone through teamwork and innovation

In order to strengthen the organisation the department has hired two new members, Leevi Adams and Samani Masithembe, to help manage the seaweed cultivation. While the work is difficult as it requires both technical skills and physical strength, the two members have adapted well to their new roles.

The company has also acquired the expertise of abalone aquaculture consultant, Ross Wortley, who will focus on improving the efficiency of grading

selection with an aim to protect the existing and future abalone stock profile at HIK.

HIK Abalone Farm is no stranger to operating in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) environment. The business is dependent on the natural environment to cultivate its product. Due to environmental conditions, seaweed tanks were altered into settlement conditioning tanks to improve hatchery production This temporary conversion has assisted the hatchery in meeting and maintaining their targets during sensitive periods.

The R&D department had its ups and downs over the course of 2022. The department plans to focus on its strengths and learn from its failures moving into 2023 to ensure the next quarter is started off stronger than ever.

Credit must be given to the staff for the manner in which they handled the increased load-shedding timetable Since HIK’s animals require continuous air and water, all operational equipment’s startup must be checked. This greatly increased the workload requirement of members, especially in those early hours of the morning.

HIK is proud of the commitment and dedication shown by all duty personnel in dealing with the challenges accompanying load-shedding to a degree where no major stock losses occurred

"To those taking leave in December, we wish you safe travels home when visiting your families; and those who will remain on the farm, we thank you and appreciate your efforts greatly!" - Justin

6 HIK ABALONE FARM

HARDWORKING TEAMS BRING HOPE FOR A BRIGHT FUTURE

SHAWN SWARTZ GENERAL MANAGER, PIONEER FISHING

One of the major goals was to produce 2,5 million cartons of canned fish. The company also installed a new labeling line with modern robots to destack and stack the cans.

This is used together with the old line and benefits include:

Less risk of breakdowns will result in a greater chance of achieving targets

There will be less time lost when changing to different labels or codes

Two different labels can be run at the same time, example Chilli and Tomato sauce. We would be able to move away from the 24-hour shift system to a normal 07:00 to 17:00 working day. Only if required, a third shift will put on nightshift. The new machine would allow more pack versatility example 3, 4, 6, or 12 packs

A new canning and operations manager has been appointed to ensure company goals are achieved This time of the year is not just a time to unwind, but to prepare for the new season.

Quotas need to be secured, raw materials are procured, maintenance is performed on factory and vessels and new equipment is installed that will improve the throughput or improve the quality of our products.

Examples of this is a new seamer/saucer that will allow us to maintain a constant throughput and the new sauce kitchen which will give us a more uniform sauce and improve traceability. There are several examples where staff members put up their hand and assisted with achieving a goal or prevented negative consequences These individuals are recognised under the Above and Beyond initiative (see page 11)

What stands out particularly is the quality controller who prevented damaged product being dispatched by reporting an “off" smell on a load that was about to be dispatched. Also the labelling dispatch team that worked till 23:00 to meet the dispatch target for October.

This team also included staff from other departments Individuals and teams like them give us hope for a bright future in the company if we all pull our weight and work towards a common goal This year came with its fair share of challenges, but also had many successes. I want to thank each and every staff member for their contribution to the successes and overcoming the challenges.

I wish all of you and your families a blessed festive season and well deserved rest. Hope to see you all return safe and sound next year. Here’s to reaching new heights!

YOUTH LEARN INDUSTRY STANDARDS OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE PROCESSING

Author, Martina Navratilova said: “Disability is a matter of perception, if you can do just one thing right, you are needed by someone ”

Skills training for people with disabilities are often overlooked within society and in the workplace. This is due to the misconceptions associated with people with disabilities and often results in a negative impact on many disabled youth. They might feel isolated from society, withdrawn from social gatherings, have lack of confidence, feel discouraged and demotivated to find employment. For this reason Glenryck wanted to partner with Human Capacity Consulting and Learning Solutions on a learnership aimed at youth with disabilities This opportunity will allow the young adults to feel a sense of belonging and will equip them with the

Now permanently employed

necessary skills and knowledge needed to apply not only in the workplace but in society and their personal lives and to empower and educate them

The eight month long learnership started with an induction on 27 October.

The four participants will continue to attend regular training programmes.

The programme is a NQF Level 1 General Education and Training Certificate (GETC) course and entails equipping the participants with basic knowledge and skills on the handling and processing within a semi-automated medium to large organisation After completion the learners will be able to understand and apply basic operation standards and practices in food and beverage processing and packing.

Eight unemployed youth from the local community was selected to participate in an Animal Production NQF Level 1 in-house Learnership Training was provided by HIK Abalone Farm's training department, an AgriSeta accredited training provider. The learnership ran from February to October this year and the seven incumbents who completed the course and were declared competent, have been permanently employed by the company.

HIK Abalone's training officer and course facilitator, Siyanda Ndencani, said: "Giving unemployed youth an opportunity to gain accredited qualifications, work experience and a job, goes a long way in establishing good relations with the surrounding community". The learnership programme will be running every year for the foreseeable future.

Four young people participated in the learnership funded by Glenryck SA and provided by Human Capacity at their facility in Cape Town. Jemique Barends, Zine Mankankela, Siyanda Ndencani (facilitator), Faith Muller, Pheto Moeketsi (back), Justin Abrahams and Zusiphe Nqumeni.

'I CONSIDER MYSELF A PEOPLE ENABLER' PIONEER FISHING

“My goal is to positively impact and influence the people around me, whether by creating opportunities, building capacity or providing assistance.

”Limited human resources in capacity building, skills and aquaculture expertise are just a few of the factors impeding the development of fisheries in South Africa, resulting in the loss of many jobs

“Complex legislation governing fisheries further limits the development of this sector to prospective investors, she adds, and many enterprises have closed down in recent years as a result of machinery theft in fish farms.”

Passion! Passion! Passion!

If an employee puts his or heart and soul into his or her work, according to Lauren Masimla, everything else will flow from there

For Lauren, Manager: Human Resources, her work is definitely not only a way to earn money She considers herself a “people-enabler”

Sixteen years after South Africa became the world’s first Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified hake trawl fishery there is still light at the end of the tunnel.

“Trawled hake annually generates an estimated R4,5 billion per year, making it the most valuable commercial fishing activity in South Africa

“If we can balance job creation, transformation and sustainability, there is still a bright future ahead for the employees of Pioneer Fishing.”

GENERAL WORKER TO SENIOR HR OFFICER HIK ABALONE

FARM

"I came freshly out of College where I obtained my Human Resource Management N6 certificate in June of 2016."

Her aim was to get a job to take care of her family.

"My contract ended in January 2017 during red tide, which affected the organisation tremendously, and I availed myself for any casual job to assist during this time."

HIK offered her a year-long Internship in the Human Resources department that commenced on 1 June 2017, an opportunity she grabbed with both hands to showcase her skillset to the company

Nice Nonkelela started with HIK Abalone Farm in October 2016 on a Department of Economic Development and Tourism (Dedat) programme contracted for four months that was developed to give youth work experience. She started in the Hatchery department where she worked as a general worker.

"Within a month, I was offered an opportunity to go work at the Buffeljagsbaai site as an HR Officer. When I started at Buffeljagsbaai the farm was still small and consisted of about 35-40 employees. To date the farm has grown to such an extent that about 150 people are employed there."

She was appointed the Senior HR Officer on 1 June 2022

"I aim to ensure that the business achieves an overall strategy through our people "

PROGRAMME AIMS TO DEVELOP WOMEN IN MARITIME LEADERSHIP

“As women we always have to be a few steps ahead ” For this reason, Estelle van Dyk, Nopowuer Arosi, Dominique Vraagom, Ilse Biggs and Geralda Bekeer grabbed the opportunity to take part in the Accelerated Development Programme for Women in Maritime Leadership hosted by the South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) and Nelson Mandela Business School.

The programme, which runs from October to January 2023, addresses challenging contemporary leadership issues that needs to be faced and applied to ensure personal growth and business prosperity. Upon completion, delegates will take away new, refreshing, and useful insights and tools that can be implemented to yield powerful results both from a personal as well as a business perspective. This programme is contextualised for women leaders within the Maritime sector.

Fishmeal QC assistant, Nopowuer, says it took a little convincing from her supervisor to join the porgramme as she has never done any courses after school and she felt the opportunity was only for “qualified” people.

After attending the first few lectures, she has changed her tune and is excited to learn. “I now feel this is something I can do. I’ve already learned so much about leadership and that it starts with oneself.”

Fishmeal QC supervisor, Geralda, says she is excited about this opportunity because as a young leader

she is always looking for ways to better herself so she can inspire and encourage other young people. Focus areas of the course include:

Driving the Delivery of Results - as the context of leadership practice

Leading Others - as instrument to leadership success

Employ Digital Leadership Skills for advancement

Apply Project Management skills to deliver results, reduce costs, increase efficiencies and stakeholder satisfaction

Personal Leadership - as DNA of success

Cannery Quality Administrator, Ilse, says: “During this course we have already learned we live in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world. Women have many challenges and carry a lot of responsibilities that is why we always need to be a step ahead As a mother to three girls, I want to show them I am a go-getter ” Safety, Health, Environmental and Quality (SHEQ) Manager, Estelle, says the skills learned will enhance their competencies as women leaders so they can contribute to the attainment of strategic and operational goals of the company and will equip them with current knowledge and skills to effectively and successfully fulfil the requirements of their roles. The programme is hosted online and participants will attend classes during working hours and will also have to complete assignments

Participants Nopowuer Arosi, Ilse Biggs, Estelle van Dyk, Geralda Bekeer and Dominique Vraagom

PIONEER FISHING/ GLENRYCK UPSKILLS AND INVEST IN LOCAL BUSINESSES

Pioneer Fishing/ Glenryck launched their first Enterprise Development Programme with a business breakfast on Friday, 9 September at Blue Bay Lodge in Saldanha

The company saw the need to develop small blackowned businesses in the West Coast, especially the St Helena Bay region where they operate. They hired another local business Snyer Business Consulting, who specialises in enterprise development to facilitate the programme. One of the incumbents is Bock Cooling Dynamics, who operates from his home in Laingville. The business was started in August 2020 and offers refrigeration services for domestic, commercial and industrial refrigeration systems as well as air conditioning units Owner, Peet Bock, says he expects the programme to furnish him with the required tools to successfully develop as a leader and grow his business. “I am very excited to be part of this programme, and am seeing it as a dream come true and a life-changing experience for me and my company.

One of the more established business owners is Venecia Palmer, owner of Samoosa Boss She and her husband bought the business in 2010 with only four types of samoosas Today they have 25 variants and offer spring rolls and a variety of other pastries.

The expectations of the programme are to grow in all areas of the business; to be able to see the full potential of the business; to allow the business to have the necessary equipment to push out volumes and bulk requirements as far and broad as possible.

Pioneer Fishing’s Human Resource Manager, Lauren Masimla, wished the business owners well on their journey "As a company Pioneer Fishing understands the plight of small business owners. They don’t always have access to the necessary resources or mentors. With this programme we hope to address this and do our bit to set up these business owners for even greater success.”

Funding to grow their businesses

The female-owned businesses Masole Consulting and Digit5 Communications also received funding from the company to grow their respective businesses

Masole Consulting was founded in 2015 by Lindiwe Masole, a registered Industrial/Work Psychologist, her partner Kgomotso Matjeke joined the company in 2017. The business operates primarily in the West Coast area and offers context-specific organisational psychology services to small and medium enterprises.

Digit5, is a marketing and communications company, who specialises in corporate public relations, digital designs and internal/external communications services Owner, Joline van der Merwe, says she applied for funding from Glenryck to acquire a state-of-the-art laptop and camera to render a better service to her clients.

"Pioneer Fishing/Glenryck has not only invested in my business by being one of my loyal clients, but they have also invested in me by providing funding to grow my business while equipping me with the necessary skills to be successful," said van der Merwe

Masole added: "The support from Pioneer Fishing/Glenryck has allowed us to attain muchneeded accredited courses which will enable us to expand on our service offerings, equipment that will enable us to offer seamless facilitation services and we are also getting assistance with branding to ensure that our business becomes more visible to potential clients. All in all, with Pioneer Fishing/Glenryck’s assistance we are well on our way to operating at another level!"

The 11 businesses who form part of the programme, will be mentored in the following business aspects: Business Management and Compliance; Finance and Information Technology; PR, Sales and Marketing; Operations, Health and Safety and Human Resources Management

Digit5 Communications Murray Wear

Bock

Cooling Dynamics Samoosa Boss

WILFRED WON'T STOP DREAMING

It seems like yesterday to Wilfred Magerman ... but it was 10 June 1986, when he reported for duty at Oranjevis, as Pioneer Fishing was known at the time. Fresh out of school, he was immensely proud to be part of this big fishing company and from humble beginnings as a packer of frozen fish in boxes of 10 by 2 kg, he can now look back on a 36-year career with pride

"The organisation has always been only good for me," says Wilfred, who will join Pioneer Fishing's cannery department as production manager in January 2023. Wilfred has always been an active member of the community.

"Doing something for the people around me is an absolute privilege," he admits.

"I've been involved in a variety of organisations but discovered that the youth is near and dear to my heart "

With three sons who excel at rugby, involvement in the sport was an obvious choice. He has been part of the Saldanha Bay club, which is part of the Boland league, for the past ten years.

He was team manager of Saldanha's second team for the first three years but was later promoted to team manager of Saldanha's A team.

The Covid pandemic changed so many things During lockdown, the youth of Steenberg Cove participated in street rugby. They had so much fun that Wilfred was approached to assist in the establishment of a local club. His attention was immediately drawn to Steenberg Cove, and on February 19, this year, the Boland League approved the club's application to become an independent club.

Because of his experience with the Saldanha Club, he is not only the team manager of Steenberg Cove's ATeam, but also assists the management with administration and legislative issues

PRACTICES AND GAMES A HIGHLIGHT

Danvor Williams is a Pioneer Fishing employee with a love of rugby and a heart for the Steenberg Cove community.

"I remember being nervous and excited my first day in front of Pioneer Fishing's gate in 1992 I was so excited about the new world that awaited me " And Danvor has thoroughly explored that "new world" over the past thirty years, beginning as a pallet packer and progressing to his current position as production manager of Pioneer Fishing's fish meal department in St Helena Bay.

As a former fullback rugby player, he saw the newly formed Steenberg's Cove Rugby Football Club as a community project to which he could devote his heart and soul

Danvor admits that one of the things he looks forward to the most in his life is the weekday practises and weekend games

PIONEER FISHING