Top500: South Africa's Best Managed Companies - 11th Edition

Lillian Barnard CEO OF MICROSOFT SA

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CONTENTS UP FRONT

7

Editor’s letter

8

Contributors

8

Featured clients

11

COVER INTERVIEW WITH

LILLIAN BARNARD

FEATURES & ARTICLES 23 Sustainability: Why great companies are investing in it in a big way 27 How digital transformation enables the financial services industry in emerging markets 31 SA’s Leading E-Commerce Retailers

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33 Tracking SA’s marine economy 42 Good governance: How important is sound financial reporting for your business health?

55 CSI Impact Across SA 61 Cryptocurrency trends in SA & Beyond 70 Tech and transport collide

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73 Tourism & travel 75 Breaking new ground - South Africa’s agricultural sector is growing 77 4IR - The future of mining in South Africa 81 Building a hopeful future 92 The importance of B-BBEE: Diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance

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TOP500 11th Edition

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CONTENTS

97

111

101 Top SA Digital Content Creator, Mihlali Ndamase, chats on the value of consistency and the power of creating relatable content that resonates with audiences

FEATURES & ARTICLES 97 3D Printing: is it time to invest?

101 Worth up to $15-billion by 2022 - Why influencer marketing is still effective 103 The power of social media 109 The power behind creating digital content - Interview with Mihlali Ndamase 111 Rising tech stars

109

PODCASTS: 44 Brett Cooper - Solving the People Problem 47 John Sanei - Give yourself the permission to succeed!

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49

49 Ian Fuhr - The only thing you’ll get when looking back is a stiff neck 51 Chris Zeitsman - FinTech, culture & competence

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51

53

53 Magda Wierzycka - Leadership, the markets and recovering from COVID

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CONTENTS / CREDITS

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CREDITS CEO Ralf Fletcher ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Twaambo Judy Chileshe twaambo.chileshe@topco.co.za PROJECT MANAGER Odelia Fester TOPCO STUDIO PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Van Fletcher van.fletcher@topco.co.za GROUP EDITOR Fiona Wakelin ASSISTANT EDITOR Charndré Emma Kippie

144 LIFESTYLE 117 Product review - Best in tech 127 Pioneering design - SA’s future of fashion 141 Five of the best South African hotel pools 144 The Cape of good wines

DESIGNER Christine Siljeur TRAFFIC MANAGER Daniel Bouwer artwork@topco.co.za IMAGES iStock Pexels HEAD OFFICE

TOP500 RANKING

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TOP500 11th Edition

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EDITOR’S LETTER

THE YEAR OF THE PIVOT 2021 – and we are all still anxiously waiting for that lady to sing.

COVID fatigue has, however, been somewhat mitigated by the arrival of the vaccines – which in and of itself has not been uncomplicated; and whilst we are experiencing a new normal, there are are certain aspects of our previous lives – like meeting up with friends and being able to travel overseas – that I, for one, look forward to regaining.

So it really gives me great pleasure to be writing this letter to pay deep respect to the companies, organisations and individuals who managed to pivot to business models and practices – mostly predicated on digital – which resulted in their continued survival, and in some instances, growth over the last year. And of course, at the same time, remember those who were simply punctured too badly to recover.

Top500 celebrates South Africa’s best managed companies and the listing in the publication - which reflects some of the dramatic changes in the business landscape during this time - is a key resource for investors, supply chain managers, talent scouts and those who wish to benchmark themselves against the top organisations in the country.

As homage to the development in the 4IR, and the advances which helped contribute to our economic survival, the theme this year for the 11th edition of Top500 is top tech – and so it is really appropriate that we have on our front cover Microsoft SA CEO Lillian Barnard who shares with us the exciting developments her team is

This publication would not have been possible without the amazing team I work with – Van Fletcher, Director; Charndré Emma Kippie, Editor; Christine Siljeur,

involved with – and some of her personal mantras.

Designer; and Daniel Bouwer, Traffic Manager.

In this bumper edition we have articles on sustainable investment,

We hope you enjoy the read!

digital content, financial services, crypto, sustainable investing, social media – and SA’s rising tech stars. And that’s not all! Because Topco pivoted to digital and this is the first edition of the Top500 digi mag, we are able to include some of the top class Business Unusual podcasts recorded with icons such as Brett Cooper, John Sanei, Ian Fuhr, Chris Zetsman and Magda Wierzycka.

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TOP500 11th Edition

FIONA WAKELIN Group Editor

CONTRIBUTORS / FEATURED CLIENTS

CONTRIBUTORS

FEATURED CLIENTS

BONANG MOHALE CAT CARSTENS JESSIE TAYLOR NDAGI JOB GOSHI PATRICK WADULA PETRA REES RENAY TANDY

Actom

120

African Oxygen Limited

59

Air Liquide

115

Gold Circle

136

Honeycomb BEE

89

Lesedi Nuclear Services

106

Lesson Desk

96

Liquid Intelligent Technologies South Africa 121 MiX Telematics

63

Oceana Group

35

PPC

83

Rainbow Civils

125

ROBIN FISHER SUSAN SYMONDSON

TOP500 11th Edition

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THRIVING WITH PASSION, COMPASSION, HUMOUR AND STYLE: INTERVIEW WITH LILLIAN BARNARD | COVER STORY

THRIVING WITH PASSION, COMPASSION, HUMOUR AND STYLE: Interview with

LILLIAN BARNARD

Chief Executive Officer at Microsoft South Africa

BY FIONA WAKELIN Thanks to the foundation provided by her

parents, from the age of 12 Lillian Barnard was

very clear about the value of education – particularly

positions, including working for 7-years at the IBM

European Headquarters, in France and Switzerland.

Mathematics. What was also clear to her was

Then, sparked by her entrepreneurial spirit, she

go to university and pursue a degree in Commerce

an advisor and coach to business leaders. Prior to

that there was no doubt that she was going to

- which given the era in which she grew up, was the exception rather than the rule.

Lillian now has more than 25 years’ experience in

the ICT industry and through the various leadership positions held, both locally and abroad, she has a broad spectrum of experience in operations, business controls, sales, strategy, business transformation and leadership.

Her career started at IBM as part of their

graduate recruitment programme and for

15 years she held several key leadership

started LillianB Consulting Services, where she was joining Microsoft, she served as Chief Sales Officer for Vodacom’s Enterprise Business for two years.

And in May 2017, Lillian joined Microsoft as Public Sector Director.

Just two years later in March 2019, she was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft South Africa.

Lillian currently also sits on the Board of the American

Chamber of Commerce in South Africa and the Gauteng Provincial Government 4IR Commission – as well

as being Advisory Board Member of the Institute for

Intelligent Systems at the University of Johannesburg.

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SO, WHO IS LILLIAN BARNARD? WHAT IS YOUR “WHY” – WHAT DRIVES YOU?

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE HURDLES AND CHALLENGES THAT ARE

PART OF LIFE? WHAT IS LILLIAN’S APPROACH AND DOES SHE HAVE

PARTICULAR LEANINGS TO SHARE WITH US?

I had to bounce back from many

moments, where I was either told ‘not yet – you are not ready’; ‘not you – someone else’; ‘not now –

you need more time’ and in those moments, I had to keep believing in the bigger picture.

These obstacles did and will continue

to – build tenacity and resilience. And it is these characteristics that helped

I am passionate about driving results

lead at IBM at the age of 28 - the

and talents, enabling them to become

to be appointed to this role. This

workplace, I see myself as the Chief

her career, laying the foundation for

comes that responsibility to create a

compounded by being selected by

their authentic selves to the workplace

assignment.

– and truly enable a diverse and

Another key milestone was starting

through people – developing their gifts

youngest and first black person

the best versions of themselves. In the

opportunity set the trajectory for

People Officer first – and with this

her leadership journey - which was

culture that enables people to bring

IBM for the international /European

and be embraced for that individuality inclusive workplace.

LillianB Consulting - which had a

I also believe in the power of

and empowerment of women in

role it is playing in enabling an

Women’s Mentorship Circle, which

technologies have the capability to

still runs today.

also to solve some pressing societal

Her crowning achievement,

partnership.

CEO of Microsoft South Africa,

Lillian’s personal successes include

to enable inclusive, digital

technology – and the critical

the IT industry. At Vodacom the

inclusive economic recovery. Digital

she was instrumental in setting up,

not only transform organisations, but challenges through innovation and

being appointed as Sales Operation

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specific focus on the advancement

TOP500 11th Edition

however, is her appointment as and the work they are doing

transformation in the country.

me overcome many difficulties.

I believe that obstacles should be

used and seen as opportunities to

grow. Disappointments build character and teach us how to bounce back.

I subscribe to the wisdom of Winston

Churchill who said that mountaintops inspire leaders, but it is the valleys that mature them.

I have learned that career paths are not linear – those valleys, detours

and obstacles are critical for us to discover how strong we truly are.

Over the years, I have developed a

list of my personal learnings on what it takes to not only approach, but also overcome hurdles.

I have found that hard skills are one thing (and very important),

but there are seven soul skills that I have embraced as part of my journey to success:

THRIVING WITH PASSION, COMPASSION, HUMOUR AND STYLE: INTERVIEW WITH LILLIAN BARNARD | COVER STORY

“FOR ME, IT WAS ABOUT TURNING THE FEAR INTO AN OPPORTUNITY.”

POWER: Power comes from self-

awareness – and truly knowing who you are. When you know who you are - you

have confidence in your abilities, as well as a strong sense of values guiding the

decisions on where you will compromise and where you won’t. This is truly empowering!

PURPOSE: Ensuring that your work

ambitions are aligned to delivering on your deeper reason for being will

ignite the passion and fuel the energy required to keep your motivation

regardless of the challenges you may need to overcome.

With 2 decades of experience in ICT

POSITIVE ATTITUDE: Attitude is really an inward feeling expressed by

Lillian has been part of

outward behaviour. A happy person is

COURAGE: To quote the late Nelson

but a person with the right attitude.

fear, but the triumph over it”. For me, it was

enthusiastic attitude is an essential

For example, fear of trying and failing…

is typically the first thing employers look

fear of asking and being told no…well, ask

from inside, ability can be taught!

it is about asking yourself what you are

CLARITY: This means being clear on who

that could happen? AND SO, WHAT?

not a person in ideal circumstances Maintaining a positive, optimistic,

requirement for every job description and for in their employees – attitude comes

you are and what you want, but also

Mandela, “Courage is not the absence of

about turning the fear into an opportunity. well, ask yourself, “what if I succeed” or

yourself, “what if I get told yes”. So, really truly afraid of and then what is the worst

being able to articulate this to others to

COMMUNICATION: More and more, the

on your journey – whether it be your work

becoming essential to your journey to

engage and energise them to help you

deliverables or your personal progression.

CONFIDENCE: Confidence is dependent on a

ability to effectively communicate is leadership, as well as being a good

leader. Effective communication enables others to understand your goals, align

number of other factors, including faith in

behind your goals, provide the motivation

goals, and a firm belief that you are able

successfully on those goals. The good

these factors will provide the confidence

– it is also a hard skill and something that

your capabilities, purpose, clear values and

to progress those goals and deliver

to achieve your goals. The combination of

news is that as much as it is a soul skill

you need in almost any situation.

you are able to study and learn.

incredible changes and developments in the

sector - two of which have been the democratisation of IT and the advent of AI with its role in the fourth industrial revolution.

The exciting progress is thrown into sharp relief

when comparing where

we are now to the original

vision of a microcomputer on every desk, and in

every home. Computing

has become increasingly embedded into every aspect of our lives -

devices in the palms of our hands, computing

on the go and access to applications, tools and technologies available anywhere.

TOP500 11th Edition

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THRIVING WITH PASSION, COMPASSION, HUMOUR AND STYLE: INTERVIEW WITH LILLIAN BARNARD | COVER STORY

WHAT IS LILLIAN’S TAKE ON

needs – from curb-side pickup

I am excited about how we have,

to telemedicine in healthcare.

more accessible – to help people

The primary catalyst for this progress

world realise their full potential.

growth in data, and the emergence

I echo the thoughts of our CEO, Satya

tools that can reveal correlations and

THIS TRAJECTORY?

and continue to make technology and businesses throughout the

and contactless shopping in retail,

and disruption is the explosive

of powerful AI and machine learning

Nadella, who believes that AI is the

unlock insights in all that data.

sits at the core of the fourth industrial

Across industries, organisations

defining technology of our times and it revolution (4IR).

achieving the greatest success are

We are seeing businesses accelerate

existing tech – they are developing

the digitisation of every part of their operations – from manufacturing

to sales and customer service – to

reimagine how they meet customer

doing more than just implementing their own digital capabilities and

proprietary solutions that use data

and AI to address the challenges they face and seize new opportunities.

Women in IT

In an era where South

African women have become increasingly prominent in

medicine, law and business, they are still significantly underrepresented in the

technology sector. Only 20

percent of tech jobs globally

are held by women. While some

gains have been made to narrow the gender gap, interestingly, increased encouragement

versus technical acumen seems

to be the key to speeding up the take-up of technology careers by females.

There are a number of books, and articles that discuss this issue. It’s been reported, for example, that more gender

diversity, particularly in corporate settings, can translate to

increased productivity, greater innovation, better decision-

making, and higher employee retention and satisfaction.

Committed mentors and leaders are essential to help women

envision their path forward, and Lillian has personally benefited

from strong mentorship by some of the best leaders, both inside

and outside of her industry who exposed her to the power of

diverse thinking, courageousness to lead and continuous learning - and often encouraged her to envision an even bolder path

than she herself had imagined.

TOP500 11th Edition

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“ ...CULTURE IS THE BEDROCK OF EVERYTHING WE DO AS A COMPANY.”

HOW DOES SHE SEE HER ROLE

I remember taking a moment to absorb

CONTRIBUTING TO DIVERSITY

Microsoft South Africa truly believes in

AS CEO OF MICROSOFT SA AND INCLUSION AND

ENSURING A NEW GENERATION OF WOMEN IN THE IT WORKPLACE?

Now, in my role as local CEO

and take in the tremendous pride that the transformative power of diversity and inclusion. This is evident in the

steady progress we’ve made to increase female representation in the company.

of a leading global company,

But there is still work to be done - at

that mentorship forward to the

South Africa and the rest of the

the workplace. I believe it is our

employee populations is a long-

to foster an inclusive working

deliberate strategy, and importantly

I am passionate about paying

Microsoft, in organisations throughout

incoming generation of women in

world. Building diverse and inclusive

responsibility as business leaders

term commitment which requires a

environment that enables all

success will not happen overnight.

serve the diverse needs of customers.

I have realised that life is a continuous

equality as a business enabler in

message to women is to seek guidance

encourage dialogue and discussion

male and female, that you aspire to

them to do the same.

others around you along the way.

employees to do their best work and

It’s important that we promote gender

learning journey of self-discovery. My

our respective organisations, and

and mentorship from other leaders,

among all employees to empower

emulate. Learn from them and teach

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TOP500 11th Edition

Microsoft and Teams

Microsoft has played a massive role

during Covid, enabling businesses to

pivot to digital and remote working via

Teams. What has it been like for Lillian and her team over the last 18 months, knowing they have such a huge responsibility?

Lillian on Internal Microsoft employees We recognised, and still do, that culture is the bedrock of everything that we

do as a company. At the height of the pandemic, when we were all working from home, it was essential for us

to maintain our connected company

culture. Feeling connected was (and is) one of the main challenges of remote

working. People are social beings and

the power of in-person interaction and

collaboration cannot be underestimated.

In a hybrid workplace, striking the right

balance between face-to-face interaction and digital collaboration is essential.

THRIVING WITH PASSION, COMPASSION, HUMOUR AND STYLE: INTERVIEW WITH LILLIAN BARNARD | COVER STORY

On Customers & Partners

As schools around the world

Connected Education solution,

ushered in unprecedented changes

for remote learning tools was never

learning for South Africa’s schools

organisations of all shapes and sizes

created training and how-to guides

how we live and work and the world

students, and their families as they

In a matter of months, COVID-19

responded to COVID-19, the need

for people and businesses, requiring

more urgent. At the time, Microsoft

to adjust. The pandemic has affected

that would help schools, educators,

as we know it will not be the same.

navigated their “new normal.”

We saw significant growth in

There are a number of cloud-based

companies can now attest to the

that are ideal for remote learning.

work from home. In fact, research

which enable teachers to connect

The solution, powered by

considering remote working on a

but also learners. Created as a

365 A1 platform – which is free

as part of a hybrid work strategy.

Microsoft Teams allows teachers to

We understood the enormity of the

teach live lessons, and record these

frontline institutions and governments

access them at any time.

worked alongside our partners,

In June last year, Microsoft partnered

remote working and several

applications in Office365 Education

benefits of enabling employees to

These include Microsoft Teams,

shows that companies in Africa are

not only with one another online,

more permanent basis or certainly

content and collaboration hub,

task of keeping businesses, schools, online, and collaborating and we

customers and stakeholders to find

distribute and mark assignments; for those learners who want to

with Vodacom and launched the

to enable continuous, connected and learners. The Connected

Education solution brings together a platform that enables remote

learning with connectivity, ultimately turning the learning environment

into one packaged bundle for the

learner and giving them access to

the tools, apps and resources they need to learn.

Microsoft’s integrated Microsoft for schools – and bundled into Vodacom’s Edu Data Bundle

package, which is zero-rated for learners, ensures the learning

process can continue both at home

and at school and that no learner is

left behind with access to a full suite of educational applications and resources.

technology solutions to do so. It was for us, a living demonstration of how serious we are about our mission to

empower every person and business on the planet to achieve more.

Lillian talking to Brescia House learners via Microsoft Teams.

TOP500 11th Edition

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Digital transformation has accelerated at a rate not yet seen before as a result of

high levels of disruption, empowering staff with the right and relevant information at

the edge of an organisation will be the next competitive advantage in a world where developing new products, improving on customer experience, and driving costs down while driving innovation forward is critical. AI solutions are enabling

businesses to gain these on-the-edge

insights into areas previously not identified.

GOING BEYOND OUR BORDERS - IS

“FOR AFRICA TO FULLY REALISE THE OPPORTUNITIES BROUGHT ABOUT

BY DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND 4IR, IT IS VITAL WE HAVE STRONG ICT SKILLS.”

AFRICA PREPARED FOR 5IR – AND WHAT WILL THIS MEAN FOR THE CONTINENT?

Digital transformation has been a business priority across the Middle East and Africa for many years before the advent of the

COVID-19 pandemic. Organisations have made growing investments in tech tools

such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) in MEA for more than a decade now.

Microsoft and EY’s Artificial Intelligence in Middle East and Africa Report from

2019 tracked this trend and found that

the region had spent $9.07-billion on AI

transactions between 2008 and 2018. With AI opportunities close to home pushing companies into totally new domains in

the future, it is perhaps not surprising that AI is receiving attention as a key topic for executive management.

Around 80% of companies that

responded to the survey noted that

AI was considered an important topic at the executive management level.

However, only 37% of the Board of Directors had reported that AI was important to their board.

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TOP500 11th Edition

As much as we talk about the need for intensive ICT investment into

infrastructure and the technology that

will support the continent’s engagement in the 4IR, this will not happen without

the human infrastructure to support the technology. For Africa to fully realise

Afrika Tikkun to drive the programme

digital transformation and 4IR, it is vital

to reskill and pursue an in-demand

the opportunities brought about by

and assist the people who need it most

we have strong ICT skills.

job using resources from LinkedIn,

In Harambee’s report on mapping

people in South Africa have gained

Microsoft and GitHub. Nearly 300 000

digital and ICT roles, there is a

access to digital skills since last June.

people in digital and ICT roles in the

In April this year, we announced a

demand; with an estimated - 45,000

Sector Education and Training

forecasted demand for - 66,000

next year, some of which will be latent

partnership with the Public Service

entry-level jobs; suitable for youth.

Authority (PSETA) and Afrika Tikkun to

Our vision is a connected system of

provide at least 20 000 young people

learning that helps empower everyone to pursue lifelong learning.

extend our Global Skilling Initiative to with critical digital skills.

We know that there are many

As part of a strategic partnership linked

technical skills that are scarce locally,

on critical digital skills, we provided a

current teams, and upskilling young

to our Global Skills Initiative to pass

but see an opportunity for reskilling

$150 000 (over R2.5-million) grant to

people as the workforce of the future.

THRIVING WITH PASSION, COMPASSION, HUMOUR AND STYLE: INTERVIEW WITH LILLIAN BARNARD | COVER STORY

WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES

TOP OF MIND WHEN WE LOOK AT

them employed or self-employed.

– AND WHAT THIS WILL MEAN FOR

CHALLENGES OF POVERTY,

using mobile phones is not the same

AFFORDED BY MICROSOFT AZURE JOB CREATION AND THE ECONOMY WITH NET NEW REVENUES

EXPECTED TO BE IN THE REGION OF R80-BILLION?

Microsoft invested in local data centres to provide the backbone for South

Africa’s cloud computing, data, and

network services. Our enterprise-grade

data centre regions were opened in Cape

OUR ECONOMY AND ITS TRIPLE

INEQUALITY AND UNEMPLOYMENT IS THE QUESTION OF THE NUMBER

OF UNEMPLOYED YOUTH IN SOUTH AFRICA. MICROSOFT’S MISSION

IS TO EMPOWER EVERY PERSON

After all, the skills developed while

as those required to use desktops and

programmes such as Word, PowerPoint or Excel which are common in a more formal corporate environment.

AND EVERY ORGANISATION ON THE

In partnership with NGOs, such as

HAVE YOU SET ABOUT ACHIEVING

people to assist their peers acquire

PLANET TO ACHIEVE MORE. HOW THIS IN OUR COUNTRY?

YES4Youth, we have equipped young skills to increase employability - from

Town and Johannesburg in March 2019.

Microsoft invests in human capital as

basic Microsoft 365 competency to

Linking Microsoft’s global cloud

are educated and through upskilling

Yes4Youth trainers have been qualified

unemployment and digital skills

youth at free-to-enter City of

development that builds ICT capability

Sandton, Tembisa and Jabavu.

South Africans can create new ways

The changing world of work is

equity, sustainability, and global

new digital skills in cloud, security,

infrastructure to Africa connects

businesses to opportunities across the

globe, helps accelerate new investments, and improves access to cloud and internet services for people and

organisations from Cairo to Cape Town.

The local adoption of cloud services has significant potential for job creation as organisations focus on innovation and

building their digital businesses at scale.

While we’re modernising business

digital technology requires that people

deep technical skills. To date, eight

and reskilling, we can address the

to deliver training to unemployed

challenge. We invest in digital skills

Johannesburg libraries in Alexandra,

in individuals and SMMEs so that

to address issues of unemployment,

increasing demand for people with

competitiveness.

data analysis, AI, and machine

Equipping young people with basic

has only been accelerated by the

digital literacy skills is essential to get

learning, among others. This shift COVID-19 pandemic.

in South Africa today, what about

business tomorrow? Innovation is

essential if South Africa is to sustain its competitiveness for years and decades to come.

We believe that innovation creates a

meaningful opportunity for individuals, companies, and countries like South

Africa. Opportunity is found in simply creating efficiency, and it lies in

boldly inventing brand new product categories. Whatever innovation

means to our customers, partners,

and colleagues, we’re here with tools, expertise, networks and big ideas.

Lillian with students at Afrika Tikkun

TOP500 11th Edition

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Launched in June 2020, Microsoft’s

to creating a dynamic environment, as

steps to help people looking to reskill

economic growth.

Global Skills Initiative offers immediate so they can embark on a new career

small businesses are a driving force for

path or pursue an in-demand job.

Microsoft’s enterprise and supplier

Microsoft, and GitHub are broadly

Partner programme, has provided

Existing and new courses from LinkedIn, available to South African job seekers and NGOs. Through this programme, we have already reached over 300 000 South Africans. Cash grants

for approximately R2.5-million was

allocated to local NPO Afrika Tikkun, as part of a strategic partnership to reach

more South Africans through our Global Skills Initiative.

In March this year, we extended the Global Skilling Initiative to the end

of 2021, and in April we announced a partnership with PSETA (Public

Service Sector Education and Training

Authority) and Afrika Tikkun to provide

development initiative, the Emerging over 100 fully black-owned small and medium-sized ICT businesses with

accreditation training across three cloud solutions, funded their access to market

journeys, and provided bespoke business development support.

It’s estimated that 600 million jobs will be needed by 2030 to absorb the growing global workforce, which makes SME development a high

priority for many governments. In

emerging markets, most formal jobs

are generated by SMEs, which create 7 out of 10 jobs.

at least 20 000 young people with critical digital skills and improve

employability of the country’s youth in

ON A MORE PERSONAL NOTE, WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE

Technology (ICT) industry.

I am an avid reader and I would be hard pressed to decide on my

the Information and Communications

Small and Medium Enterprises

(SMEs) can have a profound impact in ensuring economic growth of national economies – they represent about

90% of businesses and more than 50% of employment worldwide. Formal

SMEs contribute up to 40% of national income (GDP) in emerging economies, and these numbers rise significantly if we include informal SMEs.

Transforming South Africa’s economy to become more inclusive and

stimulate sustainable growth requires the development of black-owned

enterprises. This is particularly crucial

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TOP500 11th Edition

AUTHORS AND WHICH BOOKS ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

favourite authors, but I can tell you that I love quotes and believe that the right quote, at the right time, can spur you into action.

I am often drawn to quotes from Maya Angelou and reference her words

where I can. For this article, I think that the quote that stands out the most is

‘ M Y MISSION IN LIFE IS NOT MERELY TO SURVIVE, BUT TO THRIVE, AND TO DO SO WITH SOME PASSION, SOME COMPASSION, SOME HUMOUR AND SOME STYLE.’

THRIVING WITH PASSION, COMPASSION, HUMOUR AND STYLE: INTERVIEW WITH LILLIAN BARNARD | COVER STORY

WHAT ARE THE THREE THINGS YOU WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOUR YOUNGER SELF?

I would start by telling my

younger self that there is a thin

line between feeling unstoppable and feeling fear. Find confidence in your abilities early and make a daily demand on your courage.

If you want to do big things in

life you can be guaranteed that fear will knock on the door, but

remember that fear will condition and confine you. But confidence and courage will profoundly free you so you can go boldly after

your career goals and personal

aspirations. And live your best life!

The second thing I would tell myself is to be patient – the

time might not always be right.

Whether that is because the time is not right, or you are not the

right person at the time, or that

you are not yet ready for what is next – you must never lose your passion, nor your vision.

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time”.

- Leo Tolstoy

And my final message – don’t ever stop learning. Life is a continuous learning journey of self-discovery and self-improvement. Stay

curious, have an open mind

and embrace the moments of

vulnerability that you will encounter because the sooner you embrace these, the easier some of the

difficult experiences will become.

FINALLY - DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE FOR ORGANISATIONS OUT THERE STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE?

Many South African businesses were caught unprepared for such a sudden shift to digital operations. For the first time ever, some found themselves completely unable to operate, and others had to close completely.

For South African businesses looking to survive, and thrive, now is the time to

take the adoption and deployment of digital technologies seriously. Where you can, reskill employees with the skills to thrive in a digital economy.

We must do this across the economy, from small businesses to the very largest

enterprises. If we don’t, we will fall behind our regional and global competitors.

We cannot find ourselves ill-prepared, should another crisis roll around.

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SUSTAINABILITY: Why great companies are investing in it in a big way

BY ROBIN FISHER, SENIOR AREA VICE PRESIDENT, SALESFORCE - EMERGING MARKETS

The days when companies could view sustainability as a “nice-to-have” are long gone. Far from being something tacked on for the sake of good PR, sustainability is an urgent business imperative. We are, after all, no longer just navigating a crisis—we are facing a new reality. Climate change, racial inequality, and the pandemic are all profound realities that have changed what we expect of businesses.

Companies need to embed sustainability and responsibility by design into the core of their business.

It is not separate. The companies that do this early will lead and drive great value for their business and for all. And, outside of the business imperative, regulatory changes will soon require Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting, with many countries starting with climate change. This data is becoming essential to financial filings, corporate reputation, employee recruitment, and customer engagement, and helps build trust with all stakeholders.

That focus on sustainability isn’t just something companies should feel obligated to do either. It’s also something that customers want and which, ultimately, makes good business sense.

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THE DESIRE FOR SUSTAINABILITY

And while value and ease of purchase

It’s easy for organisations to

are still the main drivers of purchase

underestimate how much demand there is for business to embrace sustainability. But the numbers are actually pretty significant. Some 90% of customers, for example, expect corporations to live up to a set of values higher than shareholder return.

decisions, sustainability is becoming a bigger factor. A 2019 survey, for example, found that 47% of internet users worldwide had ditched products and services from a brand that violated their personal values.

The number one reason for doing so was environmental concerns.

SUSTAINABILITY: WHY GREAT COMPANIES ARE INVESTING IN IT IN A BIG WAY | EDITORIAL

Of the the 30 30 most Of most polluted pollutedcities citiesininthe theworld, world, 21 were in India in 2019.

The images 21 were in India in 2019. The imagesofof New Delihi’s Delihi’s India New India Gate Gatewar warmemorial memorial were taken in October 2019 in in were taken in October 2019(Above) (Above)and and April 2020 (below), an unintended climate April 2020 (below), an unintended climate benefit of of the benefit the coronavirus coronaviruslockdowns lockdowns

Images from Earth Observatory show a stark drop in pollution in Wuhan, when Images fromthe theNASA NASA Earth Observatory show a stark drop in pollution in Wuhan, comparing NO2 levels early 2019 (top) and (top) early and 2020early (bottom). whencomparing NO2inlevels in early 2019 2020 (bottom).

The events of 2020 will have only

Similarly, low-income households

accelerated consumer demands that

companies operate more sustainably.

Outside of the images of clean air

and wildlife repopulating once barren rivers that came with lockdowns around the globe, the parallels

between COVID-19 and the climate crisis are clear.

The pandemic has, for instance,

shone a spotlight on inequality faced by many in the world today. Those

with the least are being impacted the most by the virus, with low-income households more likely to have

underlying medical conditions that

make them vulnerable to COVID-19, or work in a sector that was shut

down, leaving them unable to be able to do their job from home.

are impacted most by the effects of climate change — living closer to air polluters or areas more susceptible to natural disasters. In both crises,

we have learned that bold action to stem the challenge early is far more

efficient and effective than trying to fix things later. Evidence of the degree to which people understand this urgency

can be seen in the changes people are demanding of the organisations that look after their money. In late 2020, for example, The Scottish Widows Fund announced that it will dump £440m worth of company holdings that fail its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) tests.

The rapid development of vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 has

also shown people what corporations and governments are capable of doing when they recognise that there is an immediate problem.

Collectively, people have started wondering what would happen if the same urgency were applied to the climate crisis.

And it’s worth underlining how much of a crisis it is. Despite

considerable reductions in local and international travel thanks to

COVID-19, 2020 was still the hottest year in history. A 2020 report by Greenpeace Southeast Asia and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, meanwhile, found

that globally, air pollution has a $2.9-trillion economic cost, equating to 3.3% of the world’s GDP.

th th TOP5001111 Edition000 24 TOP500 Edition

BUSINESS SENSE

EMBRACING REGULATION

Those figures alone should tell you

It’s also worth noting that businesses

companies. And in 2020, it dumped

business sense. The monetary cost

operate unless they have sustainable

assessment against the fund’s new

around the world are enacting ever

emissions” and damages to

that sustainability makes good

of pollution and climate change

comes directly from people’s pockets, making them poorer in general.

That’s to say nothing of the working

the last of its portfolio of oil and gas

will find it increasingly difficult to

five coal companies based on an

practices in place. Governments

stricter coal criteria, “unacceptable

stricter environmental regulations

UNESCO’s world heritage sites.

with the US having rejoined the Paris

Rather than baulking at these new

inauguration of President Joe Biden,

strictness, however, organisations

emissions will regain momentum in

look at their own practices and ways of

as they try to curb emissions. And Climate Agreement, following the

levels of regulatory and monetary

it’s likely that the quest to curb global

should view them as an opportunity to

the coming months.

doing business. In fact, this pivot is a

Beyond just preventing losses

Nation-states aren’t just using

brand reputation, increases customer

operating in a sustainable manner

sustainability either. They’re also

stakeholders. It is even a smart tool for

sovereign wealth fund (the largest in

with 70% of employees wanting to

days lost to ill health caused by

air pollution, nor the devastating

impact a natural disaster or extreme weather event can have on a company’s operations.

of productivity in the long term, comes with tangible business benefits right now. While it’s

difficult to put an exact number

on how much better businesses

with a solid focus on sustainability do than their counterparts,

the growth in sustainably-led investing is illustrative.

Over the past few years, environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-led

investing has grown exponentially. In fact, the value of ESG-driven assets

almost doubled over four years, and

more than tripled over eight years, to hit US$40.5-trillion in 2020.

Driving that growth has been the belief among investors that ESG investments provide a win-win

scenario where they can help save the planet while netting positive returns.

And, to a large extent, that’s held

true. A 2020 study found that 60% of sustainable funds outperformed the market over 10 years.

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surefire growth strategy, builds positive

their legislative might to push

engagement and builds trust with

using their wallets. Norway’s

employee recruitment and retention,

the world), for example, recently sold

work for purpose-driven companies.

SUSTAINABILITY: WHY GREAT COMPANIES ARE INVESTING IN IT IN A BIG WAY | EDITORIAL

MAKING THE CHANGE How individual companies go about making the changes necessary

for a sustainable future will vary, but it’s absolutely clear that all

companies should keep the interests

“NOW MORE THAN EVER, IT IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE FOR BUSINESSES TO BECOME CLIMATE ADVOCATES.”

of their stakeholders — employees,

customers, partners, communities and

the environment -- top of mind when it comes to sustainability.

They should also bear in mind that

they can make an impact outside of their own business operations.

Workers planting stems at one of the Eden Reforestation Project’s sites.

At Salesforce, for example, we are

working with 60% of our suppliers to

set emission reduction targets. We’ve

also committed to delivering a carbon neutral cloud to our customers and to reaching 100% renewable energy for our global operations by 2022.

Additionally, we’re advocating for

clear and consistent science-based climate policies that facilitate a just and equitable global transition to a

1.5°C future. Further, we’re committed to supporting and mobilising the

conservation, restoration, and growth of 100 million trees by the end of

2030. Since that particular goal was announced, we have supported

19 projects throughout the world.

Critically, we have already funded more than 10 million trees.

A great example of this on the ground

is the Eden Reforestation Projects. With

support from Salesforce, it is producing, planting, and protecting 2 million trees in Ankarafantsika National Park and

8 million mangrove trees in the Betsiboka River Estuary, both in Madagascar.

The project will employ 150+ full-time

well as regulatory changes and

wage to produce and plant trees, patrol,

individual, institution, government,

and seasonal workers who receive a fair and fight forest fires.

We’re also actively pursuing green

technological advances. Every

community and corporation has an essential role to play.

building certification for global office

That means individuals, businesses,

to incorporate sustainability while

will have to step up to the urgent

spaces and enabling our employees working from anywhere.

We are, of course, not the only large organisation taking on this level of

change. Some 90% of the S&P 500

now produce ESG reports, and Morgan Stanley has declared that ESG will

countries and government officials challenge of climate change. This

climate emergency is only going to

be solved by reshaping every aspect of our economy, from agriculture to

transportation, to financial services, to consumer goods and more.

define the next decade of investing.

Business has a particularly important

That said, we will only likely reach

of vital importance for businesses to

our climate goals if there is a broad coalition of corporates working towards the same goals.

A COLLECTIVE EFFORT A 1.5°C degree future will require a

transformation of unprecedented pace

and scale. This transition is achievable but it will require collaboration, as

role to play. Now more than ever, it is become climate advocates. We’re facing down irreparable harm to our planet,

so we need all businesses to use not

only their influence but also their core

competencies and rapid innovation to

create solutions that will tackle climate change. Climate change is the biggest

issue that humanity has ever faced, and it’s here, and we have to move fast.

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How digital transformation enables the financial services industry in emerging markets

BY NDAGI JOB GOSHI, GM LIFERAY AFRICA Digital transformation has had

That, in turn, results in improved

industries, fundamentally altering

see increased revenues.

a profound impact on almost all how customers experience the

customer loyalty and can ultimately

organisations they deal with on a daily

Despite this, many financial services

is no exception, with legacy players

of what digital transformation

basis. The financial services space

having to keep up with new, digital-first disruptors in order to remain relevant.

This is especially true in emerging

markets, where digital transformation can play a massive enabling

role. Not only does it improve

operations and efficiency - correctly implemented, it also has a profound impact on customer experience.

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companies aren’t taking full advantage can do. According to research by

Forrester, just 26% acknowledge that transformation is never-ending, 19% are still considering what to do, and 14% mistakenly think they’re done.

Knowing that, it’s critical that financial services companies in emerging

markets understand the benefits of

digital transformation and how to best ensure they go about achieving it.

THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IMPERATIVE While there are a number of forces

driving digital transformation in the

financial services space, a significant driver is a high demand for digital

products and services from younger people. There are people currently

entering the workforce (and therefore in need of financial services) who have never known life without a

smartphone. Many will never even

have owned any form of mobile device that wasn’t a smartphone.

In emerging markets, those young people make up a much larger

HOW DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ENABLES THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY IN EMERGING MARKETS | EDITORIAL

percentage of the population than

While the overall situation may

for example, 60% of the population

how big the opportunity is for

in developed countries. In Africa, is under 25. When you factor in

the continent’s already high mobile penetration rates (smartphone

penetration has surpassed 90% in South Africa) are converging with

increasing levels of connectivity, it becomes obvious that companies

will be under even greater pressure

to provide great digital experiences.

Despite that, it’s clear that there’s a long way to go when it comes

to digital transformation. A report

from BCG shows considerable lag

between the continent and the rest of the world. Companies across Africa have an average digital maturity

score on BCG’s index of 29 (out of a possible 100), compared with 55 for Asia, 51 for Europe, and 49 for the

Americas combined. While there is

seem bleak, it also illustrates

organisations which do embrace digital transformation. Because there’s so much room for

growth, the dividends of digital

transformation are much higher in Africa than in other regions.

It’s also worth noting that the

continent’s already high mobile penetration rates (smartphone

penetration has surpassed 90% in South Africa) are converging with increasing levels of

connectivity. This means that

more and more African consumers are being exposed to the great

digital experiences provided by

international companies and will

come to expect the same from the local companies they deal with.

obviously a great deal of variability

The companies that can provide

(the highest-scoring companies

now, particularly on mobile, will

between, and within countries on the continent show digital

transformation levels on par with

leading companies in other parts of

them with these experiences

be well-positioned to succeed going forward.

the world), the overall picture is one

A customer-centric approach,

companies in the financial services

for mobile are consequently the

of major room for improvement. While space do a little better than most, there is undoubtedly still room for improvement.

Among the factors cited for such low levels of digital transformation are

low internet penetration and a lack of digital skills at the macro level.

Within organisations, management’s inability to narrow digital priorities and employee cultural resistance are also major factors.

personalisation, and a preference key components that enable

digital transformation in financial services. Large financial service

companies that have developed their own IT platforms are

lagging in the current, dynamic competitive environment, as their systems are built using legacy solutions. It’s hardly

surprising then that alliances and partnerships with fintechs are becoming more prevalent.

MOVING BEYOND CASH Another major driver of digital

transformation is the need to move beyond cash, something which

will empower both consumers and

merchants. In Africa especially, this

is a major imperative. As powerful as mobile money and payments have

been in some African countries, cash is still king in most places.

That’s understandable. Cash is easy to understand. You hand over a set

amount and get the item or service you

desire. It’s also so culturally entrenched that it doesn’t require learning new

behaviours. As much as cash is real now and trusted, it does, however,

mean that merchants and consumers

are excluded from formal financial tools

and services. Cash and other consumer push payments are not predictable and cannot be used to deepen a financial

relationship in the way a bank can with a merchant payment that is tied to one particular bank.

From a consumer point of view, when you talk about inclusion, you have

the unbanked or the unbanked. With

both types of people, you have to offer

products that are relevant to their needs.

What that then means is that financial

institutions need to have platforms that are flexible, that are customisable, that can allow them to develop, to provide

these products very rapidly, and to cater to a full spectrum from the ultra-rich

down to the guy who hides his money

under his mattress. Through that level of inclusion, you open up a whole host of

financial products and services, such as home and student loans, to people who

wouldn’t otherwise have access to them.

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Digital transformation and a Digital

such as insurance, savings,

particular is crucial to providing that

lifestyle-related financial services.

Experience Platform (DXP) in

level of service. Put simply, a DXP is a

transactional banking, and

digital integration platform, designed

The more support can be provided

process for organisations and improve

opportunity to grow the business

to simplify the digital transformation the overall customer experience.

The platform allows businesses to

digitise business operations, deliver a consistent customer experience across all channels, and gather

to an SMME, the greater the

and contribute to wealth creation, jobs and a mutually beneficial relationship between the

enterprise and formal finance.

insights on customers.

More than that, digital financial

Ultimately, the goal of a DXP is to

merchants to do business from

help companies provide the best possible digital experience to its customers, employees, partners and other stakeholders. It does

this by simplifying the integration of digital tools, enhancing self-

service capabilities, and improving

collaboration and knowledge sharing.

A good DXP can also help a financial services company pull together all of

its systems, and then be able to roll out

different products to different segments very quickly. And organisations that

have these types of platforms in place are going to be able to respond to the need and desire quicker than their competitors who don’t.

Digital transformation can also have a

powerful impact on smaller merchants who are vital to growing economies and creating employment.

Digital transparency of cash flow, coupled with track record data

suppliers and other sources can be used to build a profile of risk

and create effective demand for

more enriched financial services

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service products enable

anywhere, be that via an app or

the web. That, in turn, means that they can focus on the business of doing business and are also more

likely to adopt other products that may be useful to them.

COVID-19 ACCELERATION One of the few positives of the

ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is that it

might accelerate digital transformation among African financial service

companies. First, as the pandemic spread, people became wary of

handling cash, forcing merchants

to adopt other payment methods or

risk going under in an already tough economic environment.

Secondly, with lockdowns and

restrictions in place, it’s become more difficult for financial

services companies to interact with customers in-person as

they may have previously. That

means they have had to adapt to

communicating with their customers digitally. Reaching those customers

HOW DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ENABLES THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY IN EMERGING MARKETS | EDITORIAL

shouldn’t be a problem especially

in markets with mobile penetration as high as those throughout most

of Africa. As long as the messaging

is clear and consistent and reaches the right customers, at the right time, on the right channel, the

organisation should be well set.

More challenging is getting customers to adapt to communicating with the

organisation digitally. Internally, that means ensuring that every digital

communication channel -- from selfservice portals to AI chatbots -- is

set up to properly deliver a clear and consistent experience. In emerging markets, where mobile phone

ownership is typically much higher than PC ownership, it’s critical that those channels are optimised for mobile.

Here again, DXPs can be helpful, especially when it comes to

breaking down silos between different departments in the

organisation. Additionally, creating a cross-departmental digital team and promoting a flexible culture

are essential when preparing for operational change.

With all that in place, it’s important that organisations put a concerted effort

into educating their customers about

these digital communication channels.

While the majority of a financial service company’s customers might be young

and willing to engage with technology, taking a “build it and they will come” approach won’t work. Even when

circumstances mean customers can’t interact with the organisation in the

way they usually do, they still need to

be informed about what other options are available.

MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE

With the right digital transformation

More than just meeting customer

partner and the correct use of

embracing digital transformation can

made a great deal simpler. A Digital

transforming, organisations can wean

example, can aid businesses by

administration and billing systems.

operations, deliver a consistent

create better value for their partners

channels, and gather insights on

demand and changing needs however,

technology, the process can be

bring tangible benefits too. By digitally

Experience Platform (DXP), for

themselves off inefficient paper-based

allowing them to digitise business

Doing so can improve efficiency and

customer experience across all

and customers. This is especially true

customers.

some of its budget for brick and

Additionally, the data insights

overall customer experience.

ensure that a company’s customers

Of course, there are still obstacles

time, through the right channel.

will have to overcome when it

customers are more likely to make

These include lacking a central

remain loyal to the company and

if the organisation is able to redirect

mortar locations into creating a better

provided by a DXP make it easier to get the right message, at the right

that financial service organisations

These insights not only ensure that

comes to digital transformation.

a purchase, but also that they’ll

repository for customer information,

advocate for it among their peers.

unstructured data, and being unable

EMBRACING OPPORTUNITY

needs because of disorganised data).

financial services companies in

That said, the rewards for overcoming

digital transformation. In doing

McKinsey estimates that digital

experiences which foster customer

customer experience can generate

though, they can cater to the

satisfaction and economic gains of

mobile, young population who’ll

or a problematic volume of

to contextualise customers and their

There is no reason, then, for

emerging markets not to embrace

these obstacles are massive.

so, they can build great digital

transformation and a focus on

loyalty. Perhaps more importantly,

a 20-30% increase in customer

demands of a growing, upwardly

20-50%. In emerging market countries

need their services.

gains could be even higher.

Transformation requires vision. And

SIMPLIFYING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

markets in particular, there’s never

with high-growth economies, those

vision requires strategy. In emerging been a greater incentive for financial

For many organisations in the financial

services companies to embrace that

digital transformation may be brought

is, however, culture eats strategy

complex undertaking. The thing is, it

enable digitalisation, a shift in

services space, the trepidation around

vision and strategy. The problem

down to perceptions of it being a

for breakfast. So perhaps to truly

doesn’t have to be.

culture may be the answer?

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SA’s Leading E-Commerce Retailers

BY CHARNDRÉ EMMA KIPPIE

In the midst of a pandemic, South Africa continues to climb world rankings, proving to be a key player in the E-commerce space.

According to the United Nations Conference On Trade And

Development (UNCTAD) B2C

E-commerce Index 2020, South Africa placed 73rd in world rankings for its

WOOLWORTHS

E-Commerce market readiness and

In April 2007, Woolworths South Africa

development, out of 152 economies.

The UNCTAD B2C E-commerce Index zooms in on an economy’s ability to

successfully support online shopping.

The index carefully considers four key indicators, which are closely aligned to online shopping behaviours and

trends, and for which there is wide

country coverage. These key factors are: account ownership, consumers using the internet, postal reliability and secure internet servers.

The country’s revenue is set to continue to increase, with new

markets gradually emerging, and

existing ones exhibiting promising

potential for accelerated development in months to come.

Just placing in the upper half of world

rankings means we have a long way to go. However, market expansion is well on its way, with Fashion, Toys, Hobby

& DIY, and Electronics and Media being the most popular avenues of revenue in South Africa at present.

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TAKEALOT Launched in 2011, Takealot Online Pty,

Ltd. has become South Africa’s biggest player in the E-Commerce Market, increasing its revenue by 41% to R3.7-billion, by the end of 2020.

Even in the face of a global pandemic, coupled with a nationwide lockdown,

launched its innovative Good Business Journey – an initiative geared towards making a difference in eight key areas in their journey towards sustainability.

These key areas comprised: Energy, Water, Waste, Sustainable Farming,

Ethical Sourcing, Transformation, Social Development and Health and Wellness.

the Naspers- owned e-retail group

Today, the company is known for

‘essential goods’ such as toiletries and

fostering good customer relationships,

continued to grow, selling only

household supplies for most of the year.

The company’s subsidiaries, Mr D Food

and Superbalist, did however experience a slight setback last year, as they were

prohibited from trading for a significant

period of the financial year. This incurred

providing competitive benefits, product innovation, and keen

adoption of new technology. This

is why it has become one of South Africa’s top fashion, food and

personal care retailers, surviving the impact of the global pandemic.

a trading loss upswing of 36%.

Under the wing of its newest CEO, Roy

Naspers revealed that the overall

increase in online sales throughout

business managed to rebound as of late

May, which was when trading restrictions were raised, and all three businesses

moved beyond their pre-Covid-19 growth rates by the second quarter of 2020.

Bagattini, Woolworths witnessed a rapid 2020. During the first half of the year,

Woolworths saw online food sales go up by 87.8%. In the second half of 2020, its fashion, beauty and home online

divisions saw sales grow by 41.3%.

SA’S LEADING E-COMMERCE RETAILERS | EDITORIAL

BUILDERS

MR PRICE (MRP)

Close rival to Makro, Builders

Mr Price Group is one of South Africa’s

of South Africa’s DIY and hardware

value retailers, also offering homeware,

accounts for a significant portion e-commerce sales. Operated by

Massmart Holdings, Ltd., Builders

merchants’ sales stayed consistent

MAKRO Operated by Massmart Holdings,

Ltd., Makro recorded massive growth in online shopping, for the financial

year ended 27 December 2020. With

as the nation went through fluctuating levels of lockdown throughout

the Covid-19 pandemic since the

beginning of 2020, as reported by the latest Builders Merchants Building

most favoured, fastest growing fashion DIY supplies and sportswear through

its various divisions. Most recently the company has witnessed an increased demand for DIY products, as a result

of many customers developing a keen interest in DIY home projects due to lockdown restrictions.

Index (BMBI) report.

Between the third and fourth

witnessed major shifts in consumer

Steady growth was captured, backed

experienced a total sales growth of

lockdown. These shifts led to a rise

streams, namely Timber and Joinery,

nationally-focused sales, Makro

behaviour due to the nation-wide

in retail customers, while there was a

significant decrease in wholesale and commercial sales.

During the lockdown period,

heavily by three main product

Landscaping, and Workwear and

Safetywear. As of January 2021, Builders sales rose by 20.6%, with Workwear & Safetywear sales rising by 39.1%.

quarter of 2020, Mr Price Home

11%. The company reported that

their customers expressed a need for household merchandise due to the

evergrowing remote work trend. This trend is expected to continue well into 2021 and beyond.

Makro joined a partnership with

Massmart has revealed that Builders

In March 2021, Mr Price

grocery delivery service - which

that this was due to an improvement

online homeware retailer known as

OneCart - South Africa’s premier allowed the company to promise its customers the sale and delivery of

over 11 000 grocery items, as well as 124 liquor items. This, in turn, led to

the increase of online sales by 40.2%.

online sales increased by 111%, and of online fulfilment practices. Statistics indicate that indoor retail sales are

slowly recovering, however, the demand for online shopping is still expected to increase in coming months.

announced that it had acquired the Yuppiechef. This strategic move is set to strengthen its place in the homeware market and is bound to be a catalyst for new growth opportunities.

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Tracking SA’s

Making waves! We’re zooming in on Operation Phakisa Oceans Economy - accelerating the implementation of solutions critical to development

BY JESSIE TAYLOR

CREATING ECONOMIC WAVES THROUGH MARINE INVESTMENTS With almost 4000 kilometres of

coastline, South Africa is uniquely

placed to harness the potential of the

marine economy. As a focus from driving economic growth, the government’s

Operation Phakisa Programme looks

to build focus sectors while securing valuable marine resources.

Operation Phakisa, meaning ‘hurry up’

in Sesotho, is modelled on the success of the Malaysian ‘Big Fast Results’

methodology. The approach, launched in July 2014, includes working with

stakeholders to develop detailed and practical plans. These delivery plans allow the government to fast track

implementation, in numerous key ocean economy sectors.

The programme looks to harness the largely untapped economic potential

of the ocean, surrounding South Africa

on three sides. The industries that have

been highlighted as focus areas include tourism, fishing, shipping transport,

ship repair and building, and oil and gas exploration.

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TRACKING SA’S MARINE SECTOR | EDITORIAL

PROTECTING MARINE RESOURCES

agencies taking part in the Operation

This sector is vital in supporting rural

exist without protecting the resources

Compliance and Enforcement

and has already seen a large private

government has created an overarching

its visibility in the coastal zones and

Growing a blue economy cannot

Phakisa Enhanced and Coordinated

on which it relies. To this end, the

Programme, which aims to increase

plan to protect the ocean environment

address a range of illegal activities.

increase exclusion zones to protect

Between April 2017 and March 2018

from all illegal activities, as well as the ecosystem from overfishing.

alone, over R40-million worth of

Under Operation Phakisa, 20 new

operations.

goods were confiscated during these

Marine Protected Areas were

established to provide protection

to 90% of habitat types, as well as contribute to global protection in

line with South Africa’s international commitments. This brings the

percentage of the marine ecosystem

under protection to 5.4%, from 0.4%.

“THE OCEANS ECONOMY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A GAME-CHANGER FOR SOUTH AFRICA.” CHANGING THE TIDE ON JOB CREATION

development and reducing poverty

investment of more than R400-million.

The government is working on

projects to boost the sector’s growth and support the increasing demand for fish and other marine products.

This has resulted in the creation of 28 new projects since 2014.

Investments have also been made into various dry docks around the

country. Over R60-million was recently invested in the upgrading of dry docks in Port Elizabeth, and a multimillion-

rand overhaul of Port of Cape Town’s ship repair facilities is underway.

There are also plans to improve both

the harbour and ship repair facilities in

The new network of Marine Protected

The next step in developing a blue

sustainability and maintaining

key sectors, through concentrated

These projects are just a few of those within coastal communities. The

Areas will assist in increasing fisheries

economy lies in enabling growth in

resilience in ecosystems that are

infrastructure investments and job

under stress from climate change.

creation projects.

“Marine Protected Areas provide

Enabling the fishing activity has been

undisturbed. They are essential to

bolstering economic activity. Under

African deep-sea trawl fishery.

has committed to upgrading 12 small

This certification process assesses

a budget of over R400-million. The

for the hake fishery are adequately

vessels, dredging, repairs and upgrades

Environment, Forestry and Fisheries,

infrastructure repairs.

safe spaces in which fish can breed

the first step in generating jobs and

maintain eco-certification of the South

Operation Phakisa, the government harbours in the Western Cape with

Mossel Bay.

with the potential to reverse poverty

oceans economy has the potential to be a game-changer for South Africa.

Projections put the potential job

creation at close to one million jobs by

2033, while the sector could contribute as much as R177-billion to South Africa’s gross domestic product.

whether habitat and nursery areas

upgrades include the removal of sunken

In the 2020/21 period, around 1 550

protected,” said Minister of

to slipways, security improvements, and

Oceans Economy Operation Phakisa

Barbara Creecy.

One of the focus areas for Operation

jobs were created through the

programme. It is anticipated that around 6 200 jobs will be created by 2024.

Enforcement forms a large part of the

Phakisa is the development of the

These projections highlight the

agencies have a role to play in

contributes to almost half of the global

the marine environment, not only to

resources. This has seen numerous

1% of South Africa’s fish supply.

protection plan and law enforcement

aquaculture sector. Aquaculture

protecting South Africa’s marine

fish supply, yet it contributes less than

importance of ongoing investment into secure sustainable resources but also to ensure ongoing economic growth.

TOP500 11th Edition

34

Oceana selected as best in the Fishing Sector INTERVIEW WITH IMRAAN SOOMRA Group CEO, Oceana

AS AN EXPERIENCED CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT,

HOW HAS YOUR DIVERSE BACKGROUND AS CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER OF M-NET AND SUPERSPORT, FINANCIAL DIRECTOR OF NETCARE LIMITED'S HOSPITAL DIVISION, FINANCIAL MANAGER OF NAMPAK, AND AUDIT MANAGER AT DELOITTE

& TOUCHE IMPACTED YOUR ROLE AS CEO OF OCEANA GROUP?

I have always been a change agent, passionate about directing multinationals facing significant threats and

weaknesses in a globally competitive industry. Working across a diverse range of industries has allowed me to

hone the skills to drive innovation, problem-solving and business evolution.

Early on in my career, I knew that I wanted a leadership role in an organisation that valued its role in society.

Since joining Oceana, I was able to drive structural change and positive culture shifts impacting the organisation's success and its people.

WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF YOUR MAJOR

SUCCESSES AS A CHANGE AGENT WITHIN THE GROUP?

With my leadership team's help, we have

successfully driven the evolution of Oceana culture to authentic and purpose-led. Through defining

our core purpose, "to make a positive impact on society by creating long-term sustainable

value for all stakeholders," we were able

to navigate challenges. This is how we

approached the solution to our Namibian

operations, consistently making a loss.

While it would've been cheaper to shut

down, we shifted the focus, and it now

produces Lucky Star's blue label can.

35

TOP500 11th Edition

OCEANA GROUP | INTERVIEW

This not only saved jobs, but these

cans feed thousands of children via

school feeding schemes across South Africa daily.

We applied the same thinking

when the Western Cape faced the

frightening reality of a severe drought.

I secured board approval for R35 million to build two desalination

plants to support our factories in St Helena Bay and Laaiplek. The

desalination plants ensured that the water restrictions did not impact

operations meaning the factories

could stay open and save the jobs of over 2 500 employees. These

facilities no longer rely on municipal water, and by February 2020, they generated 581 990 Kilolitres (KL) of water. The desalination plants became so efficient, enabling a

donation of 146 000L per day at no

cost to municipalities for surrounding communities in Velddrift, Epping and Hout Bay to use for sanitation. The

water donated has been tested and

conforms to the South African National Standard for drinking water: SANS 241:2015. The water is processed

and treated through stringent quality specification using the reverse

of us in ways we could never have imagined. From the beginning of the pandemic, Oceana treated it as a humanitarian crisis that demanded courageous and visible leadership.

My leadership team and I were at the coalface of operations, engaging the workforce on the production lines and vessels. We encouraged the team to be agile and prioritise their people's safety - they did not miss a beat. The team made decisions early on and responded to changes quickly, always putting employees first. The team conducts daily reviews of protocols, and Covid monitors actively monitor sites and are lauded for their efforts by local health and labour departments. The approach is holistic, and employee mental health is top of the agenda. The group supports employees with information, support and a free wellness helpline, resulting in a high level of morale and productivity. This became a fundamental tenant in the group's positive results last FY. PLEASE OUTLINE OCEANA GROUP'S SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES.

osmosis process. This critical project

Oceana is fully committed to

fast and with intention.

ecosystems and water resources.

WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU SEE

members of the Responsible

HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?

to sustainable fishing, responsible

unprecedented and challenged many

impact on the environment.

highlights the importance of acting

protecting the integrity of marine The group is one of the founding

AS THE GREATEST HURDLES, AND

Fisheries Alliance and committed

The Covid-19 pandemic was

fishing practices, and reducing our

IN 2018 OCEANA GROUP CELEBRATED ITS CENTENARY - TO WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE ITS LONGEVITY?

The year has made it abundantly

clear that how a business acts in relation to its people and other

stakeholders significantly influences its longer-term sustainability and

success. I believe that when these

actions are sincere, this converts into the economic stimulus that every

business needs to grow. And I would suggest that our experience this

year demonstrates this point – that purpose-led businesses are more profitable in the long-run.

HOW DID COVID IMPACT THE

GROUP’S BUSINESS MODEL? We managed to navigate the Covid-19 crisis with minimal

disruption and no significant financial

loss to the group. Despite the difficult trading conditions, there was strong performance across all its divisions, reflecting our staff and service

providers’ incredible contribution in ensuring effective execution of

our strategy. From the beginning of this pandemic, we treated it as a

humanitarian crisis. Ever mindful that the prolonged impact on our people and communities could be far more profound. We feel proud of how we have handled the crisis with agility,

compassion and care, providing our people with job security during the lockdown levels, supporting them and their families, and providing an enabling environment for

humanity to come to the fore.

TOP500 11th Edition

36

OCEANA GROUP | Integrated Report 2020 | P

INTERVIEW | OCEANA

“At the end of our lives, we will be held accountable for the gifts we were given and how we used them to improve society.”

This, in turn, has ensured the

industry by addressing the skills

business through some of the most

an initial R40m capital investment

resilience and continuity of our challenging periods.

During the most challenging times,

our strength is in our people and our response. Our processes enabled

the team to be agile and prioritise

the safety of their people. We made decisions early on and responded

to changes quickly, always putting employees first. This commitment to culture and people resulted in

minimal business interruption, and

gap and shortage. We have invested in a world-class facility located in

Hout Bay, Cape Town. The Academy has state-of-the-art classrooms, computer training rooms, an

85-seater auditorium. It aims to

create an environment that promotes inclusion and life-long learning for Oceana employees, small-scale

fishers, the community of Hout Bay where the Academy is located and industry at large.

the group managed to keep Covid-19

WHAT IS YOUR LEADERSHIP

productivity high.

LUCKY STARYOUR PRICING: BALANCING SHORT-TERM MARGIN GAIN FOR LONG-TERM CUSTOM ENCOURAGE EMPLOYEES

infection rates low and morale and

WHAT EXCITING PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR 2021?

We will launch our Carbon Neutrality Project to reduce emissions by 50%

by 2030 and target zero emissions by 2050. This includes mega renewable energy projects, particularly on the South African west coast, which will have a lasting impact on the

communities in which we operate.

Excitingly, we also aim to launch

the Oceana Maritime Academy, the realisation of a long-held ambition to grow the South African fishing

37

TOP500 11 Edition th

STYLE, AND HOW DO YOU

TOThe GROW ANDexchange THRIVE? weakening rate increased the costs of Lucky Star’s procurement of imported frozen fish. Despite th we made the conscious decision The most significant fuel for not to pass this on to the consumer. Key to Lucky Star’s strategy is its relative aff although increased placed pressure on margins, the competitive positioning of the product bolstered v growth is athis culture thatcost encourages product uptake as part of a consumer switch to a lower-cost protein source, as households shifted spending tow innovation, fluidity and conscious brands following the deepening of the recession. This increased the overall performance of the division and prot capitalism.

In driving this culture pilchard category during a very challenging economic period impacted by Covid-19. shift, leaders in the business

Capital depleted

now creatively solve challenges

– facilities aren’tmargins shut down when • Reduced they no longer make a profit. The

team seeks to save jobs by adapting the facility into something new and

Capital increased

CONTACT INFORMATION HEAD OFFICE: •

Increased sales volume

• Oceana Enhanced Address: 7th Floor, House, customer and brand lo 25 Jan Smuts Street Foreshore, Cape Town, 8001

Postal Address: PO Box 7206, needed.

This shared value approach CCS STORAGE: BALANCING EXTERNAL CCS OPERATING PROFIT TO ENABLE THE INTERNA

to FROZEN all our challenges results in a FISH STRATEGY

Roggebaai, 8012

Phone: 021 410 1453

broader positive impact than just The CCS division provides cold storage solutions to external customers. Given our frozen fish strategy, significant Linkedin: Oceana Group Limited ouraccommodate business and people but the our frozen fish requirements of Lucky Star. This comes at a cost of external CCS customers that wo communities operate within. improved CCSwe performance.

However, the benefit to Lucky Star enables the division to achieve its record sales vo

Capital depleted

Capital increased

•

•

Continuous supply of Lucky Star demand

•

Enhanced Lucky Star customer a

•

Reduced profit Impacts CCS long-standing customer relationships

Arctic Ocean

fic Ocean Arctic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

Indian Ocean Atlantic Ocean Arctic Ocean

Indian Ocean Pacific Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

Arctic Ocean

Indian Ocean Atlantic Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Angola Zambia

Atlantic Ocean

Zimbabwe Mozambique

Namibia Botswana

Eswatini

South Africa

Atlantic Ocean

Indian Ocean

R1bn R1bn

GOOD GOVERNANCE: HOW IMPORTANT IS SOUND FINANCIAL REPORTING FOR YOUR BUSINESS HEALTH? | EDITORIAL

GOOD GOVERNANCE: How important is sound financial reporting for your business health?

BY FIONA WAKELIN The King IV report, which came into

effect in South Africa in 2017, provides

governing bodies with a model for good governance. One of the objectives of King IV is to encourage transparent and meaningful reporting, so that

stakeholders are able to make informed assessments on the short, medium and long-term prospects of the business.

Recommended practices, regarding

reporting in King IV, include the fact that

CASH FLOW

which are worthwhile tools to assist with

Covid has brought with it a unique set

weekly financial reporting that gives you.

struggling to stay afloat. Now more than

Gearing is a crucial part of managing

flow pulse gives you a picture of your

refers to the relationship, or ratio, of

Weekly reports which provide detailed

Gearing shows the extent to which a

your business’s temperature, but also

versus shareholders – in other words,

assist with planning for either profit

leverage.” – Investopedia.

unawares and can either ensure profits

To ensure your D/E ratio remains at a

of challenges and many businesses are ever keeping your finger on the cash

business growth and stability. “Gearing

organisation’s state of financial health.

a company’s debt-to-equity (D/E).

data and metrics will not only help take

firm’s operations are funded by lenders

provide a set of indicators which can

it measures a company’s financial

or loss. This way you won’t be caught

are sustainably invested or liabilities are

healthy 25-50%, debts and liabilities

red-flagged for immediate attention.

must be rigorously monitored.

published reports.

LIABILITIES

Sound financial reporting and analysis

A keen eye needs to be kept on liabilities

REAL-TIME TREND IDENTIFICATION AND TRACKING

and rigorous financial reporting must

Being on the financial ball in terms of

be regularly presented to ensure the

reporting means you will be aware of

monitoring of loans, debt, credit cards

any movements and trends in your

and possible strategies to cope with

sector and, with your financial status

defaulting on the part of major clients.

quo at your fingertips, be able to make

How does financial reporting and

TIMEOUS DEBT MANAGEMENT

of the company. This includes both

company? Let’s dive into how it can

increasing debt and decreasing equity

the governing body should oversee the annual financial statements and ESG, and ensure the integrity of externally

have two major spinoffs: they provide

insight which helps businesses remain compliant and information which can

lead to improved, streamlined practices.

analysis lead to positive results for a

Staying on the liabilities continuum,

benefit your business:

is a recipe for business closure. It does

COMPLIANCE There are many software packages which provide accurate, real time,

sound financial reporting. This not only enables you to make sound financial

decisions, based on constant insight into your organisation’s liquidity and debt

management, but also helps to ensure

complete compliance with government regulations and requirements.

informed, agile decisions for the benefit opportunities and challenges.

not matter which sector you operate in, unmanaged debt will eventually sink your ship.

To help keep you in the

picture, there are a number of software packages

TOP500 11th Edition

42

CHANNEL AFRICA THE AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE

Channel Africa is South Africa’s international public broadcast radio station whose primary audience is the entire African continent.

Our secondary audience is the rest of the world, where we harvest our news and information. As an International Public Broadcaster, our core values subscribe to the highest journalistic ethics which find expression in fairness, accuracy, and impartiality.

Channel Africa is a platform through which Africa is engaged in debate with itself, and recognises South Africa as a role player in continental and international affairs.

Vision: “The African Perspective” Mission: “to promote the regeneration, revival, and rejuvenation of Africa, through the production and broadcast of dynamic, stimulating, and interesting programmes”.

Contact Information: Tel: 011 714 2997 Fax: 011 714 2072 Email: info@channelafrica.co.za Web: www.channelafrica.co.za Twitter: channelafrica1 Instagram: channelafricaradio DSTV:802

BRETT M. COOPER | PODCAST

SOLVING THE PEOPLE PROBLEM with best-selling author, Brett M. Cooper.

How LENNAH C to embrace workplace differences and ACIRF Aelevate your business EVITCEPSREP NACIRFA EHT

isSthe lanoitanretnBrett i s’aM. cirCooper fA htuo si President acirfA le&nnahC yramirp esoCo-Founder hw noitatsofoIntegris idar tsPerformance acdaorb cilbup Advisors - assisting organisations with .tnenitnoc nacirfA eritne eht si ecneidua Leadership Development, Balanced

,dlrow eht fScorecards o tser ehtand si eLean cneiImprovement. dua yradnoHe cesisruO sA .noitamralso ofniadkeynote na swespeaker n ruo t(virtual sevra&h stage) ew erand ehw seulav erocaru o ,retsaadvisor. cdaorBrett’s B cilbu P lan itanretnI na business areas ofoexpertise dnfi hcihw sinclude cihte c i t s i l a n r u o j t s e h g i h e h t ot ebircsbus Leadership Development, Public .ytilaitrapmiSpeaking, dna ,ycaExecutive rucca ,sCoaching, senriaf nTraining, i noisserpxe acirfA hcihw h g u o r h t m r o f t a l p a s i a c irfA lennahC Management Consulting, and Business sesingocer Consulting. dna ,flestiHe htis iwalso etaabbest-selling ed ni degauthor, agne si dna latnenittaking noc nthe i retop yaspot lp elon or Entrepreneur a sa acirfA htuoS .sriaffa lanoMagazine’s itanretni 9 Must-Read Books for 2021 list, and was voted Amazon’s #1 Best-Seller.

Brett isirafA Board ”evitcepsreP nac ehTMember “ :noisiat V Partners

in Sustainable Learning, which is an ,noitarenege r eht etomorp ot“ :noissiM organisation bringing developmentally ,acirfA fo noitanevujer dna ,laviver tsacdaorb dsound na noearly itcuchildhood dorp ehteducation hguorhtto marginalised communities in the developing gnitseretni dna ,gnitalumits ,cimanyd fo world. He is a Leadership Challenge .”semmargorp Certified Facilitator, receiving this

:noitamrofncertification I tcatnoCvia The Leadership Challenge, A Wiley 7992 417 110 :leT Brand. Brett also completed the Lean 2702 417 110 :xaSix F Sigma Green Belt certification via az.oc.acirfalprogramme ennahc@o fnGoLeanSixSigma.com. i :liamE az.oc.acirfalennahc.www :beW 1acirfalennahc :rettiwT oidaracirfalennahc :margatsnI 208:VTSD

ACCESS TO THE BUSINES S UNUSUAL POCASTS

TOP500 11th Edition

44

“Vulnerability-based trust is essential. Team members need

President & Co-Founder of Integris Performance

to know that it’s okay to make

influencing thousands of people in government,

mistakes, apologise, step back and evaluate what went wrong, and then do better the next time around. Your

Advisors, Brett M. Cooper is renowned for

non-profits, and corporate America to work

together in more productive, more effective, and more human ways. He is a best-selling

author of Solving the People Problem: Essential

Skills You Need to Lead and Succeed in Today’s

staff cannot fear messing up due to

Workplace (2020), and was listed as number 1

strict, authoritarian leadership.”

professional goal is to help others build work

on Entrepreneur’s 2021 Must-Read list. Brett’s relationships that really work, and he lives by the philosophy that the best way to get what

you want is to help others achieve their goals.

In this week’s Business Unusual Podcast, Ralf Fletcher, CEO of Topco Media sits down for a profound interview with Brett, as the two

discuss how workplace cultures are shifting in the ‘new normal’, how teams need to honour each members’ differences in order to come up with more efficient ways to communicate

with each other. Brett dives into the different

types of behaviours found in cohesive teams, assessing communication styles through the

‘DISC Analysis’, and the growing importance of soft skills.

How well do you understand and honour the

differences in people? Take the DISC EQ Survey today, using access code ‘unusual’, and you’ll receive a personalised report that shows

your areas of strength and your opportunities

for improvement, along with specific ideas for

how to apply and expand your knowledge and skill. For more information, click here:

https://solvingthepeopleproblem.com/disc-eq/

HELPING OTHERS 45

TOP500 11th Edition

BRETT M. COOPER | PODCAST

KEY TAKEAWAYS TO LISTEN OUT FOR IN THIS PODCAST:

• In order to change the culture of any organisation, we need to look at the real issues surrounding leadership, management and team dynamics.

• An organisation will be better off once differences are accepted and honoured

- embracing different points of view will diversify and strengthen the workplace.

• ‘People’ are not the problem! ‘People problems’ can be solved once work relationships are solidified.

This is a process that requires effort and understanding between all parties involved.

• Vulnerability-based trust is essential. Team members need to know that it’s okay to make mistakes,

apologise, step back and evaluate what went wrong, and then do better the next time around. Your staff cannot fear messing up due to strict, authoritarian leadership.

• Conflict can lead to ‘bad fights’ (arguing and bickering) or ‘artificial harmony’ (fear of judgement met with no communication at all). Business leaders need to get more comfortable with their team members - this requires empathy, open dialogue, productive conflict, and being open to everyone’s ideas and opinions.

• Research shows that conflict at work occurs due to personality clashes. This can be prevented by discovering your own communication style, and getting to know your team member’s styles.

• Studies show that employees who work for managers with low emotional intelligence are 4 times

more likely to leave their company. Emotional intelligence plays a key role in communication, and it is a skill set that can be learned.

• It doesn’t matter if you’re good at marketing, sales or advertising - If you can’t communicate or work with people you and your business will be in trouble.

• Team building exercises are important to boost morale and motivate each other. Sharing personal stories and providing productive/

constructive feedback will get your team to the next level of

trust - better results and business success guaranteed.

• Hard skills are becoming less

important. Emotional and social

skills (soft skills) are now considered ‘essential skills’ for navigating through ‘the new normal’.

Organisations need to invest more in these skills to ensure success

and longevity in 2021 and beyond.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST

TOP500 11th Edition

46

GIVE YOURSELF THE PERMISSION TO SUCCEED! Best-selling Author, John Sanei, reveals the ‘purpose’ in ‘pain’

John Sanei (Sah-nay) comes

alive at the intersection of human psychology and futurism and

uses his truly unique perspective to discover elegant ways for his

global audience to build the clarity and courage needed to approach the future confidently. Honoured to be Africa’s first Singularity

University faculty member, John is also a lecturer at Duke Corporate

Education and an Associate Partner at The Copenhagen Institute of Future Studies. His rare ability

to combine his fascination with emerging technology and its

impact on society with a clear

understanding of how memories and stories influence our reality has seen him share the stage with several

world-renowned thought leaders,

including Yuval Harari, Simon Sinek, and Robin Sharma, amongst many ACCESS TO S THE BUSINES L UNUSUA POCASTS

47

TOP500 11th Edition

others. John is a serial author and has four best-sellers to his name and is busy writing his 5th book, titled ‘10 000 Days’.

JOHN SANEI | PODCAST

Best-selling author, 4x TedX speaker, and

KEY TAKEAWAYS TO LISTEN OUT FOR IN THIS PODCAST:

futures strategist, John Sanei, is passionate about psychology and technology, and

engaging with brands across the globe to

assist in building an optimal mental approach needed to make their future more abundant than they ever thought possible. With the

launch of his first book in 2017, titled What’s Your Moonshot?, John inspired readers

across the globe to be brave enough to ask bold, critical questions about the future. In

• Public speaking is an exciting yet nerve-wracking opportunity to share your knowledge and experiences with audiences - it is a chance to curate your thoughts and engage with people on a deeper level.

• It is important to discuss failures - once you’ve healed from the experience, only then can you ‘alchemise’ it and learn

from it the healthiest way possible - use these lessons to fuel your excitement for life.

• Understanding financial management and your relationship

his second book, Magnetiize (2018), he poses

with wealth is imperative. Find out why and how the

control of our future?’ and ‘What can we do

your overall relationship with money for the better.

compelling questions such as ‘How do we take to stop chasing and start attracting the life we want?’. Since then, he has gone on to publish

relationship was formed, what must change, then re-establish • When it comes to delivering presentations, spend extra time on compiling your slides to give your audience/clients a

even more life-changing ideas and concepts.

premium experience. Slides should exhibit intelligence, prolific

In this week’s Business Unusual podcast,

premium brand.

Ralf Fletcher, CEO of Topco Media chats

with John Sanei for an incredibly insightful talk on ‘taking pain and alchemising it’ for future success. John touches on actively

pursuing business and personal interests

with intention, and asking the hard questions along the way. He also gives amazing advice

for transitioning through times of uncertainty, discipline, and achieving ‘seamless abundance’ in all spheres of life.

story-telling, and offer value. This is essential for building a • In business, make sure your actions are louder than your

words. Be genuine, specific, intentional and conscientious in all that you do.

• Work towards being fuelled by excitement rather than anxiousness. This will ensure the best results.

• We are living in a ‘surplus society’ where everyone has similar qualifications, jobs, lifestyles etc. The structure of success and ‘winning’ is changing and we need to keep up.

• Collaborate with people who need the help of your skills and mindset - do not fear competition and work in service of the human race.

• Give yourself the permission to love new things, and question established ideas and structures. Learning better emotional management, rather than being too strict with yourself, will promote healthier rituals, creativity and curiosity.

• Consumers are now holding businesses accountable

and keeping them on their toes. Now is the time to be as transparent as possible, and uplift your employees

and clientele - you need to build strong, loyal long-term

relationships to ensure longevity of your business model.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST

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48

THE ONLY THING YOU’LL GET WHEN LOOKING BACK IS A STIFF NECK Founder of the Sorbet Group, Ian Fuhr, talks paradigm shifts and culture-driven leadership Ian Fuhr is a serial entrepreneur,

founder of the Sorbet Group - the largest chain of beauty salons in

South Africa - and the CEO of The

Hatch Institute: building a new breed

of Leader purpose-fit for South Africa. to the black market in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Since then, Ian is

passionate about fostering successful business cultures and creating a common purpose of obsessive customer service.

In the early 1990s, Ian launched a labour consultancy called

Labour Link, to assist businesses

navigate race relations within their organisations during one of South Africa’s most tumultuous periods.

He then launched Sorbet in 2004,

which grew into the largest beauty salon chain in Africa. Today, Ian is passionate about grooming

‘cultureneers’ through his personal

and leadership coaching and business support services at the Hatch Club.

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TOP500 11th Edition

ACCESS TO S THE BUSINES UNUSUAL POCASTS

CULTURE

His first business, K-Mart, catered

IAN FUHR | PODCAST

KEY TAKEAWAYS TO LISTEN OUT FOR IN THIS PODCAST:

CEO of The Hatch Institute and

Founder of the Sorbet Group, Ian Fuhr, has come a long way since

starting his very first business in the late 1970s. Today, he is a respected serial entrepreneur with seasoned

experience in leadership and creating exemplary business cultures. For Ian, culture always comes first; without it a business cannot thrive.

• Entrepreneurs cannot be afraid to make mistakes. Failure is the path to success - every entrepreneur needs to fail at least once on their journey

to learn what not to do in the long run.

• Beware of ‘arrogance’: Often success blinds us

completely and we miss out on important tips. Remember that the only thing you’ll get when looking back at old successes, is a stiff neck - stay humble.

• Be careful of making naive assumptions about the market you’re working in; know your competitors, the culture of the field, and stay abreast of market trends.

In this week’s Business Unusual

• When you miss the mark, brush it off; you have to learn to

Topco Media chats with Ian about

• Self-belief is a vital characteristic. When you doubt

podcast, Ralf Fletcher, CEO of

facing failures head on and turning challenges into research for future business success. Together, Ralf

and Ian unpack themes surrounding self-belief, crossing industry lines, building a strong culture that

motivates employees, and learning

to compromise. Ian provides insight

into culture-driven leadership, building credibility, and challenging the status quo.

be flexible and agile - pivoting is a required skill. yourself, you are setting yourself 10 steps back.

• Try not to be ‘contaminated’ by the ways of predecessors

and older business conventions - fresh eyes are ideal and will allow for disruption in your field - be a ‘pioneer’ and challenge the status quo.

• When culture and service perfectly align it’s magic - this is the secret recipe for success and involves nurturing your people and purpose.

• It’s all about service before rewards/money. Coach and teach your employees to serve well, and the financial

rewards are bound to come - this is ‘the soul of Sorbet’.

• It is essential to remain aware of the social and cultural

circumstances of your team and customers. The sociopolitical environment in South Africa is highly sensitive.

We must create conducive work environments for transformation and progress.

• There is a sense of hopelessness in the country at the

moment and business leaders need to foster more hope, opening the mounds of employees and customers, and learning to compromise and do things differently to get better results across the board.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST

TOP500 11th Edition

50

FINTECH

FINTECH, CULTURE & COMPETENCE From CFO to CEO: Chris Zietsman, CEO of Snapscan

Chris Zietsman previously

worked at PKF South Africa, in Cape Town, before beginning his Journey at Snapscan as

the Finance Officer. He studied at Stellenbosch University, obtaining a Bachelor of

Accounting Degree with

Honours, and specialising

in Financial Accounting and

Auditing. In 2020, Chris and his team at Snapscan launched

the Stellenbucks Project - an initiative geared towards raising funds from local

businesses with the objective ACCESS TO S THE BUSINES UNUSUAL POCASTS

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TOP500 11th Edition

to stimulate activity in the local tourism and hospitality sector after nearly 6 months

of COVID-19 lockdown.

CHRIS ZIETSMAN | PODCAST

CEO of Snapscan, Chris Zietsman, has a background in Accounting and Auditing,

KEY TAKEAWAYS TO LISTEN OUT FOR IN THIS PODCAST:

and is passionate about merging finance and technology to lighten the load for

all South Africans. Founded in 2013, the

business launched one of the first mobile

payment apps in South Africa - combining

ingenuity with Standard Bank’s impressive financial infrastructure and expertise.

• It’s okay to pursue a different career path after completing

your studies in a different field - find something that you’re really passionate about in order to serve customers to the best of your ability.

• Networking starts with you. Whether it’s with your peers

Starting out as the company’s Finance

or new colleagues, you need to pay attention to powerful

CEO in 2019, and Snapscan has made

• Establishing a partnership with a bank, with regards to your

Officer in 2016, Chris was appointed as significant strides ever since.

In this week’s Business Unusual podcast,

Ralf Fletcher, CEO of Topco Media engages in conversation with Chris Zietsman to discuss the challenges related to

digital convenience, access to FinTech and staying motivated. Together, Ralf

and Chris unpack themes surrounding

partnerships with FinTech companies and

financial institutions, E-commerce, finding

opportunities to learn from every challenge faced, and building up communities. Chris

provides an interesting perspective on how

networking resources.

equity stakes, is much like steering a battleship - it’s slow to turn, not quite nimble, and takes patience.

• There are major growth opportunities in partnering with big

financial companies - industry weight behind you can vouch

for you in the future, access to large customer bases, and the cost of acquisition for your company is much lower.

• In business, you need to be competent in the following areas: compelling negotiation, eagerness to learn and adapt, and pay careful attention to Due Diligence procedures.

• Short term motivations are important; short term motivations lead to a propensity for long term ones - the small things matter more than you know.

• Your objectives and motivations must align with the people

to network, being okay with failures along

around you. However, try not to over-complicate things and

customer base beyond their expectations.

• Get a good grasp of your product objectives and adjust your

the way, and innovating to service your

make sure that your team is well looked after.

strategy accordingly on a regular basis - there will be many

failures, trial and error, and you have to learn to be okay with these growing pains in business.

• Learn to manage your mistakes so you can learn from them as much as possible.

• Culture and Competence must be emphasized and nurtured.

It’s not about ‘ticking all the boxes’; it’s a collection of traits, values, experiences, and people who come together and make a business excel.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST

TOP500 11th Edition

52

LEADERSHIP, THE MARKETS AND RECOVERING FROM COVID

MINDSET with Sygnia’s Magda Wierzycka

Magda Wierzycka was born in Gliwice, Poland. She is a

South African billionaire and

businesswoman and is the co-

founder and CEO of Sygnia Ltd. Magda’s career in the financial

services industry began in 1993 when she became a product

development and investment actuary at the Southern Life

Association for Mutual Life and Accident. While at Southern

Life, she paid back her bursary then spent two years building

an asset consulting division as an investment consultant for

the retirement fund clients of

Alexander Forbes. She joined

Coronation Fund Managers, a third-party fund management

company based in Cape Town,

in 1997 as a director and Head of Institutional Business. At

Coronation, she played a pivotal role in making the company one

of the largest asset management firms in South Africa.

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TOP500 11th Edition

ACCESS TO S THE BUSINES L UA US UN POCASTS

MAGDA WIERZYCKA | PODCAST

After her stint at Coronation,

Wierzycka became the CEO of

the African Harvest Group. In 2006, she negotiated the sale of Metallon Corporation’s African Harvest

Fund Managers, a R18-billion asset management company, to Cadiz

Asset Management.. She then led the management acquisition of

the remainder of the group, which culminated in the establishment of Sygnia Asset Management,

a financial technology company.

Wierzycka became the company’s

CEO in 2006. In a decade, she grew

the company’s assets from R2-billion to R162-billion which resulted in

Sygnia becoming the second largest multi-management company in the

In this week’s Top Women podcast, Ralf Fletcher sits

down with renowned businesswomen, billionaire and anti-

corruption activist, Magda Wierzycka. Magda, who defines the notion of building yourself from the ground up, is a

powerhouse and force to be reckoned with in the South

African economy. She’s built seven companies, is currently

preparing for her role as CEO of The Apprentice South Africa in 2021 and runs for two hours a day on the treadmill.

Magda and Ralf discuss COVID-19 and the way the

South African economy and country as a whole has been impacted, the importance of having a steadfast mindset

about what you want and how the market is changing during this time. Magda explains her outlook on a realm of topics, from stocks to #BlackLivesMatter and what separates

leaders from followers. Talking to Magda Wierzycka about her incredible journey to success was an absolute honour and we hope you learn a thing or two from this insightful video podcast.

country. On 14 October 2015, Sygnia was listed on the Johannesburg

Stock Exchange. Wierzycka serves on the Africa Advisory Board of Harvard University’s Center for

KEY TAKEAWAYS TO LISTEN OUT FOR IN THIS PODCAST:

African Studies.

• The people who have borne the brunt of the pandemic economically are the private sector and the poor.

• Although it won’t lead to a full recovery, the informal economy is potentially what will get us through this time.

• We need to have a very clear mindset of what we will and won’t settle for in the workplace.

• It’s vital to keep track of what’s going on globally

− read, research and talk to people as much as possible.

• The people who become leaders are those who are willing to make decisions based on imperfect information.

• Never be afraid to change your mind and admit you’ve made a mistake.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST

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54

CSI Impact Across SA COVID-19 has made significant changes to the South African business landscape.

Even so, we’ve continued to see leaders, in their respective fields, make vital contributions to social upliftment and economic transformation.

BY CHARNDRÉ EMMA KIPPIE

If 2020 taught us anything at all, it’s

the fact that no entity or enterprise has been left untouched by the COVID-19

pandemic, leading to the emergence of

weights are often placed in the

life during these difficult times.

and social order. Despite unceasing

closely examined for their impact upon

social responsibility, environmental

leaders in global business ventures

balance and equality across

and exemplary social consciousness,

At the very top of the agenda, it is

an entirely unprecedented new economy

proverbial ‘hot seat’ as they are

ups and downs in market share prices,

social development and maintaining

continued to exhibit robust endurance,

designated communities of concern.

during these vexing times.

essential that South African MNCs

MULTINATIONALS MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN SA

company, and the country as a whole,

As a diverse nation, with an emerging

are able to ensure that both their

are eligible to equally benefit from

massive business endeavours and

economy, South African multinational

CSR programs.

the ability to work wonders for building

Despite the devastating financial

yielding transferable skills and new

there are key South African MNCs

Africa as a top-notch investment

usual’, can-do attitude, in an effort

companies (MNCs) are equipped with sustainable and viable new markets,

implications of a global pandemic,

technologies, and marking South

who have adopted a ‘business as

destination. Such corporate heavy

to lend a hand towards navigating

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TOP500 11th Edition

Strategically placing emphasis on sustainability and empowerment, companies such as BMW South

Africa, Vodafone, and Levis Strauss,

are extending their affluent networks and creating innovative partnerships

to organically assist business growth, whilst also revamping the business

sector for a much more sustainable future. As leaders in South African multinational business culture,

these three multi- award-winning

conglomerates are pushing a new wave geared towards transformation that is impactful and enduring – and there is

much to be learned from their individual approaches that can be carried through 2021 and beyond.

CSI IMPACT ACROSS SA | EDITORIAL

CRISIS: A TIME FOR LONG-LASTING CHANGE

BMW Group South Africa, handed

business sector and international

BMW South Africa stands as a globally

African Business Coalition on Health

the fight against GBVF. Also

Ranked at 23rd place for being one

community-based care workers for

2020, and 27th place in the category of

gender-based violence and femicide

the BMW Group comfortably sits within

been plagued with more and more

in the world. With a reputation that

no better time, with GBVF shockingly

Africa remained a key contributor

This initiative is part of the Automotive

economic stability, especially during

founded by the group’s partners to

has ultimately crippled many other

facilitate participation in the sector

over five BMW i3 vehicles to the South

partners which positively encouraged

renowned automotive brand today.

and Aids (SABCOHA), to be used by

of the World’s Greatest Employers in

riding out and assisting victims of

World’s Most Valuable Brands in 2020,

(GBVF) in local communities that have

the Top 10 automotive manufacturers

cases of rape and murder. This came at

precedes itself globally, BMW South

on the rise during lockdown, especially.

to multinational investments and

Industry Transformation Fund and was

the COVID-19 pandemic which

alter the automotive value chain and

automotive giants in SA.

by marginalised groups, including the

Now, more than ever, BMW South

women of colour.

corporate intervention and assistance

The automotive group’s contribution

more than just producing vehicles

environmental impact – understanding

momentous in that it demonstrated

being an integral part of society

employees who are battling in the

society partnership; growth in bonds

employees, their families and their

Africa understands the growing need for

youth, people with disabilities and

aimed at providing relief during

this time, the German government

partnered with BMW South Africa to upgrade hospital facilities to make

considerations for the rapid influx of new patients affected by the virus.

The R76-million project assisted

with the renovations and upkeep of 8 South African hospitals, as well

as boosting poor infrastructure at 4

local clinics. Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Dr. Milan

Nedeljković, spoke out publicly about BMW’s responsibility in committing to the future of South Africa, and safeguarding its people:

“For us [the BMW Group] it’s about

with redressing social inequalities and

(of reportedly R6-billion) was

for sheer driving pleasure. It’s about

that it is not just their business and

growth in the government-civil

and improving the livelihood of our

current social climate. In February 2020,

formed between the South African

surrounding communities”.

AIMING FOR ACCELERATED GROWTH Vodacom and its parent company, Vodafone, took the route of

empowering masses via connection and access. Globally-speaking, the

Vodafone Foundation (founded in 2016) understands that communications technology plays a pivotal role in

imbuing the values instilled within

their core approach – ‘Connecting for Good’. At the forefront of their

projects, the message stands that

their corporation will go beyond mere ‘charitable’ measures, in an effort to bring about inclusive opportunities

and skills development for employees and the larger African diaspora.

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56

In 2020, their primary focus was

on investing in selected projects that would produce meaningful

change that is impactful. Therefore, their focus was predominantly on

transforming spaces which typically

and historically side-line women and

children: educational institutions and the greater labour force.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) also released ‘The Global Gender Gap Index 2020’ rankings. Each

year research is done to determine

the rate of global progress towards

gender equality. Statistics prove that South Africa has made minimum

improvement, dropping in position

to 121st place for Wage equality for similar work criteria, according to

the WEF. This ties in with stats on

leadership roles occupied by women in our country – only 38% of women

in South Africa have obtained senior positions in management and CEO

roles. Surprisingly, however, we are currently ranked at 17th position (going up two places since early 2018) in the world for gradually

combating gender inequality. For

more, you can download a copy of the latest stats here:

http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_ GGGR_2020.pdf

Even in the face of this pandemic, Vodafone and Vodacom continue to invest in the education and

skills development of their female

employees, customers and children around Africa, using their digital

capacity and data supply to give

women and children equal access – a key factor in accelerating growth

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and social development in the 21st century. As stated in their public mission statement, Vodafone is

workplaces with strong company community engagement.

committed to (now more than ever)

Vodafone Group CEO, Nick Read,

for women by 2025. Alongside this

passion for growth, inclusion and

becoming the world’s best employer ambition, we have seen Vodafone’s Instant Network Schools benefit

opens up about the company’s accessibility:

more than 86 500 students and 1000

“Africa needs to connect to a better

and refugees across Africa access

its part. This aligns with our purpose

teachers to date, giving children

to quality, accredited qualifications, and important learning tools and

meaningful learning opportunities.

Empowering female children from

such a susceptible age is a foot in the right direction. Young women can then choose careers for

themselves having been equipped

with the necessary tools for change.

With such pertinent long-term

investments, it is no surprise as to

why Vodafone has been recognised

by Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index this past year for being a global leader of building inclusive, fair

future. Vodafone is committed to doing -which are the values we stand for and high standards we hold ourselves to

account – to build an inclusive digital society, in all countries we operate in, while halving our environmental impact by 2025”, he expressed.

“We need to utilise the power of

digital [data specifically] to increase

access to various public services to

enhance citizen living conditions and

employment prospects… We are also

partnering with governments on digital skills and more education projects -

for example, the zero-rated e-schools curriculum in South Africa”.

CSI IMPACT ACROSS SA | EDITORIAL

ENCOURAGING POSITIVE COMMUNITY CULTURE

is why giving back is not viewed as a corporate stipulation, but rather the

On the topic of digitalisation, fashion

fundamental and relevant groundwork

in 2020, how and why they keep

community culture that is crucial for

enterprise Levis Strauss & Co. proved,

for fostering a healthy, open-minded

their finger on the pulse of social and

future growth and expansion.

online are now a driving force behind

In 2020 the Levis Strauss Foundation

converting digital impact into real-life

to important causes around South

always keeps all ears and avenues for

such as the Nelson Mandela

we’ve seen Levis Strauss: South

Network. Along with these long-

the youth of SA to have their say in

new pioneering local organisations,

popular hashtag #UseYourVoice

pioneer) and 18Twenty8 (focused on

social media as a springboard for

18-28). The South African based

SA, Levi utilised #IShapeMyWorld in a

volunteer in local communities in need

fearless women who step up and

MNC hosted ‘Pioneer Nation Festival

in their respective communities. As

young entrepreneurs in South Africa

obtained a vital understanding of how

conscious of the role big brands play

community debates and opinions into

African Managing Director Nuholt

political trends – community outcries addressing social injustices and

committed to granting R5-million

change for the better. Levis Strauss

Africa, including esteemed partners

critical conversation open. Previously,

Foundation and AIDS Legal Action

Africa use their influence to encourage

standing partners, they welcomed

electoral voting procedures as the

namely Greenpop (a sustainable living

circulated in 2019. Also using

the empowerment of women aged

discussing female empowerment in

team donated thousands of hours to

campaign geared towards celebrating

throughout the year as well. At the

break barriers to make a difference

2020’, an event aimed at assisting

a fashion-focused MNC, Levis has

specifically. “Consumers are very

to listen to customers and convert

in their communities”, said South

valuable leads for social change. This

Huisamen.

“COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR HERITAGE. WE WILL CONTINUE THIS CULTURE OF GIVING BACK AND REMAIN RELEVANT TO OUR CONSUMERS”.

These three global conglomerates

have not shied away from crisis, using the pain and pressures of this global pandemic as power; power to fuel

their long-term ambitions and spread social change and transformation.

The transition was not easy, but it

equipped these leading MNCs with

the drive and passion they needed to uplift, not only their companies, but

their surrounding communities in need of support and guidance. Being a

MNC comes with great responsibility and influence, and these leaders

believe in being a force for positive

change in South African communities

with a lasting impact. Three lessons to take away from their brands: rise up

to social challenges, identify your core business strengths and utilise them

as weapons for positive change, and

appreciate the concerns and opinions of your customers – the customer is

always right, as the old saying goes.

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58

Afrox retains B-BBEE Level 1 status Afrox products and services touch the lives of every South African today, support all sectors of the economy and contribute to the very wellbeing of the country in these uncertain times.

In just five years, Afrox moved from a Level 8 to a Level 1 on the B-BBEE score card through executing a successful Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) programme.

This focused on small and medium black-owned businesses capable of supporting Afrox’s strategy of growing the informal Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) market sector and reshaping its procurement spend profile.

This has resulted in a network of select B-BBEE distributors serving the domestic and hospitality markets.

Afrox also launched the 5kg Safety Gas cylinder to support its informal

sector network. These lightweight cylinders deliver an affordable alternative energy solution to a large group of the population who require a more convenient, safer, and environmentally friendly energy substitute.

Such is the success of the ESD programme that what started out as a BEE drive to achieve a Level 3 status four years ago is now part of Afrox’s very business culture today – a business culture to support Government’s national transformation agenda and the rise of South Africa’s economic growth post COVID-19.

“We spent a lot of time and effort to identify opportunities in Afrox that could be outsourced and turned into small and medium black-owned enterprises,” said Director of Procurement at Afrox, Makhula Magaoga. “And today we have a number of SMEs supporting our operations across the country, which has enabled them to survive the economic challenges brought on by COVID-19.”

As the sole provider of medical gases and equipment to more than 400 hospitals and 1 600 clinics in South Africa’s state healthcare system, Afrox has contracts in place with empowered companies for 30% of this business.

Afrox and its people have been at the heart of South Africa’s medical efforts to treat and defeat the COVID-19 virus.

“Keeping the oxygen flowing to hospitals motivates us at Afrox,” said Head of Afrox Healthcare, Joseph Ramashala. “Afrox is here to ensure our frontline healthcare workers always have the medical gases and modern technologies they need to save lives.”

Schalk Venter, Afrox Managing Director, added: “We are a proudly South African company and will continue to ensure vital medical gases are available to fight COVID-19. That food is on the table of households and the many markets we serve can continue to operate and provide employment for South Africans.”

But there is more to Afrox’s strategy than just supporting black business. Afrox maintains its tertiary welding facility run in partnership with POPUP (People Upliftment Programme) and partners with the LIV Village in Cottonlands and the Southern Africa Institute of Welding to build the LIV Welding Academy.

This is to enable the development of entrepreneurial skills and upliftment of South Africa’s unemployed young people. Other initiatives include the support and upliftment of secondary and tertiary schools, up-skilling of teachers, upgrading of equipment and facilities, and a Young Talent Development programme consisting of in-service training, apprenticeships, internships and learnerships.

“There are many deserving black businesses in South Africa and Afrox would like to assist many more but our supply chain and need for distributors has been met,” confirmed Makhula Magaoga. “As such, we encourage other large enterprises to follow Afrox’s example and reach out. If done properly, B-BBEE partnerships are profitable and rewarding in so many positive ways.”

Makhula Magaoga, Director of Procurement

Cryptocurrency trends in SA & Beyond With the Rand depreciating, South Africa is increasingly turning to crypto.

Susan Symondson identifies trends in the South African crypto-spere.

Bitcoin is taking over the world,

and South Africans are jumping on the bandwagon— by the millions.

According to Google trend data,

South Africans are very curious about crypto. When comparing the search data, South Africa is ranked eighth

globally, and second on the African

continent behind Nigeria. And what about actual investing?

A recent study shows South Africa has the second-largest bitcoin-investing population in the world—an estimated 15 per cent, ranking ahead of the U.S. and Japan.

So who is leading the charge into the crypto space? The younger

generation, striving to help offset the depreciation of the Rand while trying

to circumvent the highly concentrated traditional financial institutions with their high costs.

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TOP500 11th Edition

MILLENNIALS AND GEN Z ARE LEADING THE PACK The world of blockchain, decentralised

The younger generations are typically the ones to bring about change.

finance, and cryptocurrency can be

“As we’ve seen for centuries, those

technology continues to advance, it can

typically the younger generation,”

those not considered “digital natives,”

anyone that we are also the

on the internet. So it is unsurprising

institutions and the way we invest.”

millennials, digital immigrants, and

BANKING THE UNBANKED

natives, Generation Z.

struggled to properly service low-

South Africa’s cryptocurrency trading

and the poor because of the high costs

age of 50, and nearly 40 per cent of

Africans do not have a bank account.

under the age of 29. That will change,

them have a market excess of 80 per

the crypto-sphere. Jonathan Ovadia,

bring banking opportunities to those

incredibly intimidating for many. As

looking to bring about change are

sometimes feel confusing and foreign to

says Ovadia. “It shouldn’t surprise

or the generation that grew up raised

ones looking to change financial

that crypto is more popular among of course, the generation of digital

Traditional financial institutions have income earners, micro-entrepreneurs

is dominated by people under the

involved. Nearly a quarter of all South

transactions are executed by people

The Big Four banks, which between

however, as people of all ages join

cent, are putting forth initiatives to

the CEO of Ovex, a Bitcoin and

previously left out.

that this trend isn’t out of the ordinary.

But it’s not enough.

cryptocurrency exchange, explains

CRYPTOCURRENCY TRENDS IN SA & BEYOND | EDITORIAL

The banking system is somewhat

As the U.S. economy improves, South

Ovadia believes The Scoin Shop’s

poor and remote areas. It remains

Reserve to implement an interest rate

an open view to a new and rapidly

structurally unsuited to push into

conservative and inaccessible, with regulations that focus on stability

and keep financial services highly

concentrated in specific areas that are not always accessible to the

average people. This makes it difficult to give out small loans and collect smaller deposits.

There is also the issue of identification

Africans are preparing for the Federal

hike. Any hike would negatively impact any emerging economy, including

South Africa’s because there will be less borrowing and less investing.

and collectables. That’s an exciting

to China, and any change in China’s

foreign policy directly affects the Rand.

factors, South Africans are looking

The system excludes unregistered

ignore it.”

with. The Rand is heavily exposed

possibility of re-issuing ID numbers

population, but many issues remain.

to him, “better to embrace it than

So then, people can use their

Chinese foreign relations to contend

As the rand continues to be

to be more inclusive of the general

growing asset class. According

Additionally, we have the volatility of

in trying to secure a bank account.

The country is currently looking at the

innovation is a bold move and shows

dependent on so many external

for alternatives, and crypto seems like the place to flock to.

crypto to buy physical gold coins strategy which The Scoin Shop

is pioneering. Demby tells us that since The Scoin Shop introduced this payment innovation in late

2020, he has seen strong demand for the option of “coins for coins”

and expects this trend to continue going forward.

children, deaths that are not recorded

Some of cryptocurrencies’ early

Ovadia says, “as far as I know,

into the male/female binary.

the wealthiest people globally,

companies integrating cryptocurrency.

properly, and people who don’t fall

The adoption of blockchain can help circumvent these issues. Certain

wallets and blockchains have built-in

identification systems, allowing many to evade the traditional financial routes.

“The past 12 months have hastened the adoption of cryptocurrencies globally. It’s not just institutional

adoption, but also retail adoption,” says Ovadia. “Now, people who struggled to get an ID or have no access to

traditional financial institutions can use

cryptocurrencies to pay for necessities.

They no longer have to drive hours to

find a bank and apply for a loan. It can all be done online.”

DEPRECIATION OF THE RAND Over the last two years, the South

African Rand has been weakening.

adopters are now billionaires, among and with the recent bull run, other

investors have made massive profits.

there are no other major gold coin Eventually, every single one will.”

So what should people do with their

So why sell cryptocurrency for gold?

their portfolio?

store of value, currency hedge, and

earnings, and how can they diversify

Rael Demby, CEO of The South African Gold Coin Exchange &

The Scoin Shop, says that The

Scoin Shop now accepts specific

cryptocurrencies (bitcoin, Ethereum, USD Coin, Litecoin, Dai, Bitcoin

Cash) as payment for gold coins and

collectables. So now people can cash out crypto profits and buy gold.

The cryptocurrency ecosystem is

growing rapidly. More brands and

companies are moving into the space of accepting crypto for goods and

services—setting up payment systems that enable bitcoin transactions.

Gold provides wealth preservation,

it combats inflationary concerns—all advantages many cryptocurrencies claim to offer. “For most, wealth

preservation is a focus. We are seeing a huge interest in gold bullion, silver and numismatics,” says Demby.

People are buying gold and silver as a hedge against elevated risk in the financial markets.

As we continue to move into 2021,

the cryptocurrency hype will continue to grow and evolve worldwide.

Institutions will continuously, even if

somewhat reluctantly at first, integrate crypto into payment systems,

portfolios, and long term plans.

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62

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The service includes coaching tools for driver trainers that can be used to help correct poor driving behaviour and positively impact fleet productivity and safety.

MiX Telematics’ mission is to make the world safer with the help of our technology and to keep the world moving forward with our connected solutions.

By linking driver performance with profitability, and simultaneously encouraging safe and fuel-efficient driving, fleet managers can achieve an optimal balance between a safe and productive fleet.

MiX Telematics: Fleet management at its finest INTERVIEW WITH GERT PRETORIUS

Managing Director, MiX Telematics Africa

PLEASE GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY OF MIX TELEMATICS

Founded in 1996, in South Africa, MiX Telematics is a leading global provider of fleet and mobile asset management

solutions delivered as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) to 750,000 global subscribers, spanning more than 120

countries. MiX has offices in South Africa, the United

Kingdom, the United States, Uganda, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as a network of more than 130 fleet partners worldwide.

MiX Telematics shares are publicly traded on the

Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE: MIX), since 2007, and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MIXT) since 2013.

MiX Telematics listed as a public company in South Africa in November 2007, but has a strong international heritage that dates back to 1985. MiX Telematics continuously invests in research and development. The company has built a solid

reputation for innovative fleet management technology and

services for the consumer and commercial vehicle markets.

“ In these tough times, fleet managers need to know that they are partnering with a reliable fleet management service provider that will help keep their operations moving forward”

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TOP500 11th Edition

MIX TELEMATICS AFRICA | INTERVIEW

WHICH SECTORS DO YOU OPERATE

HOW HAS MIX TELEMATICS

Vendor study, MiX Telematics was

PROVIDE?

FRIENDLY OPERATIONS?

innovation and implementation

IN AND WHAT SERVICES DO YOU

Our commercial fleet solutions are built

INVESTED IN ENVIRONMENTALLY-

named a global leader in both the

MiX Telematics is committed to

categories. To take the lead in the

necessary measures to ensure

scored high in-vehicle monitoring,

citizen. Our solutions enable our

and customer experience. In the

are more efficient and use less fuel,

commended for excellence in the areas

emissions. The group has a state-

financial strength and broad, scalable

sustainability and to taking the

innovation category, MiX Telematics

we act as a responsible global

open platforms, tech development

customers to run operations that

implementation category, MiX was

which leads to reduced carbon

of vertical coverage, partnerships,

of-the-art technology platform and

SaaS solutions.

development.

In 2019, MiX Telematics Africa

Beame brands, in South Africa. Value-

HOW DO YOU ENSURE ADHERENCE

Top 100 Companies. This is one

Alert, Road-Side Assistance, and Mileage

ETHICAL CONDUCT, FAIR DEALING,

on the basis of in-vehicle hardware,

on-demand software services, as well as value-added services, accessories and

applications that enhance overall vehicle performance. Through the MiX Fleet

Manager web-based software platform, fleet customers can access their fleet

information and generate key reports.

Our consumer offering comprises stolen vehicle recovery and tracking products, and services sold under the Matrix and

added personal services such as Crash

Tracking for the insurance industry are a few of the differentiators in this range.

We serve a wide range of industries, including Transport & Distribution,

FMCG, Oil & Gas, Mining, Construction, Emergency Services, Government,

Public Transport, Rental and Leasing, Security and Utilities.

continuously invests in product

TO THE STRICTEST STANDARDS OF AND INTEGRITY?

of the most prestigious and highly anticipated events on the South

African business calendar, where

Integrity is one of the core values at

industry leaders come together to

ethics above profit and we encourage

that have delivered the highest

MiX. We instil in our staff that we put

celebrate the JSE-listed companies

honesty throughout our business.

returns for their shareholders.

Ethical Conduct and Anti-bribery and

In the same year, MiX Telematics Africa

online learning platform.

award for the Best Car Tracking Service

Staff are required to complete

Corruption courses annually, via our

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FLEET

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS SOME OF THE

Modern fleet management embraces an

OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS?

MANAGEMENT?

ranked sixth in The Sunday Times

also received The Star Readers’ Choice for our Matrix brand.

COMPANY’S GREATEST MILESTONES

MiX Telematics Enterprise, a division

The excellence of MiX Telematics’

level 1 B-BBEE (Broad-Based Black

proven time and again by the numerous

Driving a focused approach to the

us over the years.

Africa, this certification is underpinned

related problems. Our solutions provide

In 2020, MiX Telematics was recognised

enterprise and supplier development,

consumers with solutions for safety,

fleet telematics by ABI Research. In

organization and sustainable socio-

integrated approach to telematics that offers far more than viewing vehicles on a map. By combining telematics

with additional tools or enablers, fleet

solutions deliver actionable intelligence to solve complex vehicle and driverenterprise fleets, small fleets and

efficiency, compliance and security.

of MiX Telematics Africa, attained a

products and services have been

Economic Empowerment) accreditation.

awards and commendations awarded to

true transformation agenda of South by strong ownership, management,

as a top global leader in connected

as well as skills enhancement within the

ABI Research’s Commercial Telematics

economic development in communities.

TOP500 11th Edition

66

INTERVIEW | MIX TELEMATICS AFRICA

HOW DID COVID IMPACT ON YOUR

WHAT EXCITING PLANS DO YOU

DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE

MiX Telematics was able to maintain

MiX Telematics will be introducing a

STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE?

BUSINESS MODEL?

our business since the start of the

COVID-19 pandemic as we positioned

ourselves as part of the solution to the industry and we were able to assist

the industry during these challenging

times. Apart from enabling more of our

employees to work remotely during this time, our global business has proven

itself to be agile and sustainable even more so over the past year.

MiX Telematics’ mission is to make the world safer with the help of our technology and to keep the world

moving forward with our connected solutions. Our technology impacts the safety of thousands of drivers

and allows fleet operators to manage their vehicles and drivers remotely.

PLEASE OUTLINE YOUR CSI POLICIES AND PROJECTS.

MiX Telematics Africa has numerous CSI initiatives, for example:

MiX has a longstanding relationship

with Clover Mama Afrika, which helps

empower women who can affect change through skills development training in their communities in South Africa.

MiX also supports Little Eden to help

create disability awareness, as well as provide financial assistance.

MiX Telematics has several educational initiatives that aim to empower our

employees and we offer unemployed learnership programmes.

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TOP500 11th Edition

HAVE FOR 2021?

number of new, innovative solutions including the MyMiX Tracking appbased solution to drive fleet safety and efficiency without the need to install hardware.

MyMiX Tracking leverages mobile

FOR BUSINESSES OUT THERE The global economy will be under pressure for several years due to

the severe impact of the COVID-19

pandemic. In a time when volatility is the new norm, it will be vital for businesses to seek out solutions allowing for strict asset management, as businesses

phone technology to enable real-

cannot afford more losses.

recording, measuring and enabling

The use of advanced digital technology

driving behaviour events including

optimal customer service levels,

acceleration and mobile phone

communication, and this is where MiX

solution is an extension of MyMiX, a

management solutions can increase

that also equips drivers with valuable

allowing fleet operators to have greater

driving style, including immediate, in-

full view of their fleet at any given time.

time tracking of drivers while also real-time self-correction of risky

will help businesses to achieve

speeding, harsh braking, harsh

timely delivery and improved customer

use while driving. The app-based

steps in. Our range of advanced fleet

comprehensive driver engagement app

operational efficiency, ultimately

information and alerts to improve their

control over their fleets and to have a

cab audible feedback.

The new MiX Vision AI-powered video

telematics solution will help customers around the world improve driver safety

and reduce operating costs. MiX Vision

In these tough times, fleet managers

need to know that they are partnering with a reliable fleet management

service provider that will help keep their operations moving forward.

AI leverages machine vision technology to detect and alert drivers of unsafe or risky driving behaviour. Driver

monitoring events include fatigue,

phone use, distraction, smoking and seat-belt use. It also gives forward

CONTACT INFORMATION

In-cab, audible alerts warn drivers in

Email: fleetsa@mixtelematics.com

action can be taken, while video

Facebook: @MiXTelematics

via MiX’s extensive online software and

LinkedIn: @MiX Telematics

collision and lane departure warnings. real-time so that immediate corrective

Website: www.mixtelematics.co.za

footage is made available to managers

Twitter: @MiXTelematics

mobile apps for driver coaching.

DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHTS AND DECISION-MAKING with the MiX Insight Analyser Business Intelligence platform

The MiX Insight Analyser online platform enables fleet managers to use their telematics data to make insight-driven decisions for more efficient operations. Data is presented in a simplified way that shows fleet managers exactly what areas to focus on and which changes to make for immediate improvement.

Benefits of the MiX Insight Analyser Business Intelligence tool: • Detect trends and draw conclusions about fleet usage • Improved data analysis leads to more relevant and informed decision-making • Cuts through the frustration of static telematics reports, saving valuable time • Ultimately resulting in significant cost reductions and improved operational efficiencies

www.mixtelematics.co.za

VISUAL EVIDENCE WHEN IT MATTERS MOST! Gain insight into the root causes of driving related risks with the MiX Vision Bureau Service

The MiX Vision Bureau Service is managed by our dedicated team of professional video analysts focusing solely on the MiX Vision camera solution. The team provides regular feedback to clients concerning driver behaviour and the health status of the MiX Vision cameras, in order to improve driver behaviour and increase fleet safety.

Benefits of having a video-based safety programme: • Combines video, vehicle and driver data for use in incident analysis, insurance claims, driver coaching and risk mitigation • Promotes proactive instead of reactive driving event management • Gives context to driving incidents through videos • Provides actionable data • Video footage provides proof to defend against false accident claims • Helps eliminate unnecessary costs related to driver behaviour • Improves the safety of drivers and vehicles • Reduces insurance liabilities

www.mixtelematics.co.za

TECH AND TRANSPORT COLLIDE | EDITORIAL

DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHTS AND DECISION-MAKING with the MiX Insight Analyser Business Intelligence platform

Tech and Transport

Collide Technology has played a pivotal role in the transport sector this past year. Fleet management and logistics continue to digitally transform as we navigate through the post-Covid era.

BY CHARNDRÉ EMMA KIPPIE

The MiX Insight Analyser online platform enables fleet managers to use their telematics data to make insight-driven As the world embraces moreoperations. Data is presented in a simplified way that shows fleet managers exactly decisions for more efficient and more transport what technology areas to focus on and which changes to make for immediate improvement. innovations, and younger

generations develop a knack

for apps and mobile payment

Benefits of Africa thehasMiX solutions, South been Insight Analyser Business Intelligence tool: prompted to pay more attention to mobility and tech upgrades - even

in the midstand of a draw globalconclusions pandemic. about fleet usage • Detect trends With lockdown implications,

• Improved data analysis leads to more relevant and service providers have taken informed quite adecision-making knock which has affected service delivery. The transport

• Cutsand through theindustry frustration of static telematics reports, logistics was no exception.

Companies who offer The Transport and Logistics industry saving valuable time transportation and logistics

services were forced to pivot and

feeds into many other sectors

throughout the country, acting as • Ultimately resulting in significant cost reductions and make necessary technological a ‘feeder-network’ to a variety of improved operational efficiencies upgrades to keep business going in the ‘new normal’.

www.mixtelematics.co.za

industries, including agriculture,

manufacturing, retail and so forth etc.

Without streamlining our industry,

the fundamental economic principles of ‘supply and demand’ cannot be

fulfilled. Thus, technological adaptation and innovation plays a huge role in keeping our economy going.

TOP500 11th Edition

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6

TRANSPORT TECH TRENDS SHAPING SA

1. SIMPLIFYING BIG DATA

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR),

with its many innovative technologies, has assisted in shaping a bright

future for South Africa’s logistics

industry. No matter the size of any

given operational fleet, be it 5 or 10 vehicles, logistics companies find

themselves in need of appropriate

telematics tools for limiting expenses incurred, whilst driving productivity

and the overall success of their fleets.

Geotab’s vehicle tracking device that simply plugs directly into the vehicle

Fleets in South Africa are now able to gain better insight into their vehicle activities, thanks to a newfound

capacity for producing and simplifying Big Data. This development currently enables our fleet managers to

recognise and address shortcomings found in their fleets.

2. INNOVATIVE ACCIDENT

- PREVENTION FEATURES

Parking lot crashes are one of

the biggest causes of accidents

experienced by our transportation

fleets. With the help of new proximity detection technology, such as

CSIR’s Smart Mobility technology

and Geotab Africa’s Advanced Fleet Management Solutions, fleets are now able to decrease risks which

occur in parking lots, ensuring the safety of drivers. We now have

access to technological solutions for detecting in-reverse vehicle

movement, which aids drivers with oncoming traffic awareness.

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TOP500 11th Edition

3. DASHBOARD CAMERAS FOR QUALITY CONTROL

Distracted driving is a common occurrence in all societies.

Unfortunately, many drivers behave irresponsibly, using mobile phones, eating and drinking whilst on the road. In today’s day and age,

businesses are able to eliminate

distracted driving by implementing dashboard camera surveillance measures. For example, a local company called FleetCam SA

provides Vehicle Camera Systems

throughout the country. Whilst giving fleet managers more insight into bad driving behaviours, the integration

of these cameras will provide fleet

managers with quality video footage geared towards identifying risky

behaviours exhibited by drivers that,

otherwise, would not be documented by telematics.

TOECH AND TRANSPORT COLLIDE | EDITORIAL

4. IOT APPLICATIONS IN

authority and control over their data,

Telematics have proven great with

security audits, vulnerability scanning,

However, customer requirements are

and advanced, real-time fortigate

TRANSPORT

SA has seen the adoption of intensive

gathering data on fleet management.

multi-factor authentication services,

becoming more complex, making it

reporting.

only the help of telematics. We’ve seen

6. THE RISE OF E-HAILING

with the integration between

Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) is a

has expanded the use and value of

the country. We are moving from

to foster better data quality and obtain

of transport, towards new mobility

behaviour and requirements.

increasingly fond of. The South African

5. CYBERSECURITY ENHANCED

this shift the most. Public transport

difficult to run an efficient fleet with much innovation in IoT technology,

TECHNOLOGY

telematics and other platforms. This

trend that is gaining momentum in

telematics, but has also allowed fleets

traditional, personally-owned types

an extensive understanding of fleet

solutions that consumers are becoming

FOR DATA PROTECTION

minibus taxi industry is experiencing has become the cornerstone of

Cybersecurity is highly important

‘technology-driven mobility solutions’,

devices, and identities. According to

popular in areas where public transport

2020, South Africa took 34th place in

Here, tech is revolutionising transport

of 1 (The higher the score, the higher

As South Africa moves towards the

that Africa has the highest exposure

Technologies, transportation networks

our fleets to offer clients complete

W2025 and beyond.

for securing digital infrastructures,

with ‘ride-sharing services’ becoming

the Cybersecurity Exposure Index (CEI)

is a predominant source of travel.

the rankings, with a score of 0,417 out

infrastructure for low-income earners.

the exposure). The index also revealed

creation of Smart Cities with Smart

score per country (0.643). In order for

should see further upgrades as of

MOST-WANTED FEATURES OF MOBILITY TECH: App Travel Design Control Frameworks Real-Time Route Optimization Track and Trace Capabilities Secure Mobile Payments Digital ID Ecosystems User-friendly Navigation Portals Always-On Connectivity

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Tourism Exploring Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge

Travel

BY CHARNDRÉ EMMA KIPPIE

Since the start of 2020, tourism and

travel across Africa has taken a huge knock, due to travel restrictions and

the implementation of lockdown. South Africa witnessed a drop in tourist visits of 71% - from just over 15.8 million

in 2019 to less than 5 million in 2020 (reported by Statistics South Africa).

Despite these sobering statistics, amid

This project pays tribute to

Africa’s excellence, as it solidifies

the work being done to remedy the

the continent’s fond investment

one of Africa’s biggest game reserves,

tourist offerings.

off a rather fanciful concept: building a

Jerry Mabena, CEO of Thebe

Tourism sector back to good health,

the Kruger National Park, has pulled hotel on a deserted railway.

KRUGER SHALATI LUXURY TRAIN HOTEL The launch of the Kruger Shalati - The Train on the Bridge - has been one

of the most anticipated and inspiring new projects of the celebrated

in its cultural heritage and future

Tourism Group, believes that

“The Kruger Shalati Train on a

Bridge takes people back to a

long-lost time and makes them

feel part of the history of the Park.”

“It gives a truly memorable glimpse

Kruger National Park, in northeastern

into those early days of the Kruger

of our wildlife and fauna, along with

reigned supreme. We are looking

combined with newly revamped and

an equally exciting journey that is

hotel pays homage to the bygone era,

world”, commented Mabena.

South Africa. With gorgeous views

historical and archaeological sights, restored train carriages, the luxury suspended above the Sabie River.

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TOP500 11th Edition

where the untamed African spirit forward to taking our guests on

not available anywhere else in the

SPEARHEADING THE #SAWILLTR #SAWILLTRAVELAGAIN MOVEMENT AVELAGAIN The announcement MOVEMENT of this exciting

The project announcement first came inof 2019, this exciting with social project media creating first came a buzz in 2019, about with how social the

media ‘train increating the air’ acould buzzbe about just how the boost the ‘train that the in the Tourism air’ could industry be just needed. the boost that Opening the Tourism its doors industry in December needed.

2020,

Opening the permanently its doorsstationed in December Shalati 2020, Train the has permanently received multiple stationed visitsShalati from local Train has travel received enthusiasts multiple andvisits international from local travel visitors enthusiasts alike. and international visitors alike.

Just recently, the prestigious Travel +

Just Leisure recently, It List the for 2021 prestigious was released, Travel + Leisure featuringIt the ListLuxury for 2021 Train wasHotel released, featuring atop the Bridge the Luxury as one Train of Hotel their top

atop selections the Bridge in theas ‘Best one New of their Hotels top in selections the World’ in category. the ‘Best The New train Hotels hotelin

the has World’ been recognised category. The as the train only hotel South has African been property recognised on the as list the-only a massive South accolade African to receive property lessonthan the alist year -a massive after its official accolade launch. to receive

TOURISM AND TRAVEL | EDITORIAL

Also along for the ride, celebrity chef Andrew Atkinson, was appointed as

the Group Executive Chef at the Kruger Shalati. Atkinson is the former Director

of the South African Chefs Association, and is an esteemed Academy of Chefs member. Chef Atkinson is a former

captain of the South African Olympic

Culinary team and a World Academy of Chef Society accredited judge.

“With Chef Atkinson on board, we

know we’re going to be able to offer unique and fantastic food options

MAGIC IN THE AIR

has been extremely important to us

Bridge above the Sabie River, which

dreaming about what these products

System. The unique hotel design

Barnes, Kruger Shalati Concession

of experiencing the reserve’s wildlife

news of his appointment.

honours the 1920s, when the very park

for all our visitors – something which

The hotel is located on the Selati

right from the start when we started

forms part of the Komati River

will look and operate like”, Judiet

offers safari enthusiasts a novel way

General Manager, stated upon the

offerings. The refurbished train itself

visitors came to explore the landscape.

A truly nostalgic endeavor, the Kruger Shalati provides the most unique

luxury accommodation, consisting of 24 carriage rooms and 7 Bridge

House rooms, with glass walls and African-inspired interior designs -

including local artwork and craft work.

The immersive experience offers both comfort and adventure.

Positioned up above the riverbanks,

and aligned with the floor level of the train, the hotel’s pool deck is one-ofa-kind, with hippos, elephants and

even crocodiles roaming around just a few meters below guests. The holistic experience exquisitely harnesses

human curiosity, wildlife and cultural nuances, making for a world-class

TOP REASONS TO VISIT A novel experience with unparalleled views

It is home to a unique walkway across the bridge

Provides an optimal location for bird watchers

With strict Covid-19 estrictions, the hotel is a social distance paradise The pool location offers amazing animal sightings and gorgeous sunsets

experience unlike any other.

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Breaking new ground South Africa’s agricultural sector is growing

BY FIONA WAKELIN

Two years ago, the South African agriculture sector

had been shrinking for four consecutive quarters -

contracting by 7% in 2019. In

2020 in the first quarter it grew by 28% with good rains and

bumper crops. By August 2020 the National Crop Estimates

Committee (CEC) confirmed that SA’s total summer grain and

oilseed output (17.85 million

tons) was one of the largest on record– and 34% higher than

2019, with the total maize crop

of 15.54 million tons being 38% larger than 2019. The citrus

industry is also smiling, with

South Africa exporting around

2.15 million tonnes in 2020 - up 19% from the previous year.

Favourable weather conditions in South

level of the Agbiz/IDC ACI since the

that farmers have been able to plant

show that South Africa’s agricultural

Africa over the last year have meant

on time and increase area plantings for

various crops. Higher commodity prices have also improved bank balances,

second quarter of 2014. These results sector will, optimistically, experience another year of robust growth.

leading to improved sentiment

“In volume terms, South Africa’s

And, the sector is set to continue

19 percent since 2010. Encouragingly,

to improve with the support of

government policies, including the Master Plan on Agriculture and Agro-processing.

According to the Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz), the Agbiz/IDC

Agribusiness Confidence Index (ACI)

improved from 61 points in the fourth quarter of 2020 to 64 in the first

quarter of 2021. This is the highest

agricultural production has grown by

this expansion has occurred across all subsectors of agriculture and agro-

processing value, that is, horticulture (up 70 percent), animal products (up

43 percent), field crops (up 22 percent) and agro-processing (up 13 percent), according to data from the Bureau for Economic Research (BER) and

Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP).” - Wandile Sihlobo, Chief Economist, Agbiz

And from a citrus

perspective the news is just as good.

“The Citrus Growers

Association of Southern

Africa (CGA) is excited to announce that the South

African citrus industry will likely break all previous

export season records with an estimated 158.7 million cartons in 2021.

If the estimate is reached, it would represent a third consecutive season of

record export volumes,

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TOP500 11th Edition

BREAKING NEW GROUND - SOUTH AFRICA’S AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IS GROWING | EDITORIAL

“ The Citrus Growers Association of Southern Africa (CGA) is excited to announce that the South African citrus industry will likely break all previous export season records with an estimated 158.7 million cartons in 2021.”

with 130 million cartons exported in

To explore the future expansion

certain agricultural products and

in 2020. Our current projections for

agribusiness sectors, on 19 March

Consider wine trade in China –

2019, followed by 146 million cartons 2021 indicate a 22% growth in export figures in just 2 years…These figures indicate phenomenal growth within the South African citrus industry, and for our local economy. The

demand for our produce overseas is a wonderful testament to the quality of

South Africa’s citrus fruit. There is no

doubt that citrus growers are investing

of markets in the agriculture and 2021 the Agricultural Business Chamber held a hybrid event

with its members, public sector

representatives and commodity

– focussing on how South Africa could make greater inroads into

international markets - particularly within BRICS.

heavily for the future, with more than

“The attractive markets within

R1-billion in grower levies over the

This is because they account

next four years going into research and technology to support market access and transformation, while creating an

enabling logistics environment to move the fruit.” - Justin Chadwick, CEO of the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA)

this grouping are China and India. for sizeable agricultural import

volumes, have growing populations, fast-growing economies, and

changing consumer taste. South

African policymakers’ engagements with their BRIC(S) counterparts should be to lower tariffs for

address the non-tariff barriers. the likes of Australia and Chile

accessed the Chinese market at

0% preferential tariffs. Meanwhile,

South African producers face 14% import tariffs. Hence, competition

has been challenging for the wine

industry and a range of agricultural products. It is also crucial that

the industry pays closer attention to geopolitical developments in

this region. China has sanctioned

Australia for criticizing some of its policy positions. These sanctions entail trade restrictions. Other

countries have been able to take advantage of Australia’s gap to meet China’s import demand.”

– Wandile Sihlobo, Farming Portal, Agri News Net

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76

4IR

The future of mining in South Africa

BY BY PATRICK WADULA, MEDIA,

PR & CORPORATE COMMUNICATION PROFESSIONAL WITH WADULA INVESTMENT GROUP

New developments in the global mining

sector have begun evolving over the last 10-15 years, enabling new technologies and automation to be introduced into

the exploration, quarrying, mining, and extraction of minerals in open pit and

underground mining. However, in South Africa it has been a slow process, with

fear and uncertainty about the possibility

The COVID-19 pandemic has helped

going to improve anytime sooner as

increase its pace in introducing the

reports that over the last decade,

of job losses in a labour-intensive sector.

the mining industry, indirectly, to

The South African mining sector

fourth industrial revolution or 4IR,

considered a labour-intensive industry

South Africa’s mining industry.

by physically demanding manual

Applications that were previously

punctuated by blasting and cleaning,

such as wearables and the remote

has, for more than 100 years, been

with a mining method characterised

innovation, and 4IR technologies into

drilling methods, and operations

shunned by employees and unions,

on a stop-start basis.

monitoring of employees, were

The sector is critical to the country’s

and safety of mineworkers as they

embraced to ensure the wellbeing

economic sustainability with between

returned to work after the lockdown.

viability. It employs more than 450,000

According to the recent statistics

supporting two downstream jobs. Every

South Africa, the mining industry’s

dependents. It indirectly impacts nearly

nominal terms by 4% in 2020, to a

the raw materials for virtually every

to R376.5-billion in 2019. We must

2 and 4 million people depending on its people with every job in this sector

from the Minerals Council of

employee supports between five and 10

contribution to GDP declined in

every other industry, since it provides

value of R361.6-billion compared

other aspect of the economy.

accept that these numbers are not

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TOP500 11th Edition

the Mineral council of South Africa multi-factor productivity in the country has fallen by 7.6%.

Mining cost inflation was 2%-3%

higher annually than general inflation, leading to two-thirds of SA’s output

being on the upper half of the global mining cost curve. Mining output

declined by 10% and minerals sales have contracted by 11%.

Therefore, there is a need to look

at smarter ways to improve the way we mine and extract the minerals

from the ground in a safer, effective, efficient, and productive manner.

With the introduction of 4IR in mining, Artificial intelligence and machine

learning can help mining companies find minerals to extract.

4IR - THE FUTURE OF MINING IN SOUTH AFRICA | EDITORIAL

The Minerals Council of South Africa

A survey conducted with some of

our approach to mining methodology,

how they perceive the evolution of

states that ultimately, without a shift in we will fail to mine South Africa’s deep-level complex orebodies

profitably, which could see a huge

negative impact on South Africa and a

failure to turn to account the country’s

the leaders of mining companies on

Even though most mining

taking to transform their businesses in

and digital followers, they were

to come; and what steps they are anticipation of these changes.

The report also looks at how the

Recent research has suggested that,

accelerated the digitisation of the

arrested, 200,000 job losses may

occur by 2030, which could affect two million people indirectly. With

Covid-19 pandemic has further

work process, as well as the adoption of automation and other innovative tools in the mining industry.

mechanised mining equipment, most

Twenty-three executives across

and beyond while 24/7 operations

surveyed, and 10 emerging trends

mines’ lives will be extended to 2045 will extend mine life to beyond 2040.

In addition, deeper resources and Greenfields targets will be added, relying on 24/7 methods.

The Minerals Council is of the view that

waiting for others to prove it first.

4IR on their businesses in the years

mineral wealth in the long term.

should the current decline not be

would pilot new technologies without

19 Minerals Council members were identified that are consistent with

other international studies and can be used by mining executives and other decision makers to navigate their digital transformation journey.

companies were digital novices making investments in various

initiatives to drive specific benefits.

All companies surveyed were

investing in digital technologies, with the average investment

portfolio across all respondents, around R111m per year.

Minerals Council South Africa

CEO Roger Baxter says, using 4IR technologies will make the South

African mining sector more globally competitive, more attractive to the best talent and, ultimately, enable mining to contribute even more

as the economy and society are reimagined, he commented.

the positive outcomes of modernisation

It is notable that the largest portion

“With the high levels of unemployment,

inevitably be encountered along the

that the CEO was the primary

technology-focused approach will

will outweigh the challenges that will way. To remain globally competitive and achieve zero harm, the mining sector can ill afford to delay these efforts and the Minerals Council

will continue to collaborate with all

stakeholders to accelerate this journey.

HOW 4IR IS CURRENTLY CHANGING THE FACE OF MINING AS WE KNOW IN SOUTH AFRICA A report was recently released

by PwC and the Minerals Council South Africa aimed at gaining an

understanding of how the mining

of survey respondents (47%) stated driver of digital transformation in

mining businesses, with only 5.2% mentioning the CFO.

The executive head for technical or

the group engineering head was seen by 9% of the respondents as being a

not be socially acceptable. It is hence encouraging that this report does not

only focus on technological issues, but also on issues related to culture and

the upskilling and/or reskilling of the workforce,”

driver of 4IR within their business. This

THE PROS AND CONS OF MINING TECH

certainly start the process and provide

has, for more than 100 years, been

shows that a top-down approach can

The South African mining sector

the impetus and communications, while

considered a labour-intensive

operations can help to focus those

efforts where they are most needed.

industry visualises the impact of the

It is noteworthy that 32% of

people, processes, and technologies.

digital champions and innovators that

fourth industrial revolution (4IR) on its

poverty and inequality, a pure

respondents considered themselves as

industry with a mining method characterised by physically

demanding manual drilling methods, and operations punctuated by

blasting and cleaning, on a stopstart basis.

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78

Work done to date has indicated that the conversion to mechanisation significantly extends mine life;

preserves mining employment;

improves safety and health; and

allows the mining of lower-grade

orebodies and deeper resources.

The Minerals Council is of the

view that the positive outcomes

of modernisation will outweigh the challenges that will inevitably be

encountered along the way. To remain globally competitive and achieve

zero harm, the mining sector can

ill afford to delay these efforts and

the Minerals Council will continue to collaborate with all stakeholders to accelerate this journey.

The adoption of the new

technologies requires reskilling

the mine workers. According to

the PWC research of the mining companies’ response to 4IR,

most respondents believe there will be a change in the nature

of the workforce to more skilled

employees over the next 5 years

and a decrease in unskilled workers.

IN SUMMARY, THE TOP THREE CHALLENGES TO IMPLEMENTATION OF 4IR TECHNOLOGY IN SA MINES ARE: Low data management maturity Low workforce skills Concern about cyber security

HAVE WE ADOPTED INTERNATIONAL TOOLS AND PRACTICES?

TOP500 11th Edition

adoption of 4IR technologies with

The PWC reports that they had

mixed feelings.

believe are consistent with other

The Minerals Council of South

by local mining executives.

companies across the mining

IOT will get the biggest share of the

a million workers, cannot ignore

for industry-wide adoption is bright

workers in the industry.

successful deployments of IOT and

That is why the Minerals council’s

bottom line.

implementation of 4IR in the industry

The report says SA’s mining

This means the focus is not only on

technologies over the next five

but also on work culture, upskilling

technologies found to be condition

be able to create new better, safer,

identified 10 emerging trends they international studies and can be used

Africa which represents 84

The trends include how industrial

industry that employs almost half

budgets. It says the sector outlook

the trade unions who represent the

as mining organisations are reporting the positive impact it has on their

approach to the introduction and

is that it should be ‘People-centric’.

community plan to use 4IR

technology advancement at the mines

years, adding that most implemented

and reskilling, and that 4IR should

monitoring at nearly 80% across all

healthier, and more fulfilling jobs.

IOT at almost 60%.

Frans Baleni, former general secretary

“Nearly 50% of respondents had

once said: “the reality on the ground

expect the implementation numbers

key stakeholders on this matter of the

respondents, and connectivity and

of the National Union of Mineworkers

piloted AI programmes recently and

calls for a serious conversation with

to increase significantly over the next

4IR and the future of work.”

using robotic process automation,

“Never before has it become so

implement it within five years. Nearly

stand up as one voice and participate

virtual reality (VR) to train staff, while

fact that non-participation may lead

further 28% intended to implement

curse and not an opportunity.”

the report.

Gideon du Plessis, General Secretary

HOW UNIONS ARE APPROACHING THESE CHANGES

make “skills development” the core

five years. 35% of respondents were with another 10% planning to

compelling for organised labour to

a third of all respondents already use

in shaping the 4IR than today. It is a

20% were currently piloting and a

to labour concluding that the 4IR is a

VR training within five years,” reads

The unions in the mining industry

are closely monitoring the changes

79

coming with the introduction and

of Solidarity’s advice to unions is to of their salary negotiations as from

this year to enhance job security for their members.

4IR - THE FUTURE OF MINING IN SOUTH AFRICA | EDITORIAL

WHO ARE THE KEY PLAYERS IN SOUTH AFRICA (BRANDS AND COMPANIES?)

The goal of the laboratory is to

transfer surface digital technologies into the underground environment

Rio Tinto, Exxaro, Sibanye

– the enabler for a mine that can

American and Baletsema Mining

act. The ultimate objective is to use

leading with introduction

mine workers and the typical risks

Stillwater, Goldfields, Anglo

automatically observe, evaluate, and

Services are the key players

technology to put distance between

and implementation of 4IR

they are exposed to daily.

technologies into their operations.

EXXARO

RIO TINTO

Exxaro’s 4IR technologies involved

largest owner and operator of

which is a virtual replica of physical

(AHS). The AHS trucks can

analyse data and monitor systems.

every day of the year, no longer

mining operations by creating

employee breaks but only for

automating the value chain end-to-

Rio Tinto is now the world’s

introducing a ‘digital twin’ approach

autonomous haulage systems

assets, which can be used to

operate nearly 24 hours per day,

The company has simplified its

stopping for shift changes and

visualised operations, as well as

refuelling and maintenance.

end. Gold Fields has accelerated

Worker safety has also improved

supply chain activities and get a

with employee exposure to

products.

operating heavy equipment, such

BALETSEMA MINING

dust or soft tissue issues, decline.

promoting 4IR in the mining

SIBANYE-STILLWATER

and Technology Services, a

pushing technology into South

providing a comprehensive range

Stillwater. The company is

business improvement solutions

century state-of-the-art mining

The company is passionate about

laboratory is to make mining

mining and the impact of the Fourth

digital technologies.

South African mining sector.

since the program’s founding

hazards and risks associated with as fatigue, exposure to noise and

its technology adoption to track its hold of backup suppliers for certain

Another company that is

industry is Baletsema Mining

One other company that is

mining consulting company,

African mining is Sibanye-

of technical, operational, and

involved with DigiMine, a 21st

and products to the mining sector.

laboratory. The aim of the

the technological evolution of

safer and sustainable using

Industrial Revolution(4IR) on the

LEADERSHIP ON 4IR AND MINING President Cyril Ramaphosa addressing the Investing in African Mining Indaba in February this year stated that as

government played its role in creating

an environment in which mining thrives for the benefit of all South Africans, he urged the industry to take advantage of the technological advances underpinning 4IR.

He was encouraged by “some of

the mining houses that were already

making use of technology – no longer for purposes of replacing people

with machines – but fundamentally to improve efficiency, guarantee safety,

produce a skilled workforce and, most importantly, preserve jobs.”

While many other industries have been leading the transition to the age of

connectivity, AI and big data, mining experts agree that this industry has

some catching up to, particularly when it comes to upskilling its labour force.

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Building a hopeful future SA’s construction industry set to flourish in 2021

BY FIONA WAKELIN

After being the country’s poorest

performing sector in 2020, which saw construction GDP slump by 20.3%,

the good news is that South Africa’s

construction industry is showing signs of green shoots this year.

In his SONA address, President

Ramaphosa was clear about the government’s commitment to growth in this sector:

ECONOMIC RECONSTRUCTION AND RECOVERY PLAN

We knew that to achieve this

Since the announcement of the ERRP,

Economic Reconstruction and

rebuild technical skills within

human settlements projects that

African government has been zooming

large infrastructure projects”,

Since the commencement of the

objective we would need to steadily

Recovery Plan (ERRP), the South

government to prepare and manage

in on four priority interventions:

President Cyril Ramaphosa

A massive roll-out of infrastructure throughout the country

commented.

government has launched two major will provide homes to almost 68 000

households in Gauteng. Similar human settlements projects are planned in other provinces.

INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PROJECT

Also, a newly instated R100-billion

An employment stimulus to create jobs and support livelihoods

Government has developed an

operation. This fund will blend

The rapid expansion of energy generation capacity

pipeline worth R340-billion in

A massive increase in local production

“We announced that we would be

embarking on a massive roll-out of

infrastructure throughout the country.

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TOP500 11th Edition

infrastructure investment project network industries such as

energy, water, transport and

telecommunications. Construction has started and progress is being made on a number of projects

Infrastructure Fund is now in full resources from the fiscus with

financing from the private sector and

development institutions. Its approved project pipeline for 2021 is varied

and includes the Student Housing

Infrastructure Programme, which aims to provide 300 000 student beds.

BIUILDING A HOPEFUL FUTURE | EDITORIAL

THE BLACK INDUSTRIALIST FUND

Minister Mboweni also stated that in

Through this reform process, which

auto sector to help it weather the

markets, the country’s six busiest

Recovery Plan, the efficiency of South

[2020], the sector had recovered

expanded. He stated that, “These will

production, in difficult circumstances”,

using the PPP model. Starting with Beit

“We have worked closely with the

order to improve access to African

pandemic. By the end of the year

border posts would be upgraded and

around 70% of its normal annual

be significant infrastructure interventions

Ramaphosa explained.

Bridge, which was built in 1929 and last

During 2021, government will be

Border-Posts will harmonise the crossing

back to full production status, by

Minister Mboweni.

A new report by GlobalData Global

Fund, and creating a new platform for

that the construction industry is set

expanded auto trade with the rest of

REVITALISATION OF THE PORT OF DURBAN

the continent. This fund will become

In line with this focus on infrastructure

part of government’s efforts to

development is the construction work

support the manufacturing sector.

being done to make the Port of Durban

WHAT’S IN THE BAG FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND CONSTRUCTION IN 2021

government is making the improvement

focusing on lifting the auto industry implementing the Black Industrialist

upgraded in 1995, these One-Stopof border by people and goods” –

is part of the Reconstruction and

African ports and railways will pave

the way for substantial investment in

infrastructure, which will, in turn lower

costs and improve the competitiveness of exports, and result in huge numbers of job creation opportunities.

GLOBAL CONSTRUCTION OUTLOOK Construction Outlook to 2025 says to grow by 5.2% this year – after

a sizeable contraction due to the impact of Covid-19.

more efficient and competitive. The

“In markets where the construction

of ports a priority of Operation Vulindlela.

relatively normal levels of operation

Government has set aside

“Altogether, the expansion of

investment drive. In his 2021

R100-billion in new investment over

Tito Mboweni said government

will completely transform the port,

sector and other players to rollout

handling from 2.9 million units to more

industry has managed to return to

since the crisis engulfed the world in 2020, activity has rebounded

R791.2-billion for infrastructure

infrastructure at the port will require

Budget Speech, Finance Minister

the next decade and more. This

was partnering with the private

expanding its capacity for container

“With activity levels trending upwards

infrastructure through initiatives such

than 11 million units.

works, there are likely to be record high

Fund. Echoing the SONA, the Budget

These ambitious plans will require

transformation and job creation,

investment. Transnet, including the

the R6.2-trillion spending envelope

asset belonging to the people of South

as the blended finance Infrastructure explicitly supported economic

greater private sector participation and

with special mention being made of

Durban Port, is an important national

over the Medium Term Expenditure

Africa.”- President Ramaphosa

Reconstruction and Recovery Plan.

The government has emphasised that

“This is not an austerity Budget. Our

are crucial “to bring new investment,

our investment in the future-capital

operations and to modernise equipment

Framework focussing on the Economic

partnerships with the private sector

fastest-growing area of spending is

technology and expertise to port

payments,” – Minister Mboweni.

and infrastructure.”

positively, with signs that in some

markets there has been a marked effort to get projects back on track quickly.

in the absence of restrictions on site

rates of year-on-year growth in major

markets in the coming quarters, given the comparison to periods last year

when construction sites were closed or when activity was severely disrupted.

There are also positive signs for the

coming quarters when assessing leading indicators, such as building permit

approvals,” Danny Richards, GlobalData.

Sources: New Civil Engineer Engineering News The Presidency GlobalData

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82

STRENGTH BEYOND with PPC INTERVIEW WITH ROLAND VAN WIJNEN Group CEO, PPC PPC is a material and solutions provider with a

philosophy of providing quality products – cement,

aggregates, metallurgical-grade lime, burnt dolomite, limestone, readymix and fly ash – that build strong foundations for the generations to come. We also

provide value-added technical support services to our customers.

WHO WE ARE

PPC’s story stretches back over 129 years to where

it was first incorporated on the outskirts of Tshwane

(formerly known as Pretoria), in South Africa, in 1892 As the first cement manufacturer in South Africa, we have established ourselves as a resilient

organisation by adapting to ever-changing economic,

operating and political environments. We are proud to

be a leading provider of quality building materials and solutions in 80% of the regions we operate with. PPC has 11 cement factories in South Africa, Botswana,

DRC, Rwanda and Zimbabwe and a capacity that is around eleven and a half million tonnes of cement products each year.

PPC’s 100% local 100% quality cement used in the construction of buildings

PPC | INTERVIEW

PPC HAS BEEN GOING STRONG

WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AT PPC

HOW DID YOU OVERCOME YOUR

ATTRIBUTE THE SUCCESS OF

MOST MEMORABLE

Perseverance, resilience and

SINCE 1892 – TO WHAT DO YOU THE COMPANY?

The first and most obvious element

for PPC’s success and longevity is the

appreciation from its customers for the products and services. Cement is the

primary constituent of concrete, and most versatile material in the built sector. Since

the invention of Portland cement over 200 years ago, cement has helped to shape most of the world’s infrastructure.

The second vital ingredient to PPC’s

longevity is its visionary and courageous leadership, which has been part of the organisation throughout its history.

Above all, it’s the company’s most

valuable assets – the employees. The passionate and dedicated employees whose commendable work ethic is

reflected through consistent and quality building products supplied to the market over the past 128 years.

AND WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR?

As Group CEO, I see it as my

role to define the strategy for the

Group, together with my colleagues in the ExCo and the Board and

to guide the implementation. On a daily basis PPC is blessed to

have many great leaders who look after our customers, employees,

communities and the broader group

of stakeholders across the countries where we operate. In the 18 months that I have been with PPC, I have already had many memorable

moments mostly coming from

interaction with customers and our people across many sites. Out of

the many moments, I would choose my first physical interaction with

a long-standing customer and our

colleagues from Ready Mix Concrete, shortly after the Level 5 Lockdown restrictions were lifted in May.

GREATEST HURDLES?

confidence are probably three of the

most important attitudes to overcome hurdles. Confidence in the team and our values, resilience to keep doing what is right for all stakeholders of

PPC, and perseverance to keep going even at the most difficult moments.

When we were confronted with

hardly any revenues during the level 5 lockdown, the immediate future of PPC looked dire. It was at that

moment that Team PPC truly showed its colours and gave meaning to the words “Together we are stronger”.

Everyone contributed and twelve

months later Team PCC can be proud

of what has been achieved. Although, we also have to look forward and

continue to get better, faster and more cost effective to delight our customers across all markets where we operate.

HAVE THERE BEEN ANY NOTICEABLE TRENDS IN INFRASTRUCTURE

DEVELOPMENT IN THE COUNTRIES IN WHICH YOU OPERATE?

Infrastructure development is a key driver for progress and a critical enabler for

productivity and sustainable economic growth. While several construction

projects have been delayed due to the pandemic, we remain encouraged by

the government’s R100-bn investment into the sector. Coupled with the drive

to buy local, as a 100% local business, we are encouraged by the decision to “Confidence in the team and our values, resilience to keep doing what is right for all stakeholders of PPC, and perseverance to keep going even at the most difficult moments.”

gazette cement as a designated product to be sourced from local manufactures such as PPC. Given our capacity

to meet the needs of local cement

production, we remain optimistic about our future in South Africa.

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84

WHAT CHANGES IN TERMS

being and increased economic activity

ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY

mitigating natural resource depletion.

OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND

PROCESSES HAS THE COMPANY IMPLEMENTED OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS?

PPC believes in operating a

sustainable business and we

are committed to reducing the environmental impact of our

operations while continually improving

environmental performance. We ensure that sustainability is an integral part

of our business strategy while striving to minimise or eliminate impacts and maximise benefits. Transitioning of

the Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth milling

plant with the retirement of the clinker facility due to not meeting new NO2 standards and dust emissions and

investing in optimising and ramping up Slurry Kiln 9 are some of the

many interventions we continuously

undertake to ensure sustainability and lessen environmental impact.

It has become increasingly evident that when it comes to industrial

development, business as usual is

no longer a viable option. This is to

say that a new relationship must be

forged where improved human well-

are achieved while simultaneously

As such, tabling essential elements

in the transition toward a sustainable future and achieving the SDGs: SDG 13 Climate Action Programmes: • Tyre co-processing at De Hoek

• Introduction of alternative fuels

(secondary sources or renewable resources such as biomass)

• Burning of waste/reused oils at

various operations as start-up fuels

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

We have Energy Efficiency Programmes at our operations, with various solar

projects implemented and feasibility

studies completed to roll-out the similar programmes at other operations. PPC

Barnet and CIMERWA are well positioned in terms of clean energy (hydropower).

SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation Water efficiency programmes and

targets to encourage demand-side

water management to reduce water

consumption and recycling across the group e.g. reuse of quarry water and

treatment of effluent from wastewater treatment plants.

Elimination of process water

from process gas cleaning by

incorporating adequate design

principles into the new baghouse installation completed at all

old technology sites. Plans are underway to upgrade the last

operation fitted with ESP (Colleen Bawn) i.e. large bag house to

handle higher temperature, hence Njombo Lekula, PPC MD Southern Africa speaking at DEVAC Conference

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TOP500 11th Edition

zero/little water required for gas temperature control.

HOW HAS THE COMPANY ENSURED IT HAS MET ISO STANDARDS

– WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO

QUALITY, RISK, ENERGY AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?

We believe a company that truly

focuses on sustainability will thrive. As such, managing our environment and

energy performance is essential for us

to reduce the impact of our operations and ultimately create value for our stakeholders over time.

Sustainability forms an integral part of our business strategy. We can ensure

optimal environmental performance by

striving to minimise or eliminate negative impacts and maximise positive impacts.

We encourage all our customers,

suppliers and business associates to meet similar environmental goals.

To minimise the impact we have on the environment, we are committed to: • Integrating environmental

management into management

practices throughout the Group.

• Implementing environmental operational standards to reduce the adverse

environmental impact of our operations.

• Being a responsible corporate citizen and playing an active role in protecting and preserving the environment by addressing climate change,

preventing pollution, encouraging the sustainable use of resources, and protecting ecosystems.

• Identifying significant environmental matters relevant to our business, setting appropriate objectives

and targets, and measuring these by reviewing the environmental

performance of our workplace and the status of our surrounding environment.

PPC | INTERVIEW

• Complying with applicable

environmental legislation and other obligations.

• Responsible stewardship of natural resources through efficient energy strategies.

• Implementing responsible waste management practices.

• Achieving effective and transparent

communication with our stakeholders through, among others, internal

communication and environmental management stakeholder forums.

• Training and educating our employees on our environmental responsibilities.

• Building capacity among our

stakeholders to identify, report and act on opportunities to minimise environmental impact.

• Managing our resources

and maintaining biodiversity through concurrent rehabilitation.

We believe our employees and

contractors play a fundamental role in

achieving our environmental objectives.

Our workforce takes ownership of and participates in environmental

management programmes and initiatives, and integrates environmental concerns

into their everyday activities. To achieve our goal of operating a sustainable business, we have an effective

environmental management system (EMS) in place. The EMS identifies

and evaluates operational risks and

opportunities relevant to our business,

and ultimately manages these to ensure environmental compliance and ongoing improvements in our performance.

Furthermore, our energy management system (EMS):

• Focuses on monitoring and

evaluating all energy-related activities

• Ensures the credibility, reliability and usefulness of energy data to support the prioritisation

of interventions and improved decision making

• Ensures all employees are aware of

the nature, meaning and value of an

effective EMS throughout the Group

• Identifies priority energy-saving

initiatives and implements these on an ongoing basis

PLEASE DESCRIBE THE

ORGANISATION’S VALUES, ETHICS AND CULTURE.

Our purpose is to empower people

to experience a better quality of life and this purpose is encapsulated in our brand promise of Strength

Beyond. This promise of Strength Beyond is guided by our Group

values that are embedded throughout our operations. We believe that

organisational culture is a critical driver of employee performance

and morale. We therefore ensure initiatives aimed at shaping our culture take priority across the

business. This process is not only

driven by the HR department but also by the dedication and commitment of

leadership and change ambassadors.

Our culture plans are informed by the employee engagement surveys we do on a regular basis.

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86

INTERVIEW | PPC WHAT IMPACT DID COVID-19 HAVE

• Reduce the risk of the virus and protect

As a company we have some innovative

CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE

• Keep the economy going

a very positive impact on the CO2 intensity

ON THE COMPANY AND WHAT

BUSINESS MODEL AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC?

employees and business partners

• Keep PPC going

Sustainability is growing in importance

PPC took on the COVID-19 challenge as

everywhere. While our sustainability

undertaking several interventions:

for businesses and stakeholders efforts are anchored in the ESG

(environment, social and governance), for PPC this is not a new concept.

While the outbreak of the COVID-19

pandemic in 2020 adversely disrupted our way of life, it also highlighted the need for PPC to pursues even more

opportunities to empower communities through social investment underpinned by our REAL approach where our

interventions thrive to be relevant, to

add value to affected stakeholders and promote community health, safety and security; empowering, in that we must

make a noticeable difference, bridging

socio-economic gaps whilst protecting and preserving local cultural heritage; actualised, in that it must be realistic

and achievable; and lasting, sustainable and maintainable.

As a company that strives for

sustainability, at the beginning of

the first COVID-19 lockdown level 5 we introduced various interventions focusing on the following:

part of health and disaster mitigation by • We empowered and partnered

products under investigation that will have of our business. I look forward to the

moment where we have more certainty to make announcements on how this, and

other innovations, will assist PPC and our customers to build stronger together.

with SMMEs in the manufacturing

DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE

employees and in communities

STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE?

and distribution of cloth masks for

FOR BUSINESSES OUT THERE

where we operate.

My advice is to firstly make sure that

approach to health programmes

product or the service. Understanding

While we had already donated mobile

products to them at a margin that makes

in Tshwane and Johannesburg

difficult decisions, such as letting go

care services, we then converted and

solutions to keep employment for many

cater and assist in the fight against

mentioned earlier, keep the confidence

• COVID-19 helped us to evolve our

customers have an interest in the

in communities where we operate.

the needs of customers and delivering

clinics (a total investment of R6.5-m)

a business feasible is critical. Sometimes

municipalities to provide basic health

of employees, form part of finding the

recapacitated those mobile clinics to

others. And, getting back to what was

COVID-19 through screening, testing

and show perseverance and resilience.

and information sharing.

• Referencing PPC values: We always

do the right thing: if we have to pick between the right thing and use of

capital, doing the right thing for PPC is always the best thing to do.

WHAT EXCITING PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR 2021?

It is exciting that we are in the final

stages of restructuring and we should be able to leave

behind the difficult period that

PPC went through because of the high levels of debt. That

also allows us to spend more

time on creating plans to grow the impact

of our purpose and

empower more people Alpha Trauma Centre opening in the Vaal

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TOP500 11th Edition

to experience a better quality of life.

PPC GROUP ADMINISTRATION: Address: PPC Ltd Building 148 Katherine Street, (Cnr Grayston Drive) Sandton, Johannesburg Phone: +27 (0)11 386 9000 Toll Free: +27 (0) 800 236 368 Email: contactus@ppc.co.za Website: www.ppc.africa

SOMETIMES WE’RE TESTED, NOT TO SHOW OUR WEAKNESS BUT TO DISCOVER OUR STRENGTH. INTERVIEW WITH ZUNAID VALLEE Technical Director Honeycomb B-BBEE HONEYCOMB BEE RATINGS HAS BEEN A SANAS

ACCREDITED B-BBEE VERIFICATION AGENCY SINCE 2007 – WHAT HAVE BEEN THE MOST SIGNIFICANT

CHANGES IN THE TRANSFORMATION LANDSCAPE OVER THE LAST 13 YEARS?

In 2016, IRBA withdrew from the verification space and Honeycomb’s ownership changed allowing it to merge with another company, thereby creating a larger base to work from. This turned the company around and since then we never looked back.

PLEASE UNPACK THE MEANING OF

YOUR COMPANY NAME AND LOGO. The name Honeycomb originates from the shortened version of B-BBEE. Once we realised this we saw that the Honeycomb and bees were very symbolic to our ethos. Our team works hard together, we know that we need everyone working together towards a common goal to achieve success. The Honeycomb team are like bees, buzzing about to get the job done efficiently and effectively.

“We are very proud to be involved in our community”

HONEYCOMB | INTERVIEW

obvious business success stories, we are

With the correct skills training, we can affect

very proud to be involved in our community.

transformation through employment into

In 2018, Honeycomb hosted an inaugural

management and ownership of entities.

Golf Day, and Kids Haven benefited from the event. We were able to donate almost a quarter of a million rand to Kids Haven which was such an amazing accolade. In 2019, our Golf Day was in aid of The Almond Tree for abandoned babies, this event proved to also be a wonderful success.

Honeycomb has a Trust that assists

Zunaid Vallee WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER? We are a SANAS accredited agency that conducts B-BBEE Verifications. We are accredited under sectors and specialise in the Finance, Property, ICT, MAC, Agriculture, Tourism, and Mining sectors. We also do ownership opinions and conduct interim

previously disadvantaged South African women with their studies. We are currently assisting three women, two of whom are doing their matric, and we will support them up to university level; another is studying towards her MBA. Giving back is Honeycomb’s biggest reward in life.

HOW HAVE THE NEW CODES

IMPACTED ON BUSINESSES ACROSS

verifications with Strategic Planning Reports.

SECTORS? WHAT TRENDS HAVE YOU

WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR

The revised codes were confusing towards

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS?

In 2017, Honeycomb was awarded the Discovery Limited Group Award which was a

NOTICED?

the end of last year, with everyone doing their ratings prior to the implementation date which is 01 December 2020. The impact on

wonderful achievement that made us proud.

bigger organisations was minimal as they

We have managed to retain Discovery

was a 6-month implementation window.

Limited and pride ourselves on maintaining and building on this ethical relationship.

Honeycomb strives to build relationships and an understanding of our clients’ businesses so

retaining existing clients. If we can’t retain clients, it means we did not serve them well, and client retention has become our measure of success. Over and above the

this award and last year it could not have come at a better time.

Our company had just undergone a difficult situation which we managed to overcome, but at the time we did not fully understand why it had happened. Shortly thereafter, we were given this award and our valued clients were starting to compliment us on being an ethical and efficient company to work with.

This award and the difficulties we went through became our defining moment.

Honeycomb operates within legislation and abides by the letter of the law. No opinion or belief will impact our stance in this regard. This has strengthened my team and Honeycomb has become known in the market as a no-nonsense player who takes legislation seriously.

the most as they missed this window –

they are now feeling the effect. The revised

we build our portfolio while simultaneously

This is the second year we have been given

access to in-house transformation, suffered

Over the years, we have been awarded with

Our biggest goal and objective is to ensure

IMPACTED YOUR BUSINESS?

The smaller companies, who do not have

while they were aware of the changes, they

portfolio has grown to become impressive.

HOW HAS THIS RANKING IN TOP500

were already preparing for it, because there

that we can align ourselves with them.

more and more Blue-Chip entities, and our

YOU RANK FIRST IN YOUR SECTOR –

did not fully understand the impact and codes have closed many loopholes and are levelling the playing field.

CONTACT Head Office: Phone: (011) 880 1630

I personally appreciate the implementation of bursaries on the revised codes as this was lacking and not much assistance was given to university students. Skills are the

Fax: 086 520 5064 Email: info@honeycomb-bee co.za Address: 2714th Avenue, Northmead, Benoni, 1501

most important element in B-BBEE.

TOP500 11th Edition

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INTERVIEW | PPC

HONEYCOMB BEE RATINGS IS A LEVEL TWO CONTRIBUTOR TO B-BBEE

Honeycomb BEE Ratings is an independent, nationally-based

mission is to be the preferred verification agency for South African

verification agency which conducts professional and impartial

businesses, ensuring the systematic process of verification which

verifications of all enterprises, across all sectors, countrywide.

benefits our clients and their business and supports the imperative transformation of the South Africa’s economy. We have been a

We apply the universal values of honesty, integrity, non-

SANAS accredited BEE Verification Agency since 2007, and we are

discrimination and reliability to each-and-every decision taken by

also a member of the Association of BEE Professionals (ABP).

Honeycomb relative to each-and-every BEE verification process and retain authority over all such decisions. Honeycomb is equipped with

Honeycomb BEE Ratings has the capacity to evaluate enterprises

qualified and efficient staff who are trained to ensure professional

against both the generic B-BBEE Codes of Good Practice as well

and impartial verifications. Our value-add philosophy is to ensure

as the Agri-Bee, Chartered Accountancy, Construction, Forestry,

the empowerment of people and businesses through the prompt

Information and Communication Technology, Integrated Transport,

and efficient turnaround of certificate verification. The Honeycomb

Property, Financial, and Tourism Sector Codes.

SERVICES BEE RATING ON-SITE DOCUMENT VERIFICATION A Broad-Based rating is an in-depth process and an on-site verification of the evidence submitted for each one of the elements is required to achieve the maximum amount of points possible. The end result of this process is a B-BBEE Verification Certificate issued by

The result of this exercise is a B-BBEE scorecard, indicating the points received for each element as well as the B-BBEE contribution status.

This exercise is useful for companies to determine their readiness for an on-site BEE verification.

Honeycomb that can then also be used by the measured entity when

COLLATION OF DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION

tendering for government business or other procurement purposes.

The collation of evidence that supports your BEE score is essential, since the rating process is based on the evidence submitted. Our

PRE-RATING ASSESSMENT A pre-rating assessment is conducted on all of the evidence collated by the client, and is verified by Honeycomb through an on-site visit.

SOME OF OUR CLIENTS INCLUDE:

collation service team will assist in collating the proper evidence that is required for your BEE rating. Please note, Honeycomb is unable to consult and perform the verification.

CONTACT HEAD OFFICE: Phone: (011) 880 1630 | Fax: 086 520 5064 Email: info@honeycomb-bee co.za Address: 2714th Avenue, Northmead, Benoni, 1501

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THE IMPORTANCE OF B-BBEE | EDITORIAL

THE IMPORTANCE OF B-BBEE: Diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance

BY BONANG MOHALE

Diversity and inclusion (D&I) needs

groups. In order for such

meaning and purpose within the

access to opportunities, including

to be defined in a way that has South African context and that

reflects the particular historical

origins of inequality in this country.

The definition must also give clear

directions as to how a commitment to D&I can be translated into

practical strategies, action plans

and programmes. It is a planned and positive process and strategy aimed at transforming socio-economic

environments which have excluded individuals from disadvantaged

disadvantaged individuals to gain

developmental opportunities, based

on their suitability. It requires the total eradication of all obstacles, subtle or

overt, formal or informal, which hinder the empowerment of disadvantaged individuals. Part of the problem is

Without inclusion, however, the crucial connections that attract diverse talent, encourage their participation, foster innovation and lead to business growth will not happen.

that “diversity” and “inclusion” are so

Diversity is being invited to the party.

assumed to be the same thing. But

Numerous studies show that diversity

of the workplace, diversity equals

fact, without inclusion there is often

often lumped together that they are

Inclusion is being asked to dance.

that is just not the case. In the context

alone does not drive inclusion. In

representation.

a diversity backlash.

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In 1971, the late Rev Leon Howard Sullivan Jr. (1922 - 2001) was elected to the Board of Directors at General Motors Corporation (GM), at that time, the largest employer in South Africa.

Sullivan used his position within this corporation to oppose

discrimination. To this end, in 1977 Sullivan created the Sullivan Principles, a code of conduct for corporations operating out of South Africa. The Sullivan Principles were designed to protect human rights and promote equal opportunity for workers in

South Africa. This code of ethics was widely acknowledged for challenging racial discrimination in South Africa and helping

dismantle apartheid. Later that same year, with help from the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, launched the Global Sullivan Principles campaign.

Sullivan Principles, 1978 Version Source: Leon H. Sullivan, “Amplified Guidelines to South African Statement of Principles,” July 6, 1978, Folder Sullivan Principles, Box 25, Perry Bullard Papers, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.

These expanded principles call for

‘net work for you’ and visibility as

pathing and succession planning

achievement of worldwide human

For black people and women, the

start from the simple but fundamental

companies to play a larger role in the rights, equality, economic fairness

and social justice. Leaders have long recognised that a diverse workforce of women, black people, LGBT-QI

individuals confers a competitive edge

in terms of selling products or services to diverse end users. Yet a stark gap persists between recognising the

leadership behaviours that unlock this

capability and actually practicing them.

What is needed is inclusive leadership that will ensure that team members speak up and are heard, making it safe to propose novel ideas,

empowering team members to

make decisions, taking advice and implementing feedback, giving

actionable feedback and sharing

credit for team success. What also

helps is networking by making your

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often, ‘out of sight, out of mind’.

key to rising above a playing field that remains stubbornly uneven is sponsorship. A sponsor is a

senior-level leader who elevates

their protégé’s visibility within the corridors of power, advocates for

key assignments and promotions for

them and puts their reputation on the line for the protégé’s advancement.

For those who feel marginalised by their gender, ethnicity, age,

sexual identity or educational and

economic background, sponsorship is particularly crucial in invigorating ambition and driving engagement.

Having a sponsor increases the

likelihood of being satisfied with the rate of career advancement.

Conversely, lack of sponsorship

increases someone’s likelihood of

quitting within a year. So is career

also important. Companies should

understanding that there are different perspectives, each of them valuable, and work to explore and identify

the range of barriers holding these

individuals back. Organisations can

then formulate plans and programmes that offer options and provide

signposts that help women, LGBT

people, and people of colour find the path that’s right for where they are

in their lives and careers. In the 21st

century, not to have a diverse team is

absolutely unacceptable but to have a

culture that is not inclusive is criminal.

Diversity without inclusion is a story

of missed opportunities, of employees so used to being overlooked that they no longer share ideas and insights.

But diversity with inclusion provides a potent mix of talent attraction,

retention and high engagement levels.

THE IMPORTANCE OF B-BBEE | EDITORIAL

The United Nations’ Sustainable

in some countries and preferential

at risk the limited progress that has

talks about the need to ‘reduce

countries, inequality still persists.

women’s rights over the past decades.

Development Goal (SDG) Goal 10 inequality within and among

countries’. Reducing inequalities

trade status benefiting lower-income COVID-19 has deepened already

existing inequalities hitting the poorest

and ensuring no one is left behind are

and most vulnerable communities

Development Goals. Inequality within

on economic inequalities and fragile

cause for concern. Despite some

communities to bear the brunt of

inequality in some dimensions, such

political and economic inequalities have

integral to achieving the Sustainable

the hardest. It has put a spotlight

and among countries is a persistent

social safety nets that leave vulnerable

positive signs toward reducing

the crisis. At the same time, social,

as reducing relative income inequality

amplified the impacts of the pandemic.

On the economic front,

the COVID-19 pandemic

has significantly increased global unemployment and

dramatically slashed workers’

been made on gender equality and Across every sphere, from health

to the economy, security to social

protection, the impacts of COVID-19 are exacerbated for women and

girls simply by virtue of their gender.

Inequalities are also deepening for

vulnerable populations in countries with

weaker health systems and those facing existing humanitarian crises. Refugees and migrants, as well as indigenous

peoples, older persons, people with

disabilities and children are particularly

at risk of being left behind. Hate speech targeting vulnerable groups is rising.

incomes.

In June 1993, the Black Management

SDG 5 talks about the

Action Commission, consisting of

need to ‘achieve gender

equality and empower all

women and girls’. Gender equality is a fundamental

and inviolable human right and women’s and girls’

empowerment is essential to expand economic

growth, promote social

development and enhance business performance.

The full incorporation of

women’s capacities into

labour forces would add

percentage points to most national growth rates –

double digits in many cases.

Further, investing in women’s empowerment produces the

double dividend of benefiting women and children, and is pivotal to the health

and social development of families, communities and

nations. COVID-19 also puts

Forum (BMF) set up an Affirmative

twelve members to look at key aspects of affirmative action! This found

expression in our Constitution as the

Employment Equity Act. Chief among South Africa’s political success is the country’s Constitution, which was

written in 1996. The three parties that made up the Government of National Unity (GNU), the ANC, National Party and the IFP, established the core

principles on which the country’s

future was to be built. The result of the negotiations was a Constitution that is

today considered to be one of the most progressive in the world. It is perhaps best known for its second chapter, a

Bill of Rights, in which the question of

human rights are expounded upon over 35 sections. Mindful of the country’s

recent undemocratic past, its authors

included a further chapter establishing a number of related commissions and offices, such as the South African

Human Rights Commission and the Commission for Gender Equality.

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EDITORIAL | THE IMPORTANCE OF B-BBEE

The GNU made a national

transformation agenda one of its

overarching policy priorities, aiming to address the societal imbalance left by the apartheid regime.

Meanwhile, the Reconstruction and Development Programme

(RDP), Growth Employment and

Redistribution (GEAR), Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative

for South Africa (ASGISA), New Growth Path (NGP), National

Development Programme (NDP) -

2030 and the more recent Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP), all address the economic facet of the national process,

by focusing on, among others,

infrastructure investment, skills enhancement, support for

SMEs and macroeconomic

stabilisation, government has moved to tackle race and

gender-related inequality in

a much more direct fashion.

Additionally, the B-BBEE of

2003, sets out the government

policy of situating B-BBEE

within the context of a broader

national empowerment strategy.

The broad objectives of the B-BBEE policy include an alteration to the racial and gender composition of ownership and Management structures of existing and new

enterprises as well as in skilled

occupations, increased access

to finance for black people and

women, the employment of rural

communities, the development of black South Africans as human

In 2019 a number of amendments to the B-BBEE Code of Good Practice were published in the Government

Gazette. These included changes to

definitions, procurement recognition

rules and enterprise development and supplier development qualifications:

• Absorption is now restricted to the securing of long term employment and no longer includes further education and training.

• Designated group supplier means a supplier must be at least 51% black-owned.

• Long-term contract of employment is a legal agreement between an

individual and an entity that would

employ the individual until his or her mandatory date of retirement.

• 30% black women-owned means

an entity in which: (a) Black women

hold at least 30% of the exercisable voting rights as determined under

Code series 100; Black women hold

at least 30% of the economic interest as determined under Code series

100; and (c) has earned all the points for Net Value under statement 100.

• Current equity interest date

replaces the Net-value date

• Qualifying ESD Contributions amends the qualification of

beneficiaries to 51% black-owned or black women-owned QSEs or EMEs, whereas previously it included 30% Black Women-owned entities.

capital through programmes such as

coaching, mentorships, sponsorships, internships, and preferential

procurement policies for black-

and women-owned businesses.

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This article is provided for information only, and does not constitute the provision of professional advice of any kind.

T H E E MP LOY E E JOU R NEY: A L E S SO N DE SK PER SPECTIVE So, you’ve gone through countless applications, found the perfect candidate for the job through hours and hours of interviews, and now you can sit back and let them grow within the organisation, right? Wrong.

In order to create a stable employee experience that cultivates engagement, it’s crucial to guide your employees through a successful employee journey. By training, mentoring and setting out personal-growth targets for your workforce, you can provide them with the opportunity to flourish within their respective career paths.

The employee journey phenomenon is receiving an immense amount of global attention from HR professionals, especially around managing the experience on a digital level. Mapping and running the employee journey online can reduce errors, decrease manual workload, and improve employee experiences, while bringing value to both parties. Let’s start by looking at the first aspect of the employee journey: screening.

As we know, finding the right candidate the first time round can be a tedious process. But with digital screening, recruiters can narrow down the list of candidates quickly and easily

by evaluating cognitive abilities and aptitude through a series of online tests.

Not only does this make digital screening cost-effective, but it also allows candidates to complete the assessments remotely.

When the suitable candidate is selected, and their anticipated start date is well on its way, it’s time to prepare for their onboarding schedule. No matter the number of new starters, or how much information is needed to familiarise new starters with their new role, digital onboarding makes the process an effortless feat. Effective digital onboarding includes personalised induction lessons to introduce new starters to the company, its culture, and all of the nitty-gritty information that’s needed to make them feel welcomed and get them settled in.

The best way to get a new employee started is through skills- and product knowledge development. If dynamic and confident employees, along with a successful and ever-growing business, is something you are pursuing, then it’s time you invest in your workforce with online learning. This part of the journey creates an opportunity to bridge possible information gaps through the use

of fun and interactive microlearning-based content and assessments, keeping your workforce upskilled and engaged at the same time.

Added to that, creating a listening culture is just as imperative to ensure that a healthy company ethos is established. Whether it’s for employee experiences, peer reviews, or even exit interviews, today’s digital age makes it easy to schedule online surveys for collecting valuable feedback. Online surveys provide a central location to gather and store views and opinions that allow the company to gain greater insights into the workspace and act on it.

There are plenty of tools on the market that address specific sections of the employee journey, such as screening, eLearning and more. However, juggling different platforms may become intimidating and time-consuming, considering the fast-paced world we live in.

So, why not use a platform that does it all?

To effectively plan, implement and manage a successful employee journey, contact Lesson Desk today or visit our website.

Tel: +27 (21) 521 3850 | Email: learn@lessondesk.com | Website: https://www.lessondesk.com/

3D PRINTING: is it time to invest?

COMPILED BY PETRA REES, FOUNDING CEO OF WHY TOYZ

Do you have a 3D printer in your home or at your work? And if not, should you invest in one?

To answer this question, we need to look at the current state of the 3D printing industry, what opportunities lie ahead, and then contextualise this for the African continent.

AN OLD/NEW INDUSTRY

waste and stronger more organic

possibilities appear endless. AM is the

commonly known as 3D printing has

and adoption of the technology

technology, unique materials and

made since the 80s. But prototyping

functional animal kidney was 3D

market and rapid testing is not AMs

appreciate the first 3D printed

by-layer is much more environmentally

a large-scale 3D printed house, the

Additive Manufacturing (AM) also

looking end products. The progress

been changing the way prototypes are

is plainly visible, in 2002 the first

typically associated with speed to

printed, twelve years later we could

only advantage. Making objects layer-

human skull transplant, as well as

perfect combination of exponential

sophisticated designs that make it the ultimate industry to invest in. In fact, ARK Investments predicts the AM

industry to be worth USD $97-billion

by 2024, compounding by 65% annual growth rate!

friendly and more energy efficient in comparison to its predecessor

subtractive manufacturing, which

removes material from larger blocks.

3D printing is changing the way manufacturing is done today as

it reduces the time of production

whilst it promotes sophistication and complexity of designs, resulting in utilising less materials, minimising

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3D printed skull implant Photo Credit: UMC Utrecht

3D PRINTING: IS IT TIME TO INVEST? | EDITORIAL

The AM industry is not new by

implants on the African continent

Imdaadulah drives the annual 3D

haven’t seen a 3D printer in action.

Manufacturing (CRPM) established at

together with Petra Rees, the founder

any means, yet many people still

Why is that? Whilst 3D printing has been revolutionising the medical, automotive, and aerospace industries, it has been

very much seen as a tool of engineers, designers and manufacturers with

(Centre for Rapid Prototyping and

the Central University of Technology (CUT) in Bloemfontein in 1997).

design competition for children

of an award-winning 3D printing

company Why Toyz that brings 3D

“WE NEED TO RAISE MORE CREATORS AND INNOVATIVE THINKERS WHO CAN GO ON TO BECOME ENTREPRENEURS SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES AND CREATING JOBS”

printing to schools from ECD level to post matriculants to further promote design and creativity skills in children.

“We need to raise more

the exceptions of DIY makers

Prof Deon de Beer of CUT is the

creators and innovative thinkers who

changing dramatically, similar to

and Commercialisation of Additive

seizing opportunities and creating

and hobbyists. However this is

the miniaturisation of mainframe

computers to desktops and laptops.

Over the last decade 3D printer

desktops flooded the market mainly

from China, USA and Eastern Europe and they are becoming cheaper by

the month. For example, an entry level

fusion deposition modelling (FDM) type 3D printer had a price tag of

R9 000 in 2018, this price tag reduced to R7 500 in 2019 and just under R6 000 in 2020. And so, we can

reasonably expect a desktop 3D printer to become the next microwave of the home in the majority of middle-class households in the next decade. No more rushing to the shops to buy brackets, hinges, tubes, sprinkle

systems, children’s toys, gifts and accessories for your car or your

home. You can simply 3D print it

right from your couch and customise for your needs!

HAS SOUTH AFRICA BEEN SLEEPING?

South Africa, since the 90s, has been

quite active in the 3D printing revolution and in fact prides itself on being the

first additive manufacturer of titanium

merSETA/DSI Chair for Innovation

Manufacturing Chair, and he dedicates much of his time to ensure that

AM industry in South Africa is a

collaborative one. “We are open to

assist upcoming AM companies and

entrepreneurs especially in the medical space,” highlights Prof de Beer who

has been part of the team that paved

the way to implement AM technology, capable of manufacturing complex medical products in this country,

can go on to become entrepreneurs jobs,” says Rees. 3D printing is the ultimate problem-solving tool that

allows children to apply their critical thinking skills and most importantly creativity. “3D printing needs to

become integrated into the everyday

life of our children as it promotes love for science, math and art and equally promotes tinkering, making and innovating”, continues Rees.

producing innovative products such as

dynamic hand splints as well as complex medical implants. Medex3D is another South African born AM company that focuses on establishing small batch

3D manufacturers of medical assistive devices in local communities with

projects in Eastern Cape and Gauteng.

Adam Imdaadulah is a metal project AM

engineer who is part of the CRPM team that produces high quality components which are accepted in the medical

field and are successfully implanted in patients. Imdaadulah comments:

“Industries globally have adopted 3D printing as a supportive technology to their traditional manufacturing

techniques, and it is about time the

South African industry does the same.”

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EDITORIAL | 3D PRINTING: IS IT TIME TO INVEST?

CAN THE AFRICAN FUTURE BE 3D PRINTED?

“It can, but it is not there yet!” says Rees, a sentiment that is shared by

Malika Khodja, senior lecturer at the University of Pretoria. “Industrial

AM offers tremendous cost savings on the African continent however, it is essential to understand what

technology to deploy – education

is key,” emphasises Khodja who is also the co-founder of TiziriTech that specialises in consulting to

corporates to derive benefits from

AM. Khodja is also the Africa chair of the international Women in 3D

Printing organisation in South Africa

which supports women in 3D printing.

Khodja together with Rees wish

to further grow a vibrant industrial

3D printing eco-system that would

give more job opportunities to local citizens, especially women.

But 3D printing is not only for the big industrial firms or university research labs. Stephan Kotze has pioneered manufacturing of FDM filaments in South Africa since 2014 from very humble beginnings and now his

company (The Filament Factory) is the leading producer of filaments in the country. Even this space is growing

and an additional five different filament manufacturers have opened their

doors in the past two years. “South

Africa can become a global leader in

niche manufacturing, specifically in low production quality goods as we have

top engineering skills and we can get

to market very quickly thanks to AM,” emphasis Kotze.

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Denislav Marinov is combining his passion for technology and social justice to bring 3D printers into every school across the country.

Photo Source: https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-2019-03-13-students-3d-printer-plan-to-change-education

This has been demonstrated by an

can drastically reduce production

Marinov, a UCT graduate who has

offers a variety of unique challenges

upcoming young entrepreneur Denislav successfully started a 3D printing

company Amnova Tech that specialised in hybrid tech. Their first successful product with offtake from the U.S. is the Big Brother V1.1 boasting a

large volume 3D printer with other technologies like CNC machining,

plasma cutting and laser engraving.

Africa has leapfrogged several

industries in the past because of its unique localisation problems.

3D printing is another technology that can help Africa to solve its

hyperlocal issues. 3D printing in

construction can address housing shortage. Having the opportunity to 3D print critical spares in light

manufacturing in remote locations

downtime. The agricultural sector

linked to shortage of equipment and

pushing existing equipment “beyond its lifetime” that can be achieved

thanks to 3D printing. And let’s not forget the vast opportunity when it

comes to enabling youth to start 3D

printing ventures by having the ability to localise manufacturing. While the

opportunities are large and potentially transformative, the challenges

to making technologies like this

broadly available are significant,

and will require the coming together of society, private sector and

government with a shared vision of an exponential future. The future in

Africa can indeed be 3D printed, but it is not automatic, we need to do a lot of work to get there!

Join the world’s fastest growing platform for women who lead.

6&7 October 2021

Brought to you by

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In partnership with

Worth up to

$15-BILLION BY 2022 - Why influencer marketing is still effective

BY CAT CARSTENS, PR & INFLUENCER MANAGER FOR FRANC GROUP (PTY) LTD

INFLUENCER MARKETING BOOMED IN 2020

by 2022, up

from as much as

If lockdown taught us anything,

$8-billion in 2019.

we follow can keep us entertained

damage brought

the year that many brands realised

slowed the expansion

model is well-matched in a time

media, influencer

for inspiration, learning or trying

Marketers should not

statistics show that there is no

trust that is being built

that the influencer industry is on

influencers and their

it was that social media and whom

While the economic

and informed for hours. 2020 was

by the pandemic has

that the influencer marketing

of more traditional

in which the audience is looking

marketing has boomed.

out ‘self-care’. Going into 2021,

underestimate the

slowing down, with estimates

at this time between

track to be worth up to $15-billion

communities.

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WORTH UP TO $15-BILLION BY 2022 - WHY INFLUENCER MARKETING IS STILL EFFECTIVE | EDITORIAL

INFLUENCER MARKETING AT PLAY

SOME GUIDELINES TO FOLLOW

For our client Franc, an easy to use

While it is vital to consider which

influencer marketing played a significant

one platform has cemented its

investment app for first time investors, role in the marketing mix. To set the

scene – 2020 was the year that many

South Africans realised that they should

have been investing a long time ago - in the 2 months of level 5 lockdown alone, Franc’s investor base grew by 51%.

Running concurrently to this,

2020 was the year we started

focusing more strategically on influencer marketing, and the results we received were far

reaching. We used a small pool

social platform works for your brand, standing. Instagram’s community has reached one billion monthly active

users and 90% of consumers follow

at least one business on the platform.

It would be futile to ignore the power

of influencers on Instagram. It is also important to consider an influencers

“WHILE THE ECONOMIC DAMAGE BROUGHT

BY THE PANDEMIC HAS SLOWED THE EXPANSION OF MORE TRADITIONAL MEDIA, INFLUENCER MARKETING HAS BOOMED.”

engagement and other

insights, as a large following

does not always translate into results. Aside from the vanity

metrics, an influencer marketer must look at and analyse

of nano-influencers and tasked them

the data to ensure an influencer is

our investment app, communicate the

successful marketing plan.

with the goal to generate interest in

importance of investing to grow our

the right fit, so as to come up with a

social media and garner app installs.

Throughout the year, we were able to

INFLUENCER MARKETING IS NOT FADING AWAY

achieve a significant number of clicks to Franc’s app store, new app users

Influencer marketing is certainly not

and page growth.

a fad and it is clear that it is here to stay. It is proving to be an effective

INFLUENCER MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING Influencer marketing should ideally

work hand in hand with your social

media marketing team. If an influencer is drumming up conversation with

their audience about your product or service, you need to be able to join

in? By using the right influencer and by being a part of the conversation,

an influencer can fill the gap between

your company and potential customers, making you stand out among other businesses. Such a strategy is

community-focused and can have a

big impact on your growth and future engagement on social media.

form of advertising because people are more likely to engage with

content if it’s coming from someone they’ve actively chosen to follow.

So when that influencer shares

something about a brand or product,

their followers are already invested in what that influencer has to say.

Influencer Marketing not only has the ability to bring a company

closer to its end customer, but

makes it more approachable for the audience. Consider adding

influencers as part of your media

mix to add a human-touch to your

brand and make the experience more personalised and credible.

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102

The power of

Social Media Social media should be considered an essential service for business

BY RENAY TANDY, PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR AT NGAGE - THE AGENCY FOR INDUSTRY

In South Africa, over 23 million

before meeting

It’s no longer a question of ‘if’ your

who were of the

people are active on social media.

business should be on social media, but rather ‘How do I manage this

presence properly?’ I run an industrial marketing agency that branched into offering social media services just

over six years ago. Back then when

we suggested putting large industrial companies onto social media they laughed at us (literally).

I remember the first social media sales

meeting with an existing public relations client, a heavy engineering group.

We presented to a group of 20 board members, all on the other side of 50,

who had already made their minds up

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with us, and

opinion that the world of social

media was meant

for their grandchildren,

and not the place for an industrial brand.

However, we were prepared.

We researched who in

government and in high-

up places they were trying

to meet, and stalked those

people on social media. With an egg timer on the desk,

we were given half an hour to change their minds.

THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA | EDITORIAL

FIND YOUR CUSTOMER BASE

BRAND BUILDING TAKES TIME

The conversation started with how

The one problem that we currently

of social media is that you have the

wasn’t on social media. However, our

smaller businesses, is that they think

market in their quiet time.

they believed that their target market presentation revealed that the Top 5

people in government and industry that they were pursuing were active on at least one social media channel.

As the egg timer pinged, they agreed to let us prove them wrong. We

decided that we would offer our

services for free and put them on

social media for a three-month trial period. The results blew even the

biggest sceptic away. They went on

to be a social media client of ours for many years, and are still reaping the benefits of social media today!

After giving the service away for free,

and being laughed at in meetings, just a few years later it’s often the first service to come up in new business meetings

with industrial brands. The question is

how to manage this presence properly,

and create engaging conversations that their target market are looking for.

find with potential clients, especially a social media campaign will bring in new business as soon

seven years. For me, the true power opportunity to engage with your target

Decision-makers are

being sold to and

as it is launched. The

communicated with

campaign should be seen as a

brand-building exercise, whereby

the goal is

to position

your brand and value

“...THE TRUE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA IS THAT YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH YOUR TARGET MARKET IN THEIR QUIET TIME.”

proposition in the

minds of potential customers. When

the customer needs your

product or service, your brand will

all day via email,

telemarketers and billboards, etc.

Their work days

are busy and full of noise, so it’s

easy for your sales

pitch or message

to get lost. If that

decision-maker has

followed your company

on one of your social media

platforms, they have invited you to

automatically be top-of-mind, as they

communicate with them.

been exposed consistently to your

UNIQUE FUNCTIONALITY

have been following your channel and quality content.

Each social media platform has its

For my business, we’ve had a strong

understanding these platforms is

presence on social media for more than

own unique characteristics, and

vital for effective communication to the people who want to hear from

you. Depending on the social media platform, and a few other factors,

some decision-makers check their

social media first thing in the morning and once or twice during the day to

stay up-to-date with the latest news.

Others can be seen browsing social

media in the evenings after their kids are asleep, with their feet up on the couch, often with a whisky in hand

(while they should be speaking to their spouse!) They are a captive audience

who have invited you to communicate with them in this personal space.

TOP500 11th Edition

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EDITORIAL | THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA

GET YOUR MESSAGE RIGHT But the most important part of the

process is getting that message right.

A total of 63% of social browsers use

social media to research products. If you don’t have a strong presence on social

media, you are missing out on this vital portion of the market.

As a Director, from day one I have taken an interest in the content and tone of

NGAGE’s social media pages. If you want to launch your company on social media, management needs to be involved in the process in order for it to be a success.

STEP 3:

we post is not relevant to everyone.

Create a plan of action. Map out how

Targeting is vital, and we measure our

on each platform, choose your tone, and

we receive from posts. If you have a

on each chosen platform. Outline who

handful of comments or engagements, it

business on social media, and what you

and put deliverables in place to ensure

the correct audience.

your target audience? And, finally, decide

competitors or stick to the norm. You

Then, once your audience is engaging

We always suggest that clients choose

that your audience wants to engage with.

and ensure that your pages have

before branching out to others.

quickly when topical events come up,

Don’t become a company that doesn’t

the game. Use videos (as people would

get back to people on social media, or

many posts you will put out every week

success based on the engagement that

what you want your brand to look like

page with a million followers, and only a

Map out why you want to put your

will be responsible for sourcing content,

clearly shows that they are not reaching

hope to achieve from the process. Who is

that the plan is followed. Don’t follow

which platforms you want to start with.

need to stand out, and deliver content

with you, you need to engage back

one or two platforms, and do these well

This strategy will need to be adjusted

proper community management.

so that you stay on trend and ahead of

respond, or one that takes forever to

After identifying your audience, do some

much rather watch a two-minute video

you will lose your audience.

they engage with on social media. For

the images that you post, change your

With the world under lockdown, social

talent to your company, and you want to

terms of what you are posting.

than ever before. During the Covid-19

Here are a few steps that will help you in the process:

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

research on the type of content that

than read a long article), be clever with

example, your goal is to attract new

banners regularly, and think creatively in

target students: If they are using social

media to learn new skills and further their

STEP 4:

media has become more important

pandemic, users have turned to their

favourite platforms for the latest news

education in their chosen field, use the

Once the content is posted, you need to

and statistics on the pandemic, and

valuable information to this market, in the

Even if you have a huge following on your

including recipes, taking the time to

master classes and white papers that

for example and don’t boost it, it will

education while they have the time.

will be seen as an expert in your field,

For my agency, which specialises in

online community and make your brand

experts within your company to provide

boost it so that it reaches your audience.

ideas on how to keep sane at home,

form of blog articles covering key points,

page, if you put out a post on Facebook

learn a new skill, or furthering their

can be downloaded, etc. That way you

only be shown to 10% of your audience.

Now is the perfect time to build your

and will be top-of-mind for new talent.

industrial brands, the content that

relevant in the world of social media!

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TOP500 11th Edition

Power Generation, Mining, Oil & Gas Power Generation, Mining, Oil & Gas Power Generation, Mining, Oil & Gas

Lesedi is an EPC and EPCM contractor with a diversified service offering. Lesedi offers engineering and project management services including coordination, design, procurement, and construction management and execution ensuring compliance with the client’s brief and requirements. As well as a newly established 100% held subsidiary called Lesedi Renewables Africa.

Lesedi is an EPC and EPCM contractor with a diversified service offering. Lesedi offers engineering Lesedi is an EPC and EPCM contractor with a diversified offering. Lesedi offers As employer, we are dedicated theservice advancement of the skillsengineering growth and of ourconstruction employees anda responsible project management services includingtocoordination, design, procurement, and project management services including coordination, design, procurement, and construction through developing and maintaining a skilled and workforce.

We pride ourselves in management and execution ensuring compliance withproductive the client’s brief and requirements.

As well as management and execution ensuring compliance with the client’s brief and requirements.

As well as successful and sustainable learnership, apprenticeship, and engineer-in-training programmes which a newly newlyestablished established 100% subsidiary calledRenewables Lesedi Renewables Africa. a 100% held held subsidiary called Lesedi Africa. we have been running since 2014.

As employer, we are to the advancement of the skills of growth of ourgrowth employees Asaaresponsible responsible employer, wededicated are dedicated to the advancement the skills of our employees through developing and maintaining a skilled and productive workforce.

We pride ourselves in ourselves in through developing and maintaining a skilled and productive workforce. We pride successful and sustainable learnership, apprenticeship, and engineer-in-training programmes which successful and sustainable learnership, apprenticeship, and engineer-in-training programmes which we have been runningBRAND since 2014.

PROMISE we have been running since 2014.

We build relationships, reputations and confidence by Scan Scan the the QR QR Code Code to to generate generate aa new new e-mail e-mail to to Lesedi.

Lesedi. combining a can-do attitude with engineering expertise in BRAND pursuitPROMISE of empowering Africa.

PROMISE WeBRAND build relationships, reputations and confidence by combining a can-do attitude with engineering expertise in We QR build relationships, reputations and confidence by Scan the Code to generate aAfrica. new e-mail to Lesedi. pursuit of empowering

Scan the QR Code to generate a new e-mail to Lesedi.

+ + 27 27 21 21 525 525 1300 1300 @lesedinuclearservices @lesedinuclearservices + 27 21 525 1300

lesedi@lesedins.co.za lesedi@lesedins.co.za

combining a can-do attitude with engineering expertise in pursuit of empowering Africa.

+27 +27 21 21 525 525 1333 1333 @LesediNS @LesediNS

@Lesedi_NuclServ @Lesedi_NuclServ

+27 21 525 1333

@lesedinuclearservices

@Lesedi_NuclServ

Head Office: 12 Century Gate, Century Head Office: 12 Edison Edison Way Way Century Gate, Century City, City, 7441, 7441, Cape Cape Town, Town, South South Africa Africa + 27 21 525 1300 +27 21 525 1333

lesedi@lesedins.co.za

Lesedi Lesedi Renewables Renewables Africa Africa

www.lesedins.co.za www.lesedins.co.za

@LesediNS

www.lesedins.co.za

Johannesburg Johannesburg Office: Office: Wild Wild Olive Olive Building Building (1st (1st Floor), Floor), 262 262 Rose Rose Avenue, Avenue, 0157, 0157, Centurion, Centurion,

@lesedinuclearservices @LesediNS Johannesburg, South Africa Head Office: 12 Edison Way Century Gate, Century City, 7441, @Lesedi_NuclServ Cape Town, South Africa Johannesburg, South Africa

Lesedi Renewables Africa

Johannesburg Office: Wild Olive Building (1st Floor), 262 Rose Avenue, 0157, Centurion, Johannesburg, South Africa lesedi@lesedins.co.za

www.lesedins.co.za

Building, connecting and empowering Africa together.

Head Office: 12 Edison Way Century Gate, Century City, 7441, Cape Town, South Africa

Lesedi Renewables Africa

Empowering Africa Lesedi is a leading African engineering procurement and construction (EPC)

company with a history of more than 40 years in the

South African energy industry.

The company has, over the

years, diversified into a major engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC)

company, having successfully completed numerous key projects in the nuclear,

industrial power, mining and oil and gas environments.

Lesedi continues to innovate, and boasts an extensive

teams partaking in some 96 outages in international nuclear

ventures into renewables and water security. Key

standards and our teams have been highly praised for their

range of EPC and management projects and new

Power stations. Lesedi’s nuclear expertise is on par with global

skills for companies and leaders of the future

work during these international outages.

employees to be multiskilled and enabled to apply

Furthermore, Lesedi’s bespoke EPC and EPCM contracts

will be exactly this ability to diversify and upskill their skills to emerging technologies.

include multiple scopes, including balance of plant at State-

Lesedi has been involved with Koeberg since its

These projects are iconic in their scale and complexity and we

Africa has exported its nuclear expertise with

these contracts.

inception, and through this knowledge, South

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TOP500 11th Edition

owned power utility Eskom’s Medupi and Kusile power stations. are proud of the achievement of our employees involved with

LESEDI | INTERVIEW

During the first half of 2020, Lesedi

Lesedi’s role in industry leadership

100% held subsidiary - Lesedi

(International Atomic Energy Agency)

Nuclear Services established a

Renewables Africa (LRA) to offer tailor made renewable and hybrid energy

solutions to clients. Our foray into the

renewable energy sector is part of our ongoing business diversification and

innovation as well as commitment to

includes the peer review of the IAEA

Lesedi is a Level 3 Broad-Based

IPP Office and leaders on an expert

(B-BBEE), employing more than

Africa’s localisation expertise to the panel during the Digital African Utility Week in November 2020.

As part of social responsibility, Lesedi

2020 HIGHLIGHTS:

such as local disadvantaged schools

• Lesedi has been involved with

ongoing maintenance (since 1984) at Eskom’s Koeberg Nuclear

Power Station. The 24th scheduled outage for Unit 2 was completed

in October 2020 and Unit 1 outage scheduled for February 2021.

Lesedi Executive Nicky van der Poel leads the outage services team and is one of few female leaders in the Nuclear Energy industry in South Africa.

• Early in 2020, Lesedi completed the upgrade of the compressed air installation plant at mining

and minerals company South32’s Mozal aluminium plant in Mozambique.

• In April 2020, Lesedi was

practices.

in South Africa; updates on South

climate sustainability.

Ongoing and Recent Projects

to ethical and sustainable business

continues to support communities and by offering skills training

Black Empowerment Enterprise

300 people. This includes support

staff, qualified engineers, experienced project management professionals

and technicians - all with extensive

nuclear and industrial expertise and project support services.

programmes at the Lesedi Skills

Academy in Atlantis.The culture of

the company is family oriented and Lesedi is dedicated to ensuring its employees are skilled and

given opportunities to grow. This

includes successful and sustainable learnership, apprenticeship, and

engineer-in-training programmes

since 2014, and the establishment of

the Lesedi Skills Academy in Atlantis.

Moreover, some of our employees

have also been enrolled in a Higher

Certificate in Management Practice course NQF level 5 as well as an

Advanced Diploma in Organisational Leadership NQF level 7 course and successfully completed them.

We believe that Africa will be the

CONTACT INFORMATION: Telephone: +27 21 525 1300 Email: info@lesedins.co.za Physical Addresses

Cape Town: Lesedi Nuclear Services, 12 Edison Way,Century Gate Century City, 7441 Gauteng: River Falls Office Park Wild Olive Building (1st Floor) 262 Rose Avenue, Centurion, 0157

formally appointed as the EPCM

continent for growth in the next

Group to design, project manage,

potential, many possibilities of

a charcoal production facility

and rich resources.

Facebook: https://facebook.com/LesediNS

completed, Toronto will be the

We believe in fostering strong

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ lesedins/

in the southern hemisphere.

stakeholders, and are committed

representative for the Toronto

few decades. Africa has untapped

commission and to fully integrate

innovation, a youthful population,

in the Western Cape. When

largest charcoal production facility

relationships with employees and

Website: https://lesedins.co.za/

TOP500 11th Edition

108

The Power Behind Creating Digital Content Top SA Digital Content Creator, Mihlali Ndamase, chats on the value of consistency and the power of creating relatable content that resonates with audiences

BY CHARNDRÉ EMMA KIPPIE

Mihlali Ndamase, South Africa’s

A YouTube sensation and blogger,

Content Creator, has recently made

mark on a plethora of publications,

most-followed and adored Digital

the Forbes Africa ‘30 under 30’ list

for 2021. A Brand Strategist, certified Beauty Guru, and the Co-Founder of the Siyasizana Foundation, she is a

jack of all trades, hailing from Kokstad, Kwa-Zulu Natal, and making a major impact in the media and through her

charitable initiatives. Mihlali’s content is both aesthetic and empowering, inspiring young women across the nation to pursue their dreams and fondest ambitions no matter how many times they’re told ‘no’.

the 24 year old creative has made her such as being on the cover of Hello Joburg Magazine, and gracing the first-ever selfie-inspired cover on

Cosmopolitan Magazine SA. In 2019 she was awarded the Socialite of

the Year at the Feather Awards, as well as the Cosmo Influencer of

the Year Sparkle Award. She was

elected as the ambassador and face of the Johnsons & Johnsons Fresh Hydration range, and is the First

South African Face of the prestigious Swedish brand, Daniel Wellington.

WHAT’S YOUR DEFINITION OF AN ‘INFLUENCER’?

An influencer is someone with the

power to persuade a person or large group of people’s buying decisions,

through promoting the brand on social media through a detailed review or product placement.

INFLUENCERS NEED TO BE GREAT COMMUNICATORS. WHAT THREE THINGS MAKE FOR OPTIMAL ONLINE COMMUNICATION WITH A CONSUMER AUDIENCE? Transparency is important; you need

to be transparent about every detail of information concerning the product/

service. Authenticity also goes a long

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TOP500 11th Edition

THE POWER BEHIND CREATING DIGITAL CONTENT | EDITORIAL

way. You are most likely to grasp your

existing lifestyle, which makes them

the business, taking time to build

own unique way of communication,

are associated with big endorsement

my sponsors, having a team of trusted

audience’s attention through your

and by constantly being yourself you

don’t have to worry about losing your audience. People that follow and

appreciate your work are also invested in you as a brand. Understand your

audience and you’ll know which brands you can successfully collaborate with when you understand your niche.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR THOUGHTS ON INFLUENCER MARKETING CREATING JOBS IN SOUTH AFRICA? I think South Africa has just touched the tip of the influencer marketing

iceberg, There’s so much potential invested in content creators and

content consumers. This field allows

people to express themselves. Those consuming the content want to be

able to ‘relate’ to content creators,

many influencers have learnt how to

successfully monetise this - relatability.

Influencer marketing has not only created revenue for young creators, it has also

impacted the lives of many, considering there is a high unemployment rate in

South Africa. Many business owners

have converted from inshore to online to save money, and they partner with

influencers to increase their sales. It’s

truly an industry that benefits more than just the influencers alone, so I feel only good can come out of it - when used for the right reasons.

WHAT SETS MICRO-INFLUENCERS/ CONTENT CREATORS APART FROM CELEBRITY INFLUENCERS? WHICH HAS A BIGGER IMPACT, IN YOUR OPINION? In my opinion, influencers are more

organic in their content creation, by incorporating the product/ service

they are promoting into their currently

more relatable. Traditionally, celebrities deals and highly curated content for traditional media, thus resulting in it being more ‘aspirational’ content.

WHAT’S ONE OPPORTUNITY FOR USING INFLUENCER MARKETING THAT MAYBE MARKETERS OVERLOOK THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE IMPACT BEYOND CONTENT CREATION? Sometimes marketers overlook the simplicity in the power of

influencer marketing, as a tool that can be used to start an impactful conversation. Example being,

organisations often merely use

celebrities as the face of a cause.

A simple tweet from an influencer, asking people to engage on a

social issue, will motivate people to work with a foundation and

stand up for the cause, which in return raises awareness around

the crisis and compels people to actually do something about it.

WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING PART OF YOUR JOB? Impacting lives and getting the

opportunity to engage with people who genuinely love and support you daily.

WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME MAJOR OBSTACLES IN YOUR CAREER, AS A WOMAN, AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?

authentic business relationships with

individuals around me, and investing in myself to build a credible brand. As a

young creative it’s easy to get lost in the money and hype that comes with being

an influencer. I have used my resources to plough back into my business.

AS SOMEONE WHO HAS AN ESTABLISHED PLATFORM NOW, WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE? The goal is to grow and expand my

business, by finding a more direct way to monetise my relationship with my audience. We are working towards multiple streams of income, and

building a brand that will outlive me. I am working on building my legacy.

WHERE DO YOU SEE INFLUENCER MARKETING GOING IN 5 YEARS? I believe we will find innovative, smarter

ways to generate income from influencer marketing - even for those who are not

in the forefront. It’s a fast paced, growing industry that constantly requires us to be agile, so I believe we’ll be seeing more quality content being put out in ways

we never expected. With technology, anything is possible at this point.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUNG WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS LOOKING TO EMBARK ON A CAREER IN INFLUENCER OR DIGITAL MARKETING? I would have to say you need to be

consistent; people will forget about

you if you’re not, so try and build your

I’ve experienced being exploited by

brand’s foundation on consistency.

boardrooms when first starting out,

your brand, and move forward keeping

young black creative because you are

be authentic; you’ll only be a lousy

this by learning the ins and outs of

be something you’re not.

brands, not being taken seriously in

Also, take time to identify the core of

and having to ‘name your price’ as a

the end goal in mind. Remember to

intimidated by the industry. I overcame

version of someone else if you try to

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110

RISING

Tech Stars

BY CHARNDRÉ EMMA KIPPIE

South Africa’s tech sector is booming! We’re rounding up some of the country’s most innovative tech companies to keep an eye on.

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TOP500 11th Edition

IN SA

RISING TECH STARS IN SA | EDITORIAL

ST OK FE LL A (P TY ) LT D.

TS H E P O M O LO I This tech-savvy approach to

participating in the economy allows more than 8,5 million

South African citizens to garner

wealth, collectively. StokFella has

Tshepo Moloi, created a mobile app in 2016 as a fintech solution for

savings or investment societies in South Africa known as ‘stokvels’.

stokvel activities and financials easier.

The conception of the app was also

With 7 years experience in Finance, Tshepo has developed a knack for streamlining financial modelling,

client value proposition and effective has also acquired experience in Mining Consulting.

faced in managing his own stokvel. induced by his participation in a 20 year old family stokvel, in Soweto.

The main aim of StokFella is to relieve the administrative constraints of

coordinating a stokvel. For Tshepo,

good admin and financial literacy will provide financial freedom for many South African citizens.

She is also the founder of 3DIMO,

Beyond entrepreneurship, Nneile is a

providing tracking and insurance

government National Development Plan

which is a sport tech company

NN EI LE NK HO LI SE

of his own journey

and looking for solutions

to many administration hurdles he

business strategy. Surprisingly, he

3DIMO

for the StokFella

app was a product

made management, consolidation,

communication and the analysis of all Founder & CEO of StokFella,

Tshepo’s idea

solutions for athletes during training, and at tournaments, to ensure that

their livelihoods are secured, and for sports clubs to make sure that their

investments are safeguarded. 3DIMO’s

software solution aims to assist medical Nneile Nkholise is known as the iMed

specialists in planning for complex

Free State. As an impactful female

of surgical procedures by

Likoebe Innovations, an organisation

decreasing risks involved

the-art products in medical and

procedures - all by

Tech mogul hailing from Thaba Nchu,

bone surgeries, reducing the timespan

entrepreneur, she is the founder of

enhancing efficacy, and

specialising in creating state-of-

in complicated surgical

educational sectors.

using 3D virtual models.

brand ambassador of the South African 2030. She also serves on the board of

Rhulani Mokwena Foundation. She has been formally acknowledged for being

one of the top MedTech entrepreneurs in South Africa by Discovery, and

was celebrated as one of the Top 40

innovators by Ventures Africa, in 2017.

In 2018, Nneile also awarded the Forbes Africa’s 30 under 30, recognised in the

100 top young Africans by the Africa Youth Council, and was deemed Industrialist of the Year in

Southern Africa at the All Africa Business Leaders Awards.

TOP500 11th Edition

112

The online recruitment model holds

other hand, employers also gain

candidates. The digital platform

developers, designers, data scientists

a community of more than 100 000

curates all candidates to make sure

that employers see South Africa’s top

tech talent who are actively looking to

OF FE RZ EN FO UN DATI ON

The OfferZen Foundation is an

ingenious tech job marketplace from

which thousands of South African and Dutch companies hire staff members.

OfferZen offers a level of transparency

facilitator who is passionate about

throughout the entire recruitment

process. It’s candidate features include salary comparisons, information

on employers’ work environments,

opportunities to upskill and additional perks at different companies - it’s

all about being empowered to make informed decisions about your

personal growth and career. On the

acquisition and retention rates, and

seamlessly connect with and provide immediate value to its customers.

FinChat Bot works closely with

some of the biggest businesses and

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TOP500 11th Edition

held positions at Pearson Education

South Africa and EF Education First.

She completed a BA International

Relations & Diplomacy degree at the University of South Africa (UNISA),

and has certifications in Agile Project

Management, Front-end Foundations, and UX Design Techniques.

entrepreneur behind the major

conversion rates, enhanced customer

in enabling financial clients to

in people’s lives. In previous years, she

customer-centric conversational AI

and driving growth through increased

Africa’s leading service provider

agency and making a positive impact

Co-founder and CEO of FinChatBot,

with successfully generating revenue

FinChatBot is known as South

Sineke, is a strategist, writer and

organisations in South Africa, such

solutions, FinChatBot assists clients

FI NC HATB OT

to interview.

Head of OfferZen Foundation, Tumi

as MTN, Sanlam, and Hollard. With

AN TO IN E PA IL LU SS EA U

and product managers who are ready

join the workforce.

that allows candidates to be in control

TU M I SI NE KE

exclusive access to high quality

decreased operational costs.

In March 2021, FinChatBot teamed up with The Nashua Children’s

Charity Foundation (NCCF) and

Ozowo to develop an innovative endto-end conversational-AI donation solution, known as NASH. This

user-friendly AI solution enables

benefactors to donate to the NCCF in a matter of seconds from their

desktop PC or smartphone device.

Antoine Paillusseau, is the seasoned success of the business. Antoine is passionate about Business

Strategy, and has experience in Sales Management and Venture building across both Africa and Europe. In

2016, he founded Far Ventures with

business partner Romain Diaz. Prior to this venture and the FinChatBot business, he also Co-Founded

TimeOne South Africa, which is an award-

winning online marketing agency,

based in

Cape Town.

RISING TECH STARS IN SA | EDITORIAL

service is completely free, and provides

she remains committed to goals which

Grade 10, 11, and 12 who have selected

underprivileged South African learners

questionnaires to prepare students in Life Science as one of their subjects.

Examsta is on the road to becoming

‘a zero-rated platform’, which means that all data costs will be eliminated,

EXAMSTA

M AR IA DE W ET

enabling underprivileged learners to

include using technology to uplift

so that they may get the chance to

achieve exemplary grades to qualify for university entrance. Marie was recently awarded the MTN app of-the-year award for Best Woman in STEM.

gain access to the resources provided on the app. Additionally, a teacher’s

platform is in the works so that the app Marie de Wet is the phenomenal

can assist learners more effectively and

STEM educator, learning platform

monitor their progress.

creator behind the Examsta platform.

Marie, a former Science and Mathematics

which enables learners to revise and

education, and takes pride in being

in the relevant curriculum, for the SA

learning experiences possible. She has

designer and educational content

Examsta is an innovative learning app

educator, is extremely passionate about

retain educational content, included

able to offer children the most impactful

National and IEB exams. At present, the

been deemed a ‘teacherpreneur’, as

vast network of recycling stakeholders,

As a result of his innovation, in

local aggregators and individual

responsible ecological practices,

which includes recyclers and brands, collectors. The digital platform has

done wonders for South Africa thus far, empowering citizens to purchase and sell recovered waste resources.

KUDOTI

GI FT LU BE LE Founded in 2019, by serial

entrepreneur Gift Lubele, Kudoti is a pioneering Johannesburg-based

platform which provides access to a

The platform enables direct

collaboration across the network, matches supply and demand of

recyclable waste in real-time and

effectively identifies investment needs,

making recycling convenient, rewarding and profitable. The startup has been named one of the most innovative

companies in 2020 by Fast Company.

successfully merging tech and

Co-founder and COO Gift Lubele has been recognised as one of the most influential young South Africans. To

date he has received several awards, such as the 2020 BRICS Young

Innovator Award, being included in Fast Company’s Top 20 under 30

Entrepreneurs, as well as making the 100 Most Influential Young South Africans List. Gift also serves as

an Advisory Board Member at the African Leadership Academy, and is a former Research Engineer of Dimension Data.

TOP500 11th Edition

114

Air Liquide’s ambition is to be a leader in its industry, deliver long term

performance and contribute to sustainability - with a strong commitment to

climate change and energy transition at the heart of its strategy. Our customercentric transformation strategy aims at profitable, regular and responsible growth over the long term. We rely on operational excellence, selective

investments, open innovation and a network organisation implemented by the Group worldwide. Through the commitment and inventiveness of our people,

Air Liquide leverages energy and environment transition, changes in healthcare and digitisation to deliver greater value to all our stakeholders.

Air Liquide has been operating in Africa for more than 100 years and has

been associated with the economic development of the continent. We have a presence in 22 countries across Africa and are responsible for approximately 1 600 employees. Air Liquide has been operating in South Africa for more than 70 years with over 750 employees. South Africa is at the core of our

operations across Africa and is not only our management platform, but plays a key role as a talent pool for the group on a global scale. Our subsidiaries NKULULEKO MAGADLA, CEO OF AIR LIQUIDE PTY LTD

in South Africa includes VitalAire, Air Liquide Healthcare (Pty) Ltd and Air Liquide Large Industries (Pty) Ltd.

We supply industrial gases, specialty gases and related services to the steel, automotive and fabrication, food and beverage, mining, petrochemical,

pharmaceutical and glass industry customers. We also supply medical gases through a network of many state and private hospitals as well as solutions

and services to home based patients. Our production facilities are situated in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern/Western Cape, with over 20

branches across the country, strategically located to serve our customers.

CORPORATE SOCIAL INVESTMENT We are committed to achieving commercial success in ways that honour

ethical values, and respect for people and all our stakeholders. We believe in sustainable development and view it as a process for realising human CONTACT DETAILS PHYSICAL ADDRESS:

development in an inclusive, connected and equitable way. In order to

contribute to South Africa’s socio-economic development we have identified

four pillars that reflect the country’s macro socio-economic challenges, where

Cnr Vereeniging & Andre Marais streets,

we can actively contribute and make a meaningful difference:

TELEPHONE: (+27) 87 288 1100

• Industrial capacity building

https://www.airliquide.com/south-africa

• Knowledge base

Alrode, Gauteng, 1451 WEBSITE:

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• Skills development • Shared growth

AIR LIQUIDE | PROFILE

Some of our key initiatives: AIR LIQUIDE (PTY) LTD

• In collaboration with Valued

Citizen, Air Liquide rolled out the iNSPIRE Programme to 50 girl

learners from Eden Ridge High School in Katlehong. Working

in close collaboration and upon

instruction from the Department of

Air Liquide’s planned acquisition of the world’s largest oxygen production site from Sasol marks a significant milestone for the company.

formally started when schools

plays a vital role in the prevention,

Secondary School in Leandra. The

infected and affected by HIV/AIDS

started in 2018, aims to integrated

Basic Education - the programme reopened in 2021.

• Air Liquide presented each iNSPIRE Learner with a copy of the book A

Brave Girl Named Ayah presented to them by author, Amanda Dambuza.

• A Brave Girl Named Ayah will also be distributed to a further 500 girls as part of the outreach programme.

• In collaboration with the SAME

Foundation, Air Liquide has donated

R55 000 toward a Cardiotocography

care and treatment of people and other chronic illnesses.

• Vitalaire donated a further 900

affected by HIV/AIDS, poverty and

first year in the programme will be in

NPO providing care for children

essential life skills. The learners’

substance abuse.

Grade 11 and they will exit once they

AIR LIQUIDE HEALTHCARE (PTY) LTD

• Air Liquide Healthcare donated

the Western Cape.

admitted to our Paediatric Medical

to the value of R67 000 to the Door

of Hope - a registered NPO focused on protecting the most vulnerable lives - babies.

VITALAIRE

• VitalAire donated 900 masks and a concentrator to Living Hope, a

Christian non-profit organisation

Sanctuary for use by the children Step-down Facility / Hospice.

AIR LIQUIDE LARGE INDUSTRIES

• Air Liquide Large Industries invested in excess of R1 000 000 to renovate and build a computer lab for the

graduate from high school (Grade 12).

The specificity of the project is to

assist students in Grade 11 and 12,

who are around the ages of 16 years to 18 years of age, with thorough

preparation for essential life skills.

The innovative idea is not to bring additional academic skills but to

develop “life skills” to help children by focusing on the following topics: • Emotional intelligence

Nhlabane Primary School in the

• Open communication

The official handover is in May 2021

• Personal and career development

Kwambonambi District, Richards Bay. • Air Liquide Large Industries

whose vision is to reach people for

donated sanitary pads to the value

the despair of poverty and disease.

School in Secunda.

Christ, bringing hope and breaking

of R370 000 to Vukuqhakaze High

Living Hope undertakes community

• In collaboration with Valued Citizen,

development through educational,

Air Liquide Large Industries is

health related programmes; and

Programme for Chief Ampie

social, income generation, and

over the course of 4 years. It will empower learners with various

Medical Oxygen to the Lambano

• Air Liquide donated essential goods

150 learners into the programme

masks to Almond Tree Village, a

CTG Machine for the Maternity Ward

of the Khayelitsha District Hospital in

Bridging for Life Programme, which

running the Bridging for Life

• Citizenship • Problem solving and decision making • Job preparedness Air Liquide Large Industries further

invested in a building and renovations project for the Marietjie School - a

special needs education centre based in Secunda.

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Best in

TECH

We’re doing a round up of some of the best tech products of the year. From software to trending tech toys, here’s what should be on your radar...

BY CHARNDRÉ EMMA KIPPIE

MS SURFACE PRO 7 The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is a

solid reprise of Microsoft's flagship Windows-tablet 2-in-1. The device

has received remarkable upgrades, with the addition of a USB-C port and Snappy ‘Ice Lake’ Central

Processing Units (CPUs). With specs such as its Intel Core i5-1035G4

processor, operating at a speed of 1.1 GHz, sharper resolution and

display, longer battery life, and a nifty kickstand, the device’s time-tested

design delivers a better performance

DJI MAVIC 2 PRO Regarded as one of the best drones in

the market for 2021, for its advanced flight and camera technology, the DJI Mavic 2 Pro exhibits a smooth, foldable design

with a 1-inch 20MP sensor. Easy to fly, this particular drone is arguably one of the best premium drones you can buy,

with its advanced features and portability (one of the most travel-friendly aerial

devices out there). This all-rounder is a

step up in quality when compared to the Mavic Air 2. DJI Mavic 2 Pro is great for

shooting Raw stills and 4K video at 30fps.

A great additive is its aperture features -

adjustments can be made between f/2.8 and f/11 - which eliminates most of the need for Neutral Density (ND) filters.

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than earlier models. Landing in

South Africa in 2020, it boasts a

highly responsive 12.3” touchscreen with any accompanying pressure-

sensitive Surface Pen - perfect for note creation and illustration. The

experience of the device is top class, and its available colour varieties

make it a joy to have in any work environment.

BEST IN TECH | REVIEWS

NINTENDO RING FIT This product was voted as one of the best tech gifts for men, for 2020, by GQ Magazine. And it’s no surprise

3DIMO

now, too. The Nintendo Ring Fit offers the combination

3DIMO, based in Cape Town,

as to why so many kids have it on their wishlist right of comfort and delightful adventure. This hands-on device will get you excited about exercise, offering

awesome mini-games that aim to keep you active and fit - in the comfort of your own home (or office space).

A cool approach to fitness, the ring makes working out more accessible and pleasurable.

The Nintendo Ring Fit easily

connects to other devices such

as the Nintendo Switch, so you

can keep healthy by plugging into your favourite fitness video game anytime,

South Africa, has recently received praise for its ‘farm livestock disease risk tracing enabled by

biometric identification, IR imagery and AI’. Founded

by Nneile Nkholise (also the founder of iMed Tech

Group), the company empowers farmers at a global

level, providing data insights to trace animal mobility and track their health and welfare. Pioneering in the innovative utilisation of new integrated technology

and software, and data-driven strategies that provide key insight into the performance of livestock, 3DIMO allows farmers to discover health risks early on and prevent them in the future.

anywhere.

PS5 DUALSENSE CONTROLLER The new advanced features of the PS5 DualSense Controller have been causing

quite a buzz in the global tech and gaming community. The truth is that most thirdparty controller manufacturers are a few steps behind with integrating essential

technologies needed for top-tier features, such as next-gen haptic feedback and

adaptive triggers. This is why the PS5 DualSense Controller has become the go-to gadget for gaming. The successor to the DualShock 4, this controller has a brand new look and shape that’s easier to use. It also has some next-gen nuances,

including trigger resistance which creates more immersive gaming experiences

through tactile feedback - setting the new standard for gamers across the globe.

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REVIEW | BEST IN TECH

OCEARCH SHARK TRACKER Are you a shark lover? Interested in tracking

your favourite species across the big blue sea?

Well, with the enhanced technology driving the OCEARCH Shark Tracker, you may just get your chance.

THE OCULUS QUEST 2 Arguably one of the best virtual reality (VR)

systems available at present - for both beginners and pro VR enthusiasts - The Oculus Quest 2 is a must-have device, according to tech junkies.

Ranked as a top quality VR headset experience

altogether, this device doesn’t need all the extra

wires, exorbitant expenses, or additional fuss of a OCEARCH is popularly known for the work of its incredible shark research-and-advocacy team,

who’s been tagging and studying sharks across the world, for around 8 years now. Early in 2020, the

team launched an updated version of an innovative

‘mobile shark tracker’ app. With just a few clicks or swipes, users can easily download the app to their

mobile devices, create a personalised account, and begin tracking sharks and other marine species.

Using the features of the app, users can view a

near-real-time map with the current locations and movements of various tagged marine animals.

Gone are the days of

‘Keeping Up With

The Kardashians’

- we’re keeping

up with the

Sharks! The app is available for

both iPhone and

Android users.

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PC-based VR setup. This standalone VR device,

from Oculus, provides easy access to virtual reality innovation and delivers high-quality virtual reality experiences - for a fair price tag. With minimal

setup time, this device will make any room in your

home the place to be! Step into any gaming world with The Quest 2, and discover a vast variety of 360-degree video content and apps.

ACTOM | PROFILE

ACTOM RATINGS COMPANY DESCRIPTION

ACTOM (Pty) Ltd is the largest manufacturer, solution provider, repairer, maintainer and distributor of electro-mechanical equipment in Africa, offering a winning and balanced combination of manufacturing, service, repairs, maintenance, projects and distribution through its 35 outlets throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. The company is also a major local supplier of electrical equipment, services and balance of plant to the renewable energy projects.

It also holds numerous technology, distribution and value added reseller agreements with various partners, both locally and internationally.

Due to the in-house engineering skills and close ties with technology partners, ACTOM is able to supply a complete range of high quality, reliable and cost effective products and services, and explores innovative solutions for the

COMPANY INFORMATION CEO: Mervyn Naidoo CFO: Annamarie van Wyngaardt MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER: Andries Mthethwa COMPANY SECRETARY: Angelique Coffee-Heyneke GROUP HUMAN RESOURCES EXECUTIVE: Sylvester Makamu ACTING BOARD CHAIRMAN: Andries Mthethwa

COMPANY STATISTICS YEAR FOUNDED: 1903 EMPLOYEES: Approximately 6700 BRANCHES: 35 TRADE AFFILIATIONS: SANAS accredited FINANCIAL YEAR-END: 31 March MEMBERSHIPS: Proudly South African, South African Electrotechnical Export Council, Manufacturing Circle, Ekurhuleni Captains of Industry Forum

CONTACT DETAILS Physical address: 2 Magnet Road, Knights, 1413 Postal address: P O Box 13024, Knights, 141 Telephone: +27 (0) 11 820-5111 Fax: +27 (0) 11 820-5100 Website: www.actom.co.za

benefit of customers. An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) that provides aftermarket repairs and service capabilities which facilitate total life cycle management, electro-mechanical and turnkey solutions, ACTOM has 38 operating units, 50 production, service and repair facilities and 35 distribution centres As a level 1 B-BBEE contributor with a procurement recognition of 135% the company is rated as an empowering supplier with 52.21% black ownership and 31.27% black women ownership.

ACTOM has a longstanding commitment to local manufacture wherever feasible, together with providing employment to local inhabitants and encouraging skills development among its employees. It provides opportunities for employees to advance their careers within the group and has a good record of employee retention.

BUSINESS AND FINANCE TURNOVER: R7.4-billion OPERATING PROFIT: R672-million SUBSIDIARIES: ACTOM SA (Pty) Ltd, ACTOM (Pty) Ltd, Koebec Electrical & Engineering Services (Pty) Ltd, TLT ACTOM (Pty) Ltd, ACTOM Turbo Machines (Pty) Ltd, LHM Repairs & Services (Pty) Ltd, ACTOM Zambia Limited, ACTOM Botswana (Pty) Ltd, A HOLDING COMPANY: ACTOM Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd ACCOUNTANTS: Deloitte & Touche MAJOR ACCOUNTS / KEY CLIENTS: Government, parastatals, municipalities, mining, industry, exports and IPPs CORPORATE SOCIAL INVESTMENT: ACTOM is committed to Corporate Social Investment (CSI) and as such participates in various corporate social investment initiatives across the ACTOM Group

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Advancing Africa Through ICT & Tech INTERVIEW WITH DEON GEYSER

CEO at Liquid Intelligent Technologies South Africa

By Fiona Wakelin and Charndre Emma Kippie

In October 2020, Liquid Intelligent Technologies South

Africa announced the appointment of Deon Geyser as its CEO, effective from January 1st 2021. Thus far, Deon has been instrumental in overseeing the strategic

repositioning of the company and the execution of its strategic direction that provides the intelligent

integrated technology which enables customers to transform their businesses.

Liquid Intelligent Technologies is a pan-African technology group with a presence in

20 countries, primarily in Sub-Saharan

Africa. Established in 2005, Liquid has firmly established itself as the leading pan-African digital infrastructure provider, redefining

Network, Cloud and Cyber Security offerings through strategic partnerships with leading

global players, innovative business applications,

intelligent Cloud services and world-class

Cyber Security to the African continent.

Liquid is now a full one-stop-shop technology group that provides tailor-made digital solutions to businesses in the public and private sectors across the continent.

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LIQUID INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGIES

| INTERVIEW

The Group also operates state-of-theart data centres in Johannesburg,

Cape Town, Nairobi, Harare, Kigali, Togo and Nigeria with a combined potential 19,000 square metres of rack space and 74 MW of power. Through this

combined offering, Liquid Intelligent

Technologies is enhancing customers’ experience on their digital journey.

Earlier this year, the pioneering ICT company attended the Africa Tech

are really interested in tech. These

and was fortunate to have a bursary

insightful expo booth, and playing an

interesting season that we’re all

with Siemens Telecoms in 2002.

with innovative new ways to adapt to

and whether or not we’ll go back to

Cell C was just starting up; we built

with Deon for a quick chat on all

great experience in terms of our

[this was almost 20 years ago] and got

Week 2021 Summit, providing an

online events are now part of an

essential role in providing audiences

going through in terms of Covid

digital transformation. We sat down

‘physical events’ again… it was a

things technology.

brand’s transformation process as well.

THANK YOU FOR A FASCINATING

YOU’VE BEEN DESCRIBED

TO AFRICA TECH WEEK 2021. WHAT

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

CONTRIBUTION FROM YOUR TEAM WERE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR YOU, AND WHAT DID YOUR

PARTICIPATION IN THE EVENT MEAN FOR YOU AND LIQUID INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGIES?

AS A VETERAN ICT AND

EXECUTIVE. PLEASE GIVE US SOME BACKGROUND ABOUT YOUR CAREER BEFORE

JOINING LIQUID INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGIES IN 2021.

What’s important for us, with Africa

Well, firstly, I wouldn’t call myself a

participation in the event we are

interesting journey, though, yes. I

beyond connectivity. The Africa Tech

when you left school most people

where the needs of technology are

to become a CA, or go into

always excites me - whether it be

opportunity to get into electrical and

with Siemens at the time, so I started

the first GPRS network for Vodacom involved with a number of ‘operator startups’ across the continent - we

started with Mozambique, Tanzania and all the countries around South Africa, and built our telecoms

networks. This was a very exciting journey at the time because it was

new technology. I also spent some

time in Europe and got the opportunity to really see what the future holds in terms of being able to build this

Tech Week, is the fact that through

veteran just yet! I have had an

driving our brand strategy to go

matriculated in 1996, and at that time

At the end of 2007, I moved to

week audience really understands

would get into medicine, or study

between Nokia and Siemens and had

going, and this type of dialogue

Engineering. However, I had the

with the media or our customers.

electronic Engineering. In my third

It was also great to have the

University of Johannesburg, and there

we’re doing with the Africa Tech Week

with your Electrical Engineering degree.

year, I actually started a degree at the

opportunity to share some of what

you could do an IT degree together

audience, and those individuals who

I then did my Masters in Management

level of technology in South Africa.

Tanzania, this was during the merger the opportunity to run our business, and our transformation. The main

question was: “How do we use what’s best in the world - from world market products - in order to transform?”.

This was when we went through a

large outsourcing programme with two of the largest operators, we brought in the latest billing and IP technology

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INTERVIEW | LIQUID INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGIES

- all of that with the idea of investing

Right now, there is also a technology

IN YOUR VIEW, WHAT SHOULD WE

bit, and building an operating model for

change the way that communications

YOUNG PEOPLE TO JOIN THE ICT

money for the future at a lower cost per us and our customers that would allow us to take the advantage of global

management services, as well as what future technologies could bring about.

In 2014, I got the great opportunity to move back to South Africa and head up Nokia. I then moved on and started at Liquid Intelligent

trend where it is possible for us to

work together with Cloud services. We

are witnessing a market demand where people are trying to get hold of Cloud services, but we’re also seeing the

large OTT players and large companies really considering South Africa as a

hub for building data centre services and Cloud services.

Technologies, and realised that I like

Cyber Security is also a key theme

look at the assets that we have, the

understanding Cyber Security just yet,

transforming businesses! When I

people, customers and team that

we have, we are in a great position

to turn this business into something really valuable for the future. It’s all

about building our underlying ‘engine’ - people, capabilities and tools - and looking ahead at how we can make

right now and locally there is a lack of although companies in certain areas,

such as banks, are getting it as they’ve experienced threats. We need to get to a point where everyone, especially at mid-level, fully understands the risks and how to manage this.

BE DOING TO ENCOURAGE MORE SECTOR?

That’s a very good question. I believe

that we need to make ICT more relevant

for people who are leaving the schooling phase of their lives. If you decide to go

into the ICT space, you’ll see that there’s IT and then there’s ICT. With those

young people who come from a space

where they are used to using computers, gaming and loving technology, there is a good chance of understanding what the

sector entails. The tech tools that young people use everyday allow them to pick

up on how the industry develops, making it more exciting and relevant for them.

Young people need this: more exposure to see what is in store for them in terms of career options.

an impact in the future.

Lastly, another key theme is

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF

We took Covid as an opportunity

that are available in South Africa,

DEPARTMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION

to transform ourselves in the last

year and are really well-placed to grab hold of all the post-Covid opportunities for growth.

WHAT WOULD BE THE MAJOR

CHANGES YOU’VE SEEN IN THE SECTOR?

multinationals and making services available across Africa as homogenous services. That is why we at Liquid

Intelligent Technologies have taken the opportunity in our transformation to

not only be South Africa-focused, but Group-focused - providing seamless services across the continent.

There’s been a lot of talk around ‘work

WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT ICT?

assessment is that companies will

as an operator we don’t only get the

from home, work from anywhere’. Our fundamentally change their way of work post-Covid, and that is not

only us but all businesses in the sector.

So, there’s been a lot of discussion

about finding permanent solutions to

the ‘work from anywhere’ conundrum, and being able to work seamlessly

from a technology perspective, whilst managing costs.

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THE ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE

THAT WILL BE TRIALING CODING

AND ROBOTICS IN THE CLASSROOM THIS YEAR?

I think this is great. The real question

regarding this is how do they execute that objective really well. There is a demand

and requirement for these skills, and as an industry we need to support that.

We get to do a lot of innovation. And opportunity to sell that and provide

the benefits to our customers, but we

also get the chance to build innovative

technologies for ourselves and witness

CONTACT INFORMATION

not exist just because it’s nice to ‘play

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiquidInTech

on delivering to the business and its

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/ company/liquid-south-africa/

the benefits thereof. Technology does

with’. It’s really about the impact it has customers.

Website: www.liquid.tech

ADVANCED CYBER SECURITY FOR YOUR BUSINESS For more than 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services. Over 400,000 businesses and 110m users worldwide rely on us to deliver reliable, comprehensive protection.

SECURE YOUR BUSINESS DATA, WITH ESET

THE RAINBOW GROUP OF COMPANIES: 100% BLACK OWNED AND CONTROLLED GROUP OF COMPANIES Specializing in civil construction, routine road maintenance, road marking, industrial rail cleaning services, road sign manufacturing and panel beating.

The Rainbow Group of Companies consist of six companies which

specialize in Civil Construction, Routine Road Maintenance, Road Marking, Industrial Rail Cleaning Services, Road Sign Manufacturing and Panel Beating. In the past, South Africa’s maintenance and cleaning service

industries were characterized by high staff turnover, low standards and

low self-esteem of employees. Mr. TS Sebola founded the Rainbow Group of Companies to transform the maintenance and cleaning service industry SOLLY SEBOLA, CEO AND FOUNDING MEMBER

through proactive leadership and training, and by harnessing the collective talents of employees to the benefit of its clients and stakeholders.

OUR OPERATIONS

COMPANY INFORMATION YEAR FOUNDED: 1997 EMPLOYEES: >500 BRANCHES: >20

With our first company founded in 1997, specializing in Industrial Rail Cleaning Services, we have since evolved into a group of companies

offering a wide range of expertise and services within the construction

sector. With more than 40 years of combined knowledge and expertise,

sufficient manpower and the latest plant and equipment at our disposal, the

GROUP COO: Etienne van As

Rainbow Group of Companies has established itself as an industry leader.

GROUP CONTRACTS MANAGER: Azola Mayatula

Our operations are established nationally, each site and office, fully

GROUP PROJECT MANAGER: Raymond Radikara

Our operations also expand into African countries, having previously

equipped with dedicated staff, a fleet of vehicles, plant and equipment.

GROUP HR MANAGER: Ndileka Mnconywa

obtained contracts in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique and Lesotho.

GENERAL MANAGER (LEGEND ROAD MARKING): Peter Greeff

As a group of companies we pride ourselves in our achievements, our

BUSINESS & FINANCE TURNOVER: >200,000,000 FINANCIAL YEAR-END: February APPROXIMATE MARKET SHARE: 20% ACCOUNTANTS: A2A Kopano Inc CURRENT CUSTOMER BASE: SANRAL KEY CLIENT: SANRAL

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continuous growth and passion for striving to be the best in our industry.

CORPORATE AND SOCIAL INVESTMENT Being a 100% black owned and controlled group of companies, we

continuously aim to develop sector specific skills and our suppliers by means of much needed financial and operational support. Our CEO,

Mr. TS Sebola is passionate about developing our local communities, and has been assisting various projects by means of our SED initiative, The Solly Sebola Foundation.

RAINBOW GROUP | PROFILE

OUR COMPANIES RAINBOW CIVILS

LEGEND AUTO PANEL

Road Maintenance Services. They are

beating and spray-painting services

to the South African National Roads

and makes of motor vehicles, trucks

Rainbow Civils specializes in Routine

Legend Auto Panel offers panel

one of the leading service providers

that can be administered to all types

Agency (SANRAL), providing services

and machinery.

on national and provincial routes.

Services include: Maintenance of Road Marking

guardrails, road signs, lay-byes,

gabions, surface repairs, emergency normalization post traffic accidents, repair of fencing and grass cutting.

Founded: 2002 LEGEND ROAD MARKING

Legend Road Marking, one of

the industry leaders in Road Line

Markings, built on a reputation of

expertise and quality service. Daily operations are managed by Peter

Greeff, a well-respected figure in the industry with more than 20 years of

related experience. By incorporating both skills and the most advanced Road Sign Repairs

plant and equipment, no project is considered too big.

Services include: All road line

markings, special markings and islands.

Services include: Spray painting,

body repairs and vehicle recoveries.

Founded: 2007 RAINBOW RAIL CLEANING SERVICES

Services include: Station cleaning, train cleaning, industrial office

cleaning, waste management and shuttle services.

Founded: 1997 THUMA MINA ROAD SIGNS

Manufacturer of quality and long-

lasting road signs. Supplier to many of the well-known construction

companies, Thuma Mina is regarded as one of the industry leaders.

Services include: Manufacturing of road signs

Founded: A Division of Rainbow Civils

Founded: 2007 CONTACT DETAILS PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 5 Mobile Road, Airport Industria 2, Cape Town, 7525 POSTAL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 61, Cape Town International Airport, 7525 TELEPHONE: (021) 386 8366 FAX: (021) 386 8373 EMAIL: reception.ho@rics.co.za Vegetation Maintenance

WEBSITE: www.rainbowgroupsa.co.za

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PIONEERING DESIGN

Fashion

SA’S FUTURE OF

o are taking Celebrating local designers wh to the next level South Africa’s authentic style

BY CHARNDRÉ EMMA KIPPIE

A study led by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the South African Cotton Cluster, in early 2020, took a deep dive into the significant economic value of the Designer Fashion Sector in South Africa.

The results revealed that local fashion designers had contributed an estimated R1-billion to South

Africa’s GDP, during 2019, and is overall textile sector. This trend and predicted to continue in 2021 beyond.

e The study also indicated that ther e is massive potential to enhanc manufacturing, and create employment opportunities and develop key skills, as the nation recovers from Covid-19’s impact.

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At the forefront of this positive news are emerging local g designers who are spearheadin efforts to achieve sustainability, textile competitiveness, and continue contributing to the economy in an impactful way.

This past year, we’ve seen our vibrant fashion industry drive meaningful and sustainable growth, adapting to the new

normal and adopting highly conscious fashion design practices. We’re taking a look at SA’s top fashion geniuses who are paving the way for the future of the fashion and textile industry.

PIONEERING DESIGN - SA’S FUTURE OF FASHION | LIFESTYLE

“ There [is so much] people don’t know about South Africa and I want to – in my own way – contribute to the knowledge sharing.”

Thebe

Magugu DEBUT: 2018 HOMETOWN: Northern Cape QUALIFICATIONS: Fashion Design, Photography & Fashion Media - LISOF

With iconic womenswear designs worn by the likes of veteran model,Naomi Campbell, Thebe Magugu has

kaleidoscopic garments which reflect upon distinct human qualities.

established himself as pioneering

In 2019, Magugu was awarded

South Africa’s Cultural Renaissance.

€300,000 (about R4.9m) to accelerate

fashion designer who is at the crux of Establishing his luxury label in 2017, Magugu creates ready-to-wear

collections which honour culture,

novelty and everyday experiences.

Original Thebe Magugu pieces are

celebrated for their sleek, forward-

looking design which intersects with

motifs and details drawn from Africa’s rich history, exciting present and

potential imagined futures. Magugu provides stylish, timeless, and

Virtual Forces of Fashion Summit, featuring insightful conversations between top industry leaders.

the coveted LVMH Prize, receiving

Magugu’s most recent Autumn/Winter

his career as a young emerging

zooms in on the millennial South

designer, and access to a one-year mentorship programme facilitated

by the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy

team. At present, Magugu is part of the final six selected for the International Woolmark Prize 2021, which is part

of the MatchesFashion’s Innovators

Programme - launched in September 2020 to support young design talent

from around the world. In July, Magugu will be joining the panel of Vogue’s

2021 Ready-to-wear Collection, African experience of ‘African

Spirituality’ - highlighting the tension between new and old beliefs and

values, and the traditional healers

experience. White and black easy-towear shirts feature in this collection, with other flamboyant garments

boasting pops of pink and blue and feathery elements. With fit and flair, the collection caters to a variety of buyer personas.

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“ I think it is important for South Africans to see themselves as they see the rest of the world, we are capable of anything. This includes designing & producing quality luxury brands.”

Rich

PIONEERING DESIGN - SA’S FUTURE OF FASHION | LIFESTYLE

Mnisi DEBUT: 2014

HOMETOWN: Johannesburg

QUALIFICATIONS: BA in Fashion Design & Business Management - LISOF

Born in Kempton, Johannesburg, Rich

whilst encompassing youthful and

Best in Black Fashion Awards. That

the arts from a young age, inspired

was born from Mnisi’s yearning to

the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 List as

Mnisi began exploring fashion and

by his mother (who was his biggest mentor) and the work of the late

Alexander McQueen. Realisng his

passion for creation in his third year of fashion school, Mnisi took part

in 2014’s Mercedez Benz Fashion Week (MBFWAfrica), winning the

African Fashion International (AFI)

Fastrack competition. Thereafter, he

understood that there was a space in the market for his ideas and vision.

Founding his South African based multi-disciplinary brand, in 2015, Mnisi’s pieces bring to light

Africa’s hidden cultural gems,

contemporary elements. The brand connect deeper with his unique culture and heritage and tell a

compelling story through his art – a

story of a mysterious past, intriguing present, and reimagined future.

Mnisi’s juxtapositioning of bold

same year, he was also recognised on a leading creative on the continent,

Today, Rich Mnisi’s designs are adored globally - receiving high praise from

local and international public figures such as Black Coffee and Beyoncé.

and minimalist structures, rooted in

His most recent collection, Ku

craftsmanship, makes for truly artisic

and is inspired by ‘a nightmare’. In

experimental design and premium manifestations of Africanicity.

After winning the Young Designer of the Year award by African Fashion

International in 2014, Mnisi went on to receive the Emerging Designer of the Year award, in 2019, at the inaugural

Hahama ‘21, was launched in April essence, the collection plays with the concept of ‘yin and yang’, embracing the duality that exists in life. Here, Mnisi plays with colour, a variety

of patterns and textures, and even

typography - highlighting elements of contrast and asymmetry.

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Lukhanyo

Mdingi

DEBUT: 2013

HOMETOWN: Eastern Cape

QUALIFICATIONS: BTech Fashion Design - CPUT

Lukhanyo Mdingi, known for his

selected as a semi-finalist for the

keen enthusiasm for collaborating

2021. An advocate for sustainable

meticulously made garments and with unique artisans, launched

his eponymous label in 2015. The

vision for the brand is to mend gaps by weaving cultural heritage into

timeless luxury fashion pieces, whilst garnering a significant platform

for support by way of continuous

dedication to his craft and artistic

awareness. The intention behind his label is to maintain a pragmatic and contientuous approach to product

development, creating pieces that are

prestigious international LVMH Prize

In February 2021, Lukhanyo Mdingi

Green inititative, which is led by the

the COUTTS Collection, at the Pitti

on the jury for the True Fashion, Try on French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) and the Goethe Institut. To date, his

eye-catching designs have attracted coverage by the likes of Vogue

Italia, i-D Magazine and Nataal - a

new global media brand celebrating

contemporary African fashion, music, arts and society.

Additionally, his work has been

A former Design Indaba Emerging

including The British Fashion Council:

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TOP500 11th Edition

The CFDA: New York Fashion Week.

development, Lukhanyo also serves

transparent, balanced and impactful.

Creative, Lukhanyo was recently

UOMO IMMAGINE – Generation Africa,

showcased on esteemed platforms,

International Fashion Showcase, PITTI

launched his latest project called Uomo’s virtual show, the highly

celebrated menswear trade show held live every year in Florence, Italy, for

almost four decades. The collection pays homage to the legacy of

Nicholas Coutts - Cape Town-based

contemporary designer - highlighting elements of truth, purpose and

love, through its textile designs and handwoven scarves. All materials

were sustainably sourced, including unique textiles with a simplistic, yet modern look and feel.

PIONEERING DESIGN - SA’S FUTURE OF FASHION | LIFESTYLE

“ . ..for the visions of the future, I only think of Africa. This is a continent filled with gold, literally and figuratively.”

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“My story is essentially about women and female empowerment.

Clothing is actually a form of armour for women.”

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PIONEERING DESIGN - SA’S FUTURE OF FASHION | LIFESTYLE

Sindiso

K humalo DEBUT: 2014

HOMETOWN: Kwazulu-Natal

QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor of Architectural Studies - UCT and MA degree in Textiles Central St Martins in London

addressing sustainability in fashion, at the United Nations. Khumalo is also

working closely with the International

Trade Centre Ethical Fashion Initiative.

In October 2020, she received the

Green Carpet Fashion Award for ‘Best

Independent Designer’. In the same year, she shared the LVMH Prize for Young

Fashion Designers with 7 other finalists

- this was due to the challenging context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Originally from Botswana (then moved

watercolours and collage practices.

Sindiso Khumalo is a well-noted

cultivated a distinctive, colourful visual

to Kwazulu-Natal as a young girl),

sustainable textile designer, who is

now based in Cape Town. A Central St Martins graduate, she initially studied architecture at the University of Cape

Town (UCT), before relocating to London.

There, she pursued her Masters degree in Design for Textile Futures.

Khumalo launchd her eponymous label in 2014. She is extremely passionate

Over the past few years, she has

Summer ‘21 Collection, recently

presence amongst her peers, which is

Week. The collection was inspired by

mostly inspired by her Zulu and Ndebele heritage, as well as her experience

of the Kwazulu Natal landscape. For Khumalo, sustainability, craft and

empowerment are fixed at the heart of her label. This is why she works

quite closely with NGOs in developing handmade textiles for her collections.

about producing contemporary yet

In October 2015, Khumalo received

underpinned by African storytelling

Vogue Italia ‘Who’s On Next Dubai’

sustainable textiles, which are strongly elements. Khumalo creates the textiles

used in her collections by hand, utilising

Khumalo’s latest release, the Spring/

high praise for her participation in the competition, which she won. Previously,

she has engaged in critical conversations

debuted (virtually) at Milan Fashion

Harriet Tubman, who was born into slavery and worked on a farm as a

young child. Harriet Tubman eventually found freedom, however, she returned to the farm 13 times to free more than 70 slaves from the deep South. The

collection speaks to the Black Lives Matter Movement, telling the story

of a black life that endured the most

oppressive inhuman schemes and still prevailed. Through her use of youthful collar designs and delicate prints,

Khumalo’s work conveys a message of hope in the struggle.

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INTRODUCING

GOLD CIRCLE

Michel Nairac - Gold Circle CEO

RACING AND GAMING GROUP - RANKED NO.1 IN THE GAMING & LEISURE INDUSTRY

H

OUR BUSINESS: To promote the Thoroughbred Race Horse through operating the Sport of Horseracing, Wagering and Gaming facilities, Related Leisure Activities and Media Management.

PROMOTERS OF AFRICA’S GREATEST HORSE RACING AND SOCIAL EVENT THE VODACOM DURBAN JULY

OUR VISION: To be one of the most admired Racing Centres on the International Horseracing Circuit.

orse racing is a sport of passion and passion is what drives Gold Circle CEO, Michel Nairac whether it’s on the race track or in the boardroom. Michel was born and raised in Mauritius and developed a love for horses in his early childhood years while attending race meetings with his dad. He attended riding lessons in his early teens and went on to participate in a number of amateur races in Mauritius.

An injury sustained while playing rugby brought his race-riding career to a pre-mature end but paved the way for Michel to pursue other opportunities within the sport of horse racing.

Michel has owned race horses for many years and became a bloodstock agent in 1987, Chairman of the KwaZulu-Natal Owners and Trainers Association in 2000 and CEO of Gold Circle in 2002.

WHAT A RACE! WHAT A RACE!

AnAn Afrikaans Afrikaans race race horse, horse, a a Coloured Coloured owner owner and and a female a female trainer trainer combined combined to to winwin thethe 2021 2021 renewal renewal of Africa’s of Africa’s greatest greatest horse horse race, race, thethe Vodacom Vodacom Durban Durban July.

July.

been been involved involved withwith Africa’s Africa’s greatest greatest horse horse racing racing andand social social event. event.

For For the the pastpast 20 20 years years Vodacom Vodacom havehave taken taken the the event event forward forward intointo the the era era of social of social media media withwith great great success success andand for for fourfour decades decades priorprior to to that,that, the the racerace waswas proudly proudly sponsored sponsored

by Rothman’s.

by Rothman’s.

Legislation Legislation brought brought theirtheir partnership partnership withwith GoldGold Circle Circle to an toend an end but but not not before before theirtheir support support of the of the racerace hadhad liftedlifted the the profile profile of the of the Durban Durban JulyJuly to new to new heights. heights.

TheThe headline headline sponsor, sponsor, the the CityCity of Durban of Durban andand OwnerOwner Ashwin Ashwin Reynolds.

Reynolds. the the Province Province of KwaZulu of KwaZulu Natal Natal havehave been been notable notable n saturday n saturday 3 July 3 July 2021 2021 GoldGold Circle Circle proudly proudly beneficiaries beneficiaries of the of the Durban Durban JulyJuly which which has has always always presented presented the 125th the 125th running running of the of Vodacom the Vodacom attracted attracted international international interest interest andand guests guests but but overover the the Durban Durban JulyJuly andand what what a race a race it turned it turned out out last last twenty twenty years, years, the influx the influx of local of local visitors, visitors, particularly particularly to be! to be! fromfrom Gauteng, Gauteng, has has grown grown significantly. significantly.

TheThe economic economic value value of the of the raceday raceday andand the the many many social social events events thatthat Cape Cape FlatsFlats businessman businessman Ashwin Ashwin Reynolds Reynolds wrote wrote havehave been been bornborn around around whatwhat has has nownow become become “July “July his his name name intointo the the record record books books by becoming by becoming the the Week” Week” for Durban for Durban amounts amounts to hundreds to hundreds of millions. of millions.

As As first first owner owner of colour of colour to win to win the the ”July” ”July” andand his horse his horse a consequence a consequence bothboth Durban Durban andand KZNKZN Tourism Tourism havehave in in “Kommetdieding” “Kommetdieding” became became the the first first horse horse withwith an an recent recent years years partnered partnered withwith GoldGold Circle Circle to ensure to ensure thatthat Afrikaans Afrikaans name name to ever to ever win win Africa’s Africa’s greatest greatest horse horse the the Event Event realises realises its full its full potential potential when when it comes it comes to to racing racing event. event.

Loosely Loosely translated translated as “bring as “bring it on”, it on”, maximising maximising the the benefit benefit to the to the locallocal economy. economy.

Kommetdieding Kommetdieding accepted accepted the the challenge challenge andand stormed stormed A significant A significant portion portion of of the the City’s City’s sponsorship sponsorship home home fromfrom a wide a wide draw draw to land to land the the spoils spoils – much – much to to investment investment goesgoes towards towards the the Fashion Fashion element element which which the the delight delight of aof huge a huge fan base fan base amongst amongst the the Cape Cape FlatsFlats eacheach andand every every yearyear forms forms an integral an integral partpart of the of the community. community.

To crown To crown it all,it Kommetdieding all, Kommetdieding is trained is trained Vodacom Vodacom Durban Durban JulyJuly promotion. promotion.

Of particular Of particular pride pride by abyglamorous a glamorous young young lady,lady, Michelle Michelle Rix Rix - only - only the the andand joy joy is the is the annual annual Young Young Designers Designers competition competition second second member member of the of the fairer fairer sex sex to saddle to saddle the the “July” “July” which which allows allows for students for students at various at various Fashion Fashion Colleges Colleges winner winner following following Candice Candice BassBass Robinson’s Robinson’s groundgroundto incorporate to incorporate the the annual annual VDJVDJ Theme Theme intointo theirtheir breaking breaking success success withwith Marinaresco Marinaresco in 2017. in 2017. garments garments which which are are thenthen showcased showcased at the at the Gateway Gateway TheThe horse horse waswas in fine in fine formform on the on the dayday andand waswas ridden ridden Theatre Theatre of Shopping. of Shopping.

TheThe Young Young Designer Designer Award Award has has by one by one of the of the bestbest jockeys jockeys in South in South Africa, Africa, Gavin Gavin helped helped kick-start kick-start the the careers careers of many of many successful successful South South Lerena.

Lerena.

Despite Despite the the curved curved ball ball of being of being drawn drawn 18 18 African African designers. designers.

- the- the extreme extreme outside outside of the of the field,field, it turned it turned out out thatthat TheThe event event reached reached newnew heights heights in 2019 in 2019 withwith the the nothing nothing could could stopstop Kommetdieding Kommetdieding fromfrom storming storming Company Company being being awarded awarded the the Gambling Gambling Industry’s Industry’s down down the the outside outside of the of the Hollywoodbets Hollywoodbets Greyville Greyville BestBest Racing Racing Event Event in SA inAward SA Award andand seemed seemed set to setsoar to soar home home stretch stretch to snare to snare Linebacker Linebacker in the in the shadows shadows of of further further however however the the Covid-19 Covid-19 pandemic pandemic has has changed changed the the winning winning post. post. the the dynamic dynamic of the of the event event overover the the pastpast twotwo years. years.

TheThe value value of the of the Durban Durban JulyJuly is best is best measured measured by the by the TheThe 2020 2020 andand 2021 2021 Vodacom Vodacom Durban Durban JulyJuly waswas fact fact thatthat overover the last the last 60 years 60 years onlyonly twotwo sponsors sponsors havehave staged staged behind behind closed closed doors doors in terms in terms of Government of Government

OO

Vodacom Vodacom Durban Durban July July 2021 2021 prize prize giving giving from from leftleft to to right: right: Luvo Luvo Zingelwayo, Zingelwayo, Gavin Gavin Lerena, Lerena, Babu Babu Nunan, Nunan, Michelle Michelle Rix, Rix, Chris Chris Lazarus Lazarus and and Harold Harold Crawford.

Crawford.

regulations regulations and and clearly clearly the the hospitality hospitality industry, industry, inin particular, particular, have have suffered suffered huge hugelosses lossesasasa aresult resultofofthe thelockdown lockdown restrictions. restrictions.Gold GoldCircle Circlelooks looksforward forwardtoto once onceagain againwelcoming welcoming50 50000 000fans fanstoto Hollywoodbets HollywoodbetsGreyville Greyvillefor forthe theVodacom Vodacom Durban DurbanJuly Julyand andrestoring restoringthe theeconomic economic value valueofofthe theEvent Eventtotoitsitsformer formerglory gloryasas soon soonasascircumstances circumstancespermit. permit.Gold GoldCircle Circle isisespecially especiallyproud proudthat thatitsitssignature signatureevent event isisfully fullydiverse diverseand andhas hasbeen beenembraced embraced across across the the board board byby people people from from allall walks walksofoflife. life.“Our “Ourefforts effortsover overthe theyears years totobring bringallallSouth SouthAfricans Africanstogether togethertoto enjoy enjoythe theVodacom VodacomDurban DurbanJuly Julyspectacle spectacle asasa aflagbearer flagbearerfor forthe theRainbow RainbowNation Nation coming comingtogether togetherinina aspirit spiritofoffun, fun,joy joyand and camaraderie camaraderiehas hasbeen beenthe thebiggest biggestwin winfor for us,” us,”says saysGold GoldCircle CircleCEO CEOMichel MichelNairac.

Nairac.

victory victoryand andthen thenalso alsobecame becameChampion Champion Jockey Jockey ofof South South Africa.

Africa. S’Manga S’Manga hails hails from from KwaMashu KwaMashu inin KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal and and was wasselected selectedtotojoin jointhe theSouth SouthAfrican African Jockey JockeyAcademy Academyatatthe theage ageofof16.

16. Gold Gold Circle Circleisisa amajor majorfunder funderofofthe theAcademy Academy which whichsince sincethe theearly earlynineties ninetieshas hasmade made transformation transformation itsits major major goal. goal. The The Academy Academy sources sources apprentices apprentices from from allall communities communitiesaccording accordingtototheir theirheight, height, weight weightand andathleticism athleticismand andnearly nearly80% 80% ofofallallapprentices apprenticesare arenow nowfrom frompreviously previously disadvantaged disadvantagedcommunities. communities.

S’Manga S’Mangaisisjust justone oneexample exampleofofthe thesuccess success that thathas hasbeen beenachieved achievedatatthe thehighest highest level. level.Muzi MuziYeni Yeniisiswidely widelyconsidered consideredtotobebe amongst amongstthe thebest bestjockeys jockeysininthe thecountry country and andwinning winningGrade Grade11races raceshas hasbecome become a aregular regularhabit habitfor forthe thediminutive diminutiveathlete athlete who whorode rodeGot GotThe TheGreenlight Greenlighttotoa asecond second place placefinish finishininthe the2020 2020Vodacom VodacomDurban Durban July.

July.

The The South South African African Jockey Jockey Academy, Academy, now nowrecognised recognisedasasone oneofofthe theleading leading Apprentice Apprentice Academy’s Academy’s inin the the world, world, opened openeditsitsdoors doorsfor forbusiness businessininJune June 1961.

1961. Well-resourced Well-resourced with with modern modern training training facilities facilities and and anan experienced, experienced, InIn2013, 2013,S’Manga S’MangaKhumalo Khumalobecame becamethe the dedicated dedicatedand andmotivated motivatedstaff, staff,this thishighly highly first firstblack blackjockey jockeytotowin winthe the“July” “July”when when internationally internationallyacclaimed acclaimedfacility facilityisissituated situated steering steeringHeavy HeavyMetal Metaltotoa amemorable memorable ininSummerveld, Summerveld,atata astate stateofofthe theart arthorse horse

The TheSouth SouthAfrican African Jockey JockeyAcademy Academy-the theRacing RacingIndustry’s Industry’s transformation transformationbeacon beacon ofoflight light

training trainingfacility facilityrun runbybyGold GoldCircle.

Circle.It Itisisthe the only onlyinstitution institutionininSouth SouthAfrica Africathat thatoffers offers youth youth anan academic, academic, experiential experiential and and practical practicallearning learningprogramme, programme,including including a aMatric Matricand/or and/orthe theNational NationalCertificate Certificate Equine EquineStudies StudiesQualification, Qualification,totoqualify qualifyasas a aprofessional professionaljockey. jockey. Household Householdnames names such such asas Michael Michael “Muis” “Muis” Roberts, Roberts, Basil Basil Marcus, Marcus,Douglas DouglasWhyte Whyteand andJeff JeffLloyd Lloydare are allallgraduates graduatesofofthe theAcademy Academyand andthey theyallall went wenton ontotobecome becomeChampions Championsininmajor major international internationaljurisdictions. jurisdictions.

The TheInternational International Connection Connection Through Through the the National National Horseracing Horseracing Authority AuthorityofofSouth SouthAfrica, Africa,Gold GoldCircle Circleisis a asignatory signatorytotothe theracing racingrules, rules,policies policies and andcodes codesofofconduct conductofofthe theInternational International Federation Federation ofof Horseracing Horseracing Authorities.

Authorities.

The Theharmonisation harmonisationofofrules rulesacross acrossthe the Globe Globe isis critical critical for for Racing Racing Operators Operators who who wish wish toto trade trade beyond beyond their their own own borders. borders. Gold Gold Circle’s Circle’s racing racing events events from fromboth bothHollywoodbets HollywoodbetsGreyville Greyvilleand and Hollywoodbets HollywoodbetsScottsville ScottsvilleRace RaceCourses Courses are arebroadcast broadcasttotomore morethan than40 40countries countries around aroundthe theworld worldearning earningvaluable valuableforeign foreign exchange exchangefor forthe theCompany.

Company.

S’Manga Khumalo rode his way into the history books by becoming the first jockey of colour to win the prestigous race on Heavy Metal in 2013.

A beacon of hope & support The Summerveld Training Centre, owned

by Gold Circle, is situated about halfway between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, at Shongweni. The Centre provides all the necessary facilities, with about 1600 stables and grooms’ accommodation.

The employment of grooms at the training centres remains the responsibility of the respective Trainers.

Grooms form a close and important part of the local racing community and their health and welfare are imperative.

To assist in managing their health, Gold Circle has procured the services of a medical practitioner, Dr. Baldeo since 2014.

In 2019, Gold Circle in partnership with the Aurora Medical Group and the National Department of Health embarked on a community social development initiative to open a public healthcare facility at Summerveld.

The clinic commenced activities since November 2020 and provides much

needed medical and health care services to the grooms, employees and the intention is to extend the services to the local surrounding communities.

"The clinic will serve as a beacon of hope and support to the grooms and the local surrounding communities as it shall offer many high level services especially now due to the Covid-19 pandemic” says Michel Nairac.

Transformation Gold Circle, as a responsible corporate entity, has an approved Transformation strategy that is geared to achieving the objectives of Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment.

Over the years, the company has implemented several initiatives, mainly industry based, which demonstrates a positive commitment to transformation throughout its business.

Gold Circle’s Chairperson, Dr. Phumla Mnganga and Corporate Services Executive, Veronica Jack.

Gender Empowerment Gold Circle is committed to making a positive contribution to individuals who have been previously disadvantaged.

Employment Equity, gender empowerment and skills development remain high on the list of priorities that the company seeks to uphold. The company received an award as the Top Gender Empowered Company in South Africa in the Travel & Hospitality sector at the 16th Annual Standard Bank Top Women Awards and was also a finalist in the Skills Development category.

Gold Circle joins the Green Race In 2019 Gold Circle partnered with the Cape Town-based firm, Solar Future Energy, and installed solar panels on the Silver Ring roof at Hollywoodbets Greyville Race Course.

The panels generate 250kwh of electricity, sufficient to supply the electrical base load needs of the nonracing Greyville day-to-day operations.

The installation of the panels has saved Gold Circle significant sums of money while at the same time allowing for the Company to give its “Green Approach” a solid launching pad. Plans are now afoot to extend the use of solar energy by expanding on the project in the near future.

Empowering equine communities through service Gold Circle is a major financial contributor to the Coastal Horse Care Unit, a registered non-profit organisation whose mission is to protect horses from abuse and alleviate their suffering by rehabilitating, campaigning and educating. In partnership with the Coastal Horse Care Unit, Gold Circle started a Rural Outreach initiative called “Empowering Equine Communities through Service” whereby skills are transferred to disadvantaged rural communities.

Gold Circle is actively involved in these community based programmes and in this regard the company volunteers its personnel to undertake, together with the Coastal Horse Care Unit, various clinics and workshops within rural communities. These communities rely heavily on their horses for their transport and livelihood. The program offered not only teaches the rural communities the basics of horse care but provides them with the tools to gain better productivity from the animals in a conducive environment which is both horse and owner friendly.

The Asian Racing Conference - Introducing Traditional Racing to the World South Africa is a member of the Asian Racing Federation (ARF), a regional federation comprising national horse racing authorities and racing-related organisations from across Asia, Australasia, Arabia and South Africa. Gold Circle were excited to be included as one of the key sponsors to host the 38th Asian Racing Conference, a biennial conference which is staged by members of ARF and the hosting country. The event was held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in February 2020 with more than 400 international delegates attending. It is only the second time that South Africa hosted this prestigious event, the last time being in 1997.

The Conference was the ideal stage for the then Chairperson of Gold Circle, Dr Phumla Mnganga to introduce rural racing to representatives of horse racing authorities and racing-related organisations from various parts of the world.

Dr. Phumla Mnganga

The sport of Traditional Horse Racing or Rural Racing, as it is sometimes called, in South Africa was established more than two centuries ago. Historically, this was a form of entertainment at social gatherings and organised on an informal basis but through the influence and shifting of social and political conditions over time has become a thriving sport in its own right.

Gold Circle has embraced the opportunity to become involved in rural racing events by providing technical and financial support.

Since 2005, prominent rural racing events in KZN such as the Dundee July, the Harry Gwala Summer Cup and the Umtelebelo Heritage Cup and a number of smaller events take place throughout the year. Rural horse owners, riders and spectators from all over the country and neighbouring countries congregate in rural KZN to attend and participate. These flagship events, in particular the Dundee July, has experienced phenomenal growth and has reached a stage of maturity attracting in the region of 25 000 spectators annually. As a consequence, the Dundee July is becoming commercially self-sustainable. In recent years the event has extended beyond the race day with popular street parades taking place over the two days prior. The event is being positioned as one of the annual tourism activities for the area, bringing the associated economic benefits to the community.

The 2019 event injected over R30m directly into the local economy and created over 500 temporary jobs.

FIVE OF THE BEST

n a c i r f A h t Sou s l o o P l e t o H Kruger Shalati:

The Train on the Bridge

South Africa is home to some of the best hotels in the world and in the most stunning locations. These hotels offer views that take your breath away from almost every angle, but perhaps the best is when the view can be taken in from the hotel pool. Here are some of the top hotel pools in the country.

This stunning new hotel in the heart of the Kruger National Park has

repeatedly been voted the top hotel opening by international media,

and we can see why. With incredible accommodation housed inside

a restored and reimagined train permanently located on top of the

historical Selati Bridge, what’s not to love? But that’s not all: there is also

a spectacular bespoke lounge carriage with an opulent bar and deck,

offering a stunning pool for relaxing and game viewing opportunities from

the vista atop the Sabie River. Bliss!

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FIVE OF THE BEST SOUTH AFRICAN HOTEL POOLS | LIFESTYLE

Oyster tel Box HoUmhlanga Easily one of Umhlanga’s most

popular and well-known hotels,

the Oyster Box is a South African

favourite. Located a stone’s throw

from the ocean, this hotel is a popular spot for drinks and get-togethers.

Guests at the hotel are also able to make use of the gorgeous rim flow

pool that sits right next to The Ocean Terrace restaurant and makes for a perfect sunset location.

This Cape Town gem sits right beside the Atlantic Ocean and, from the rooms and restaurants alone, the views are insane. But then you climb into the ocean-side infinity pool at Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront and you realise that the view is so much sweeter from there. While there,

definitely see if you can spot some of the dolphins that often swim by

- much to the delight of guests! The location is made even more perfect by the fact that you can watch the sunset across the horizon from here.

Radisson Blu Hotel

Waterfront

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LIFESTYLE | FIVE OF THE BEST SOUTH AFRICAN HOTEL POOLS

nberg The PletteGarden Route

Last, but not least is The Plettenberg. Situated along the Garden Route of the Western Cape, in the town on Plettenberg Bay, this hotel sits atop a rocky

headland which works in its favour as guests continue to flock here for the stunning views on offer. Going

for a swim in the pool gives guests a view of the lush green vegetation below the hotel, plus a view of the ocean beyond.

It seems then that no matter where in South Africa

you find yourself, you will be able to find extraordinary views from some of the best hotel pools in the world.

If you think you can’t find a hotel

pool with a view in Johannesburg, think again. The Munro Hotel in

Houghton Johannesburg has views

in spades. Guests are able to take in

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a rather splendid view of the City of Gold when they dip into the pool -

highlighting the fact that great views are not only reserved for beach-side locations or escapes in nature.

THE CAPE OF GOOD WINES | LIFESTYLE

The Cape of

GOOD WINES These are some of Cape Town’s finest wine offerings you want to be sipping on in 2021.

BY FIONA WAKELIN & CHARNDRÉ EMMA KIPPIE

The South African wine industry is consistently upping its game to give

tourists the best possible experience post-pandemic. Undoubtedly, any

new wine tourists who make a trip to SA in 2021 and beyond will be in for quite a unique experience. With excellent range, high calibre distinction and value for money, our local cellar doors continue a trend of novel

expansion. With so much to offer, it’s hard to pin-point some of the real gems in the local wine industry. This is why we’re zooming in on three standout wineries that we think you should give a try.

Sources: *Material sent in by Tempel Wines and Aslina Wines https://tempelwines.co.za/?v=e4dd286dc7d7 https://www.aslinawines.com/ https://chennellswines.com/

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Background

The Tempel Wines story begins with its Cape Dutch style cottage, which was built in 1784.

The farm was originally known as the Jooden Tempel, back in the 20th century, which was

when it’s unique wine creation process began.

Initially celebrated for its Pinotage offering, Tempel Wines’ world-class vintners have

TEMPLE

Wines

A hidden gem, set against the

Newly revived since

picturesque Paarl Mountains on

by Heeremans in 2017,

spectacular backdrop of the

the Berg River, Tempel Wines is owned by Tom Heeremans. A

working farm with a difference, the winery cellar is a unique

experience in itself boasting

authentic art on the walls and

fermentation tanks from some

of the finest local artists. African street artists on the walls and

fermentation tanks, the winery gives local talent in the arts a

global stage with visitors to the wine estate. To date, Tempel

Wines has commissioned works

by Falco, Nardstar and Conform

in the Western Cape. Future plans include collaborations with more artists from around the country.

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the vineyard’s takeover

Tempel Wines has become a boutique winery with a difference. Since the beginning, the winery

has had a strong sense

of connection to its local community. A vegetable

garden including pumpkin,

butternut, tomatoes, fennel,

onion, capsicum, leek, celery, zucchini, cucumber, squash, cabbage, etc. has recently

been established to supply vegetables to the staff and

to help the local community push through these difficult times, namely the Magda’s soup kitchen in Paarl.

since shifted their attention to Mediterranean

cultivars, including Cinsaut, Shiraz, Grenache, Mouvèdre, and Tempranillo.

Top of their agenda is to ’let the grapes

do the talking’. A boutique winery, Tempel Wines aims to create a rich narrative in each bottle - named to have gravitas,

humour, intrigue, descriptiveness, and

emotional resonance. Tempel Wines’ puts careful consideration in selecting only the best cultivars and rootstocks given the

climatological circumstances and different soils available at its vineyards.

Wonderful Wines

Home to high-quality, hand-crafted wines, Tempel Wines creates modern wines

that reflect the character and soul of the region in the spectacular backdrop of

the Paarl Mountains. The local winery

produces contemporary wines with minimal intervention, using classic crafts where

all grapes are handpicked and naturally fermented in traditional open tanks.

After pressing, each blend is matured in

French oak barrels and/or concrete eggs for

a minimum period of 12 months, and is then bottled on the estate. The final bottle of the

Tempel Wines is characterised by a distinctive, lower in alcohol style (13-13,5%), making for an enjoyable, lighter drinking experience.

THE CAPE OF GOOD WINES | LIFESTYLE

WINE SELECTION SKOONSKIP

‘A New Start’

• A cross between Pinot noir and Cinsaut (Hermitage)

• Soft on the palate and pleasantly fruity • A Pinotage with only 13% alcohol

• Matured in French oak barrels (40% of which were new) for 12 months

SKEMERDANS

‘A Dance at Sunset’

OOGWINK ‘Wink Eye’

• A unique Grenache

• 100% Shiraz

• A vibrant line of acidity on the palate

• Complex nose with spicy undertones of fynbos & white pepper

• Juicy red berry fruit, perfume, exotic spices & citrus

• Light & fresh lingering finish

• A playful full-bodied earthy red wine

• Matured for 12 months in French oak barrels & a cement egg

SORGVRY

‘Without Worries’ • 100% Cinsaut derived from handpicked older dryland vines from Wellington • A robust red wine

• Naturally fermented with 30% whole bunch grapes • Matured in older oak barrels and a cement egg for 12 months

TYDSAAM ‘Slowly’

• A Tempranillo perfect for winter

• Layers of cherry, plum and Mediterranean herb flavours & hint of leather • Naturally fermented in open concrete tanks

• Matured for 12 months in French oak barrels

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146

A family run, hearty winery

located within the luscious slopes of the Helderberg Mountains,

vivamus” - meaning ‘while we live, let us truly live.’

in Stellenbosch, Chennells

The farm is located on the

distinctive batches of aromatic

referred to as ‘West Peak’ in

Wines is known for producing

slopes of the area commonly

wines - grown and nurtured

the Helderberg mountain range.

on their single vineyard site

surrounding the home. With truly

inspired bottled-wine names and philosophical style, each range

reflects the ethos underpinning

their brand, that is “dum vivimus

The Helderberg Region is part

of the official Stellenbosch Wine of Origin area denomination

and is home to a high-quality, small and growing number of wineries and winemakers.

Background

The Chennells family, consisting of parents

and two brothers, have been in the business

of making wine for more than a decade, on the historic farm on which they were brought up.

Each family member is intimately involved in

producing Chennell’s exclusive wine creations.

With land originally bearing pear and plum

trees, the journey into planting and growing grapes and making wine has been one of

passion and exploration, and the vintages have evolved over time to express what has been learned. The current vision of

the family is to increase production, whilst remaining committed to upholding the

distinctive quality of their batches, and truly enjoying the process.

Chennells wine production is limited

to around 1,800 bottles. The aim with

Chennells wines is to showcase the beauty of the natural environment and let the

uniqueness of the area shine through. Each

bottle is crafted with a goal that is two-fold: to best express the natural environment in which Chennells grapes grow reflect the

family’s personal views on meaning and life.

Bountiful Batches

The family grows and maintains a single

vineyard site, with all grapes beyond nurtured on 3.2 hectares of land, under vines split

CHENNELLS

Wines

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TOP500 11th Edition

between Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and

Viognier. The farm faces north and the land

slopes gently downwards from east to west.

Chennells’ signature Cabernet sauvignon

and shiraz vines are laid out west to east, whilst their viognier runs from north to

south. The farm thrives in both the warmth of the Cape sun and incoming cooler

breeze which journeys in from False Bay, off the Atlantic Ocean.

THE CAPE OF GOOD WINES | LIFESTYLE

WINE SELECTION

THE JOURNEY • 48% cabernet sauvignon, 48% shiraz, 4% viognier • Wild ferment

• 30% whole bunch on the shiraz

• Oak barrel is matured for 2 years

SAUDADE • 100% cabernet sauvignon • Wild ferment

• Oak barrel matured for 2 years

HANDFUL OF SUMMERS • 100% viognier

• Wild ferment - 20% stalks included • Oak barrel-matured for 18 months

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ASLINA

Wines

Background

After obtaining a BSc in Agriculture

(Viticulture and Oenology), at Stellenbosch University, Ntsiki joined boutique winery Stellekaya as their winemaker for 2004.

Her ambition to create her own wines grew, following a collaboration with Californian

winemaker, Helen Kiplinger, as part of Mika Bulmash’s Wine for the World initiative.

Thus, Aslina Wines was born in 2017,

as a self-funded wine business, after an incredible journey with many learning

experiences along the way. Today, Ntsiki sits on the board of directors for the

Pinotage Youth Development Academy, which provides technical training and

personal development for young South

Africans in the Cape Winelands, preparing them for work in the wine and tourism

industries. Most recently, at the prestigious 2021 Wine Harvest Commemorative

Event, Ntsiki received the Diversity and

Transformation Award for her pioneering work in the industry in South Africa.

Founded by the first known Black female wine-maker in the country, Ntsiki

Award-Winning Wines

by her beloved grandmother, Ntsiki developed the brand in light of her

now, Aslina Wines are produced from

in the Eastern Cape, Ntsiki’s love and passion for wine-making emerged

vineyards. With beautiful complexity and

Biyela, Aslina Wines is located in Somerset West, Cape Town. Inspired

Distributed both locally and internationally

grandmother’s influence, naming Aslina in the matriarch’s honour. Raised

the vast offerings of Stellenbosch-grown

once she embarked on a life-changing journey to the Cape Winelands.

depth, each aromatic blend inhabits a bold

Today Aslina is renowned for its range of premium wines and is the

character and palate-pleasing smoothness.

realisation of Ntsiki’s dream to create an exceptional world-class brand.

To date, Aslina’s Umsasane blend of

in Tuscany and Bordeaux, where she discovered a close affinity with

and Petit Verdot, has been recognised

KwaZulu-Natal. On a later visit to France, she was invited to make a wine

the Old Mutual Trophy Awards 2020, the

winemakers from around the world.

Michelangelo International Awards.

Her winemaking philosophy drew upon earlier experiences of harvest

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc

nature that rekindled her own deep connection with the soil growing up in

as a frontrunner, receiving accolades at

for The Winemakers’ Collection, an opportunity afforded to a handful of

Sakuru Awards held in Japan, and the

149

TOP500 11th Edition

THE CAPE OF GOOD WINES | LIFESTYLE

WINE SELECTION

CHARDONNAY • Creamy, full and fruity blend • Partial wooding provides edge

• Beautiful tropical fruit & limey character

• Good acidity balancing the fruit & wood

SAUVIGNON BLANC • Full-rounded tropical character • Bouquet from Stellenbosch region

• Complex, fruity wine: citrus characters & lemon zest • Lingering silky finish

CABERNET SAUVIGNON • Grapes from Stellenbosch region • Barrels matured for 16 months

• Full-bodied, bold palate: hints of mint, cigar box & dark fruits • Chewy tannins

UMSASANE • A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot • Inspired by the umbrella tree - Acacia tortilis

• Bold structure, with smoothness and complexity • The matriarch of the wine family

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150

HOW DO WE RANK

THE TOP 500?

151

TOP500 11th Edition

BEST IN TECH | REVIEWS

THE TOP 500 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY WAS DESIGNED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN’S DEVELOPMENT POLICY RESEARCH UNIT. The Top 500 aims to identify the

top five companies in each of 100

business sectors monitored by the Topco Research Department. In

order to do so, some measure of the qualities that we consider to

be characteristic of top companies must be designed in order to rank companies. To be classed as one

of South Africa’s best companies, we expect companies to excel in

three key spheres, namely financial performance, empowerment, and policy and accreditation.

Absolute turnover growth is included

level of management and control. The

The criteria within financial

companies’ growth should make a large

and non-executive directors is evaluated

companies being large, growing and

These two indicators have a medium

by virtue of their size and dynamism.

Top companies are more productive

by four indicators: turnover, rate

performance indicator, turnover per

growth and turnover per employee.

speaks to this characteristic.

Size is both an indicator and

The business sector has an important

company is a top company. From the

social transformation. Top companies

turnover is used to proxy company

this commitment is measured using six

within the measure. The dynamism

companies’ commitment to the goal

ability to expand and grow, and so we

their employment profiles, namely the

– one relative, one absolute – of

by female employees and by black

to account for the fact that top

proportion of black and female executive

performance speak to the ideas of top

contribution to increased total output.

to complete the scoring for this sphere.

productive institutions that are leaders

weight within the scoring system.

Top companies are involved within

Financial performance is measured

than other companies and the final

quality. This sphere of policy and

of turnover growth, Rand turnover

employee, which has a medium weight,

communities and are committed to accreditation accounts for the remainder

of the total score. In gauging companies’ engagement and involvement within

communities, we measure their total

spend on corporate social investment

an outcome of whether or not a

role to play in promoting equity and

perspective of financial performance,

are committed to fulfilling this role, and

size and this indicator has large weight

criteria. Two of these criteria focus on

of top companies is reflected in their

of transformation as demonstrated in

include two medium-weight indicators

shares of employment accounted for

growth in the scoresheet. The former

employees respectively.

over the year – since top companies

Top companies, however, go further than

MORNÉ OOSTHUIZEN DEPUTY DIRECTOR

the Rand value of the turnover growth.

ensuring greater diversity at the

University of Cape Town

indicator is the rate of turnover growth are faster-growing – while the latter is

just employment, and are committed to

activities relative to net profit. Companies are also judged on the existence of

written policies regarding employment equity, skills development, health and

safety, HIV/Aids, and the environment.

The final criterion within this sphere, commitment to quality, is proxied

by the number of SABS-approved

accreditations held by companies.

Development Policy Research Unit,

TOP500 11th Edition

152

TOP500 11TH EDITION

RANKING

PRIMARY RESOURCES 1. COAL Exxarro Coal Sasol Mining (Pty) Ltd Wescoal Holdings Limited Anglo Operations Limited Glencore Coal SA

2. GOLD DRD GOLD Limited Anglo Gold Ashanti Ltd (Gold income SA)

5. DIVERSIFIED MINING Exxaro Resources Ltd African Rainbow Minerals Ltd Anglo American South Africa Limited Assore Limited South32 SA Coal Holdings Pty Ltd

6. GAS Easigas (Pty) Ltd African Oxygen Limited t/a Afrox Air Liquide (Pty) Ltd Sasol Gas (Pty) Ltd Air Products South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Gold Fields Limited Harmony Gold Mining Ltd

SECONDARY

Sibanye Gold Limited t/a Sibanye-Stillwater

BASIC INDUSTRIES

3. PLATINUM

1. SPECIALITY CHEMICALS

Anglo American Platinum Limited

Sasol Limited

Northam Platinum Limited

AECI Limited

Impala Platinum Holdings Limited

Rolfes Holdings Limited

Royal Bafokeng Platinum

NCP Chlorchem (Pty) Ltd African Oxygen Limited

4. METALS & MINERALS

153

TOP500 11th Edition

Kumba Iron Ore Limited

2. PAINT MANUFACTURES

PalaboraCopper (Pty) Ltd

Kansai Plascon Africa Limited

Assore Limited

Dekro Paints (Pty) Ltd

Merafe Resources Limited

ICI Dulux

Foskor (Pty) Ltd

Luxor Paints (Pty) Ltd

TOP500 11TH EDITION RANKING

3. RETAIL AND COMMERCIAL FUELS Engen Petroleum Limited BP Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd Shell Downstream South Arica (Pty) Ltd Total South Africa (Pty) Ltd

4. BUILDERS MERCHANTS Cashbuild Limited The Building Company (Pty) Ltd Massbuild (Pty) t/a Builders Warehouse Itatile Ceramics Limited

5. CEMENT PPC Limited Afrisam (Pty) Ltd Afrimat Limited Lafarge Industries (Pty) Ltd Sephaku Cement

6. FORESTRY Sappi Manufacturing Mondi Limited Hans Merensky Komatiland Forests (Pty) Ltd

GENERAL INDUSTRIES 1. AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE Armscor

5. HEAVY MACHINERY Bell Equipment Conpany South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Paramount Advanced Technologies (Pty) Ltd

HPE Africa (High Power Equipment) (Pty Ltd

Saab Grintek Defence t/a Saab Grintek Avitronics

Humulani Marketing (Pty) Ltd t/a CSE/Northmec

Reutech Radar Systems a division of Reutech Limited

ELB Equipment Holdings (Pty) Ltd

Thales South Africa Systems (Pty) Ltd

2. DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIALS Barloworld Limited Imperial Logistics Limited

6. ENGINEERING GROUPS Aurecon South Africa (Pty) Ltd Howden Africa Holdings Limited Aecom SA(Pty) Ltd WSP Group Africa (Pty) Ltd

The Bidvest Group Limited KAP International Holdings Limited Argent Industrial Limited

3. ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT Voltex (Pty)Ltd Circuit Breaker Industries

7. CONSULTING ENGINEERING AECOM South Africa ( Pty) Ltd Lesedi Nuclear Services (Pty) Ltd Tenova South Africa (Pty) Ltd Bigen Africa Services (Pty) Ltd Martin & East (Pty) Ltd

Actom (Pty) Ltd Dartcom SA (Pty) Ltd South Ocean Holdings Limited

4. INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS AND EQUIPMENT

CYCLICAL CONSUMER GOODS 1. AUTOMOBILES Mercedez Benz South Africa

7. STEEL

Invicta South Africa Holdings

Volkswagen South Africa

ArcelorMittal South Africa

Hudaco Trading (Pty) Ltd

Mahindra and Mahindra SA (Pty) Ltd

Hulamin Operations (Pty) Ltd

Winhold Limited

Nissan South Africa

MacSteel Service Centre SA

enX Group Limited

Toyota South Africa Motors (Pty) Ltd

BSI Steel Limited

Barloworld Equipment & Power

TOP500 11th Edition

154

NON-CYCLICAL CONSUMER GOODS

5. PHARMACEUTICALS Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited

1. AGRICULTURE

Ascendis Health Limited

Omnia Nutriology

Adcock Ingram Holdings Limited

Senwes Limited

Sanofi Aventis South Africa (Pty) Ltd

5. RESTAURANT & PUB HOLDING COMPANIES Famous Brands Limited Spur Corporation Limited Luxe Holdings (Previously known as Taste Holdings Ltd

OVK Bedryf Beperk GWK

TERTIARY

VKB Group

2. FISHING Oceana Group Limited Sea Harvest Group Limited Premier Fishing South Africa (Pty) Ltd Irvin & Johnston Holding Company (Pty) Ltd Amawandle Hake

CYCLICAL SERVICES 1. SHOPPING CENTRES Eastgate Shopping Centre Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (Pty) Ltd

Multichoice South Africa (Pty) Ltd eMedia Holdigs (Pty) Ltd South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Sentech Limited African Media Entertainment Limited

Gateway Theatre of Shopping

7. BRANDING & DESIGN 2. DIRECT RESPONSE MARKETING Homechoice Holdings Limited

3. F OOD PROCESSING GROUPS

6. BROADCASTING CONTRACTORS

Homemark Verimark Holdings

Tiger Brands Limited Pioneer Foods (Pty) Ltd

3. GAMING AND LEISURE

Rhodes Food Group (Pty) Ltd

Gold Circle

AVI Limited

Sun International Limited

Crookes Brothers Limited

Peermont Global (Pty) Ltd Tsogo Sun Holdings Limited (Gaming)

4. PACKAGING Bowler Metcalf

4. HOTELS

Nampak Limited

Legacy Hotels & Resorts (Pty) Ltd

Transpaco Limited

Tsogo Sun Hotels

Mpact Limited

Peermont Hotels & Resorts

Consol Glass

City Lodge Hotels Limited

Grid Worldwide Branding & Design Group Africa Marketing (Pty) Ltd t/a Exp SA The Switch Design SA (Pty) Ltd Thirty Four Degrees South Marketing (Pty) Ltd

8. ADVERTISING Joe Public United King James Cape Town Pty Ltd M & C Saatchi Abel (Pty) Ltd

9. FOOD SERVICES Bidfood (Pty) Ltd Feedem Group (Pty) Ltd Empact Group (Previously known as Compass Group South Africa (Pty) Ltd )

TOP500 11TH EDITION RANKING

10. LEGAL SERVICES

15. CAR HIRE

19. ROAD FREIGHT

Adams & Adams

CMH Car Hire (Pty) Ltd t/s First Car Rental

Value Group Limited

Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa

Hertz Rent a Car, a division of Unitrans Automotive (Pty) Ltd

Super Group Limited

Webber Wentzel Spoor & Fisher

Springs Car Wholsalers (Pty) Ltd t/a Dollar Thrifty Car Rental

11. EXHIBITON & CONFERENCE VENUES

Rent A Car Division Barloworld South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Johannesburg Expo Centre (JEC

Reed Exhibitions Venue Management t/a The TickectPro Dome Cape Town International Convention

16. FLEET MANAGEMENT & VEHICLE TRACKING

Grindrod Limited

Zeda Car leasing ( Pty) Ltd t/a Avis Fleet

Berry & Donaldson (Pty) Ltd

Fleet Africa (Pty) Ltd

Mediterranean Shipping Company (Pty) Ltd

Mix Telematics Africa (Pty) Ltd

ADvTech Limited

Netstar (Pty) Ltd

Adcorp Holdings Limited

CSG Holdings Limited Workforce Holdings Limited

13. CORPORATE SECURITY SERVICES G4S Secure Solutions (Pty) Ltd Bidvest Protea Coin (Pty) Ltd Fidelity Security Services (Pty) Ltd Excellerate Security Services (Pty) Ltd

14. HYGIENE SERVICES

Onelogix Group Limited

20. SHIPPING

12. RECRUITMENT GROUPS

Primserv Group Limited

Cargo Carriers (Pty) Ltd

Europcar a division of Imperial Group

Sandton Convention Centre CSIR International Convention Centre

Consumer Packaged Goods (Pty) Ltd (previously as Imperial Retail Logistics Africa)

17. FREIGHT FORWARDING Kuehne-Nagel (Pty) Ltd Santova Limited Hellmann Worldwide Logistics (Pty) Ltd

Toll Global Forwarding SA (Pty) Ltd

Maersk (Pty) Ltd

NON-CYCLICAL SERVICES 1. FOOD RETAILERS Spar Group Limited Shoprite Holdings Limited Pick n Pay Stores Limited

Kintetsu Worldwide Express

Woolworths Holdings Limited

18. COURIER SERVICES

2. TELECOMS (WIRELESS)

Aramex South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Vodacom Group Limited

DHL International (Pty) Ltd t/a DHL Express

MTN Group Limited

Bidvest Steiner (Pty) Ltd

Dawn Wing (a divison of DPD Laser Express Logistics (Pty) Ltd

Rentokil Initial (Pty) Ltd

Skynet South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Sanitech a Division of Waco Africa (Pty) Ltd

Globeflight Worldwide Express (SA)

Cell C

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156

FINANCIAL

5. INVESTMENT SERVICES

1. BANKS

PSG Konsult Ltd

The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited

JSE Limited

ABSA Group Limited FirstRand Limited Capitec Bank Holdings Limited

Vunani Limited Sasfin Holdings Limited Cadiz Holdings (Pty) Ltd

6. R EAL ESTATE HOLDINGS AND DEVELOPMENT Growthpoint Properties Limited Vukile Property Fund Limited Redefine Properties Limited Fortress Reit Limited Hyprop Investments Limited

Nedbank Group Limited

2. SHORT-TERM INSURANCE Outsurance (Short term Insurance) Santam Limited Old Mutual Insure Limited Rand Merchant Insurance Holdings AIG South Africa

3. LIFE INSURANCE Old Mutual Life Assurance Company South Africa Limited Sanlam Life Insurance Limited Clientele Limited Liberty Holdings Limited (Life Insurance) MMI Holdings Limited (Life Insurance)

4. I NVESTMENT HOLDING COMPANIES Hosken Consolidated Investments Limited

7. ASSET MANAGEMENT Old Mutual Investment Group (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd PSG Group Limited Allan Gray Limited Investec Limited Coronation Fund Managers Limited

8. ACCOUNTING AND CONSULTING PricewaterhouseCoopers South Africa Ernst & Young KPMG South Africa SNG Grant Thornton Deloitte

9. SPECIALISED FINANCE Zeder Investment Limited

Royal Bafokeng Holdings (Pty) Ltd

PSG Konsult Limited

Remgro Limited

Alexander Forbes Group Holdings Limited

African Equity Empowerment Investments Brimstone Investment Corporation Limited

157

TOP500 11th Edition

Transaction Capital Limited Deneb Investment Limited

TOP500 11TH EDITION RANKING

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 1. COMPUTER HARDWARE Mustek Limited Alviva Holdings Limited Hewlett Packard South Africa Dell Computer (Pty) Ltd IBM South Africa (Pty) Ltd

2. IT COMPONENT DISTRIBUTION Rectron (Pty) Ltd Tarsus Distribution (Pty) Ltd Pinnacle Micro (Pty) Ltd Axiz (Pty) Ltd

4. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUPS

6. B USINESS SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS

BCX (Pty) Ltd

SAS Institute (Pty) Ltd

Altron TMT SA Group (Pty) Ltd

T-Systems SA (Pty) Ltd (TSSA)

Sizwe Africa IT Group Alviva Holdings Limited EOH Holdings Limited

Microsoft SA SAP South Africa (Pty) Ltd Sage South Africa (Pty) Ltd

3. TOTAL OFFICE PROVIDERS

5. TELECOMMUNICATIONS SOLUTIONS

Samsung Nac (copiers)

Jasco Electronic Holdings Limited

Nashua (Pty) Ltd

Huge Telecom (Pty) Ltd

1. SERVICE DELIVERY

Kyocera Document Solutions

TeleMasters Holdings Limited

Bytes Document Solutions

Westcon Comztek (Pty) Ltd

ESKOM Holdings SOC Limited

Ricoh South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Vox Telecom (Pty) Ltd

SOC

Transnet SOC Limited Telkom SA (SOC) Limited Airports Company South Africa (SOC) Limited Sentech Limited

TOP500 11th Edition

158

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