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Introduction
Senwes believes that black economic empowerment is an essential
ingredient in facilitating the meaningful participation of blacks at all
levels of the South African economy, in order to ensure sustainable
socio-political and economic stability and the sustainability of the
economic growth and development.
Senwes’s approach to BEE is based on the perspective that BEE is an
economic and business imperative. Senwes seeks to play an active role in
enhancing this meaningful participation of blacks in engaging them as
shareholders, directors, employees, customers, business partners,
suppliers, and as a community.
The Senwes approach to BEE is an integrated approach. It covers six main
areas namely: equity ownership and control, employment equity, skills
development, preferential procurement, enterprise development and
corporate social responsibility.
Our approach seeks to engage all our stakeholders in creating an
enabling environment, contributing to the development of the country and
the transformation of the economy.
In executing its BEE strategy, Senwes will remain focused, competitive,
delivering services and results of a high standard, playing our role as
a good corporate citizen, and exercising good corporate governance.
BEE key principles
- It is an ongoing process and not an event
- It is a business imperative and an integral component of the
company’s business strategy and is based on the core values of the
organisation
- It must result in meaningful and significant participation of
blacks in the company and in the broader economy, through
substantial changes in the racial composition of ownership, control,
management structures and of skilled and specialist positions
- It must lead to advantaged strategic position for the company,
greater profitability, business growth and sustainable increase in
stakeholder value
- It is the responsibility of all management in the organisation
BEE strategic objectives
Senwes’s black economic empowerment initiative seeks to achieve the
following objectives:
- To strategically position Senwes as a company with the profile
and capacity to provide agri-products and services to the South
African community
- To ensure meaningful transformation at all levels of Senwes as a
company
- To transform the environment, to make it more enabling to the
achievement of empowerment objectives
- To integrate all Senwes empowerment initiatives and ensure
synergy of purpose
- To facilitate the active involvement of the Senwes family in the
transformation and development of South Africa
- To create opportunities for the establishment and development of
black owned enterprises
Purpose of BEE policy
The purpose of this policy document is:
- To develop a shared model and framework for understanding BEE
within Senwes
- To create internal awareness for the implementation of the BEE
strategy
- To demonstrate commitment to BEE
- To facilitate the effective implementation of the BEE strategy
- To monitor and evaluate the performance on BEE and the
achievement of set targets
Senwes BEE approach and key elements
The Senwes black economic empowerment strategy is based on a six pillars
approach. It is an approach that combines a variety of elements into a
coherent process.
The approach emphasises integration and synergy between the various
elements, within a given environment as indicated below:
- Ownership and control
- Employment equity
- Skills development
- Preferential procurement
- Enterprise development
- Corporate social responsibility
The environment
The environment represents the broad context within which the
empowerment process should take place. Any change initiative, including
black economic empowerment, that ignores the organisational environment
will at best result in minimal benefit and impact, and at worst in total
failure.
Our objective is to create an enabling, friendly, conducive and
supportive environment, in which all employees can make a contribution
and realise their own potential.
Ownership and control
Senwes has made a strategic decision to provide for black equity
ownership that would result in the company being classified as black
empowered.
This positioning should result in significant black participation in
governance and executive control.
Senwes will pursue a broad based approach in selecting strategic equity
partners. This will include our employees and local communities.
Employment equity
Senwes will seek to develop a diverse workforce and achieve equity at
all levels of operations through a holistic approach. That will
incorporate effective targeted recruitment and selection, promotion and
succession planning, loyalty and retention strategies, cultural
transformation, and effective diversity management, as well as the
provision of an enabling environment.
It is here where employees are treated with respect, are recognised and
appropriately rewarded, and have opportunities to make a meaningful
contribution to business success, and to realise their full potential.
Senwes’s approach to employment equity seeks to change not only the
demographics of the organisation, but also the attitudes and perceptions
of people.
Real organisational transformation and indeed black economic empowerment
will come when people change the way they think about each other as
social groups.
Skills development
Senwes as an organisation relies primarily on highly skilled employees.
To this end the organisation seeks to develop, nurture, maximise the
deployment and management of such skills and competencies. Senwes values
and will seek to actively encourage staff development.
We believe that quality staff development, which provides employees with
the opportunity to contribute more effectively by developing their
particular abilities and skills, is important to the organisation’s
performance and reputation.
We will endeavour to expose more black people to all the operational
areas of the company and agri-business through a variety of skills and
management development programmes, on the job training, mentoring,
coaching and support.
Preferential procurement
Senwes will seek to broaden its supplier base through the provision of
opportunities for previously disadvantaged enterprises and individuals
to supply goods and services on a preferred basis.
The preferential procurement strategy will be based on commercial
sustainable principles, and not on a social responsibility basis.
Senwes will through this policy attempt to indirectly influence the
transformation of its suppliers with respect to their black economic
empowerment.
This will be done through the encouraging of subcontracting, joint
ventures and set-asides.
Enterprise development
The success of broad based black economic empowerment is highly
dependent on a strong and growing black entrepreneurship.
The economic growth of South Africa and the commensurate redistribution
of economic wealth will succeed if there is an increase in the
development of new SMME’s and the growth of existing ones.
Senwes will facilitate the establishment and expansion of targeted
sustainable and commercially viable small and medium enterprises in the
black community.
We will do this through investments, facilitating access to capital,
business resources, markets, linkages between big and small businesses,
procurement, entrepreneurial and technical support, and management
development.
Most specifically, Senwes is involved in the development of emerging
black commercial farmers, through the provision of technical support,
facilitation of access to capital, training, input supply and
mentorship.
Corporate social investments
Corporate social investment is a license for business to operate in the
society in which it operates. It is an investment in the community, so
as to create an environment that is safe, healthy, secure, and conducive
to do business.
At Senwes we are committed to all our employees, the communities in
which we conduct our business, the environment in which we operate, the
sustainability of the environment, and to the sustainable development of
our country and all her people.
To this end the company will, through its corporate social investment
initiatives find an integrated “strategic fit” between community needs
and investment opportunities to which we can harness our expertise,
resources, and infrastructure to the benefit of both the
business and the community.
We will focus on forming strategic, sound and meaningful partnerships
with the communities, civil society and government, in dealing with
community needs and problems in an integrated and sustainable way.
Focus will be given to areas of strategic importance to Senwes and where
maximum and sustainable community development impact can be achieved.
If you have any questions or comments about this page, send an e-mail
to Joe.Maswanganyi@senwes.co.za
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Senwes BEE brochure