Enterprise Africa April 2021

AFRICA

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR AFRICA’S INDUSTRY LEADERS

May 2021

www.enterprise-africa.net

The Bank to Bring New Life to Rosebank Exclusive interview with Blend Property Group CEO, Mark Corbishley

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

SAKHIWO Health Solutions / Warwick Wealth / Glodina / Lekela

EDITOR’S LETTER

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EDITOR Joe Forshaw  joe@enterprise-africa.co.za SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER Sam Hendricks  sam@enterprise-africa.co.za SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER James Davey  jamesd@enterprise-africa.co.za PROJECT MANAGER Chris Wright  chrisw@enterprise-africa.co.za PROJECT MANAGER Christina Allcock  christina@enterprise-africa.co.za PROJECT MANAGER Eleanor Sarbutt-King  eleanor@enterprise-africa.co.za SENIOR DESIGNER Liam Woodbine  liam@enterprise-africa.co.za CONTRIBUTOR CONTRIBUTOR CONTRIBUTOR CONTRIBUTOR CONTRIBUTOR CONTRIBUTOR CONTRIBUTOR

Manelesi Dumasi Karl Pietersen David Napier Timothy Reeder Colin Chinery Benjamin Southwold William Denstone

Published by Chris Bolderstone – General Manager E. chris@cmb-media.co.uk Rouen House, Rouen Road, Norwich NR1 1RB +44 (0) 1603 855 161 E. info@cmb-media.co.uk www.cmb-media.co.uk CMB Media Group does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors. The points of view expressed in articles by attributing writers and/ or in advertisements included in this magazine do not necessarily represent those of the publisher.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within this magazine, no legal responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for loss arising from use of information published. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrievable system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher. © CMB Media Group Ltd 2021

Remarkably, it seems that business continues to progress and develop despite vast numbers of senior staff continuing with a flexible approach to work and spending more time away from the office, working from home.

For those that can, working from home has actually thrown up major benefits – improved connectivity, no commute, a direct refocussing on core metrics, and a forced investment into technologies which have resulted in solid performance. Of course, it has not been easy for all – those in shared accommodation, or with smaller spaces and larger families – but the overarching feedback seems to be that the forced process has been workable and can be tailored to succeed going forward.

At Warwick Wealth, one of South Africa’s leading wealth management businesses, meeting clients face-to-face was a key strategy component and something the company will look to get back to. But, while utilising a more distant approach, Warwick has still managed to achieve a fantastic performance through the pandemic.

The same is true at Lekela – one of Africa’s leading renewable power project businesses. Much planning went into keeping employees and communities safe while continuing to deliver large infrastructure projects which came online during some of the most uncertain times of the past year.

But for Blend Property Group and SAKHIWO Health Solutions, ongoing investment into physical assets in the commercial and healthcare industries has been important.

While slightly adjusting strategy, both of these property organisations have pushed forward with development of buildings where people will undoubtedly work together in shared space.

One thing remains certain – the future is still uncertain on many fronts. Get in touch and let us know how your company has adapted to the ‘new normal’ and when/if you will get back to pure office working - we’re online.

Joe Forshaw EDITOR

GET IN TOUCH  +44 (0) 1603 855 161  joe@enterprise-africa.co.za www.enterprise-africa.net

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8// BLEND PROPERTY GROUP The Bank to Bring New Life to Rosebank The Bank, from Blend Property Group, is the new business and lifestyle hub of Rosebank and brings together first-class business services, a new voco® hotel, and vibrant retail and hospitality offerings. The former FNB building is a flagship project for Blend and is also a demonstration of what is possible with modern green technologies.

CEO Mark Corbishley tells Enterprise Africa more…

8// 4 / www.enterprise-africa.net

CONTENTS

16// 8// 16// 24// 30// 36// 40// 46//

BLEND PROPERTY GROUP The Bank to Bring New Life to Rosebank SAKHIWO HEALTH SOLUTIONS Health Industry to Benefit from Alternative Funding and Tech Solutions WARWICK WEALTH Warwick Wealth: “Relax. We’re Here for You” GLODINA Glodina ‘Set Back by a Year’ but Remains Positive GRINDING TECHNIQUES Your Industry Partner LEKELA Turning Up the Focus on African Renewable Energy GOGO GROUP/EKM EXPORTS Picky About Fruit so you Don’t Have to be www.enterprise-africa.net / 5

PIC APPOINTS NEW CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) has announced the appointment of Makano Mosidi as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO), effective 1 May 2021.

In a statement, the PIC said Makano’s mandate will be to provide sound leadership in all aspects of the business’ information and communications technology as well as leveraging technology to position the PIC as the leading asset manager.

Makano joins the PIC from Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) at Standard Bank.

“She is a seasoned and highly experienced CTO, having been in Executive roles for the past 24 years, with an overall ICT working experience of 31 years,” the corporation said.

Her career spans across both private and public sectors, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in organisations including IBM, Accenture, Ernst and Young, the North West Provincial Government, the State Information Technology (SITA) SOC Ltd, New Dawn Technologies, EDS Enterprise Solutions, Relational Database Consulting (RDC), Dimension Data and Transnet SOC Ltd.

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EMPLOYMENT STIMULUS SUPPORTS OVER HALF A MILLION UNEMPLOYED

© GCIS

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Presidential Employment Stimulus, as of March this year, supported more than 650,000 people through public employment programmes.

“We are undertaking the Presidential Employment Stimulus to provide work opportunities through public employment programmes, as well as through the protection of existing jobs and support for livelihoods.

“By the end of March, the Presidential Employment Stimulus had supported over 650,000 opportunities through a wide range of programmes for people who would have otherwise been unemployed, with over half a million participants already at work,” he said.

The President said as part of the employment stimulus: • More than 300,000 education assistants were placed in over 20,000 schools across South Africa. Funding has also been provided to protect vulnerable teaching posts; • Income support is being provided to more than 100,000 workers in the Early Childhood Development sector; • More than 50,000 opportunities are being created in public employment programmes in the environment sector, including in natural resource management, fire prevention and the war on waste; • Almost 2000 artisans have been hired by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to support water and energy efficiency, facilities management and the Welisizwe Rural Bridges Programme; • The expansion of the Global Business Services incentive has enabled the creation of more than 8000 new jobs in the sector since October; • More than 100,000 small-scale and subsistence farmers are being provided with input vouchers to expand production.

He said as government enters the second phase of the Stimulus, the focus will be on ensuring that it establishes pathways for participants into private sector employment, education and training, or other enterprise support.

NEWS SNAPSHOT ESKOM BEGINS WAGE TALKS As wage talks with its recognised labour unions are about to get underway, Eskom has urged parties to put the country’s best interests first.

Negotiations with trade unions are set to conclude on 3 June 2021.

“Wage talks may be unpredictable and, depending on the positions taken by the parties, could result in tensions arising. Eskom would like to assure the public that it will do everything possible to attempt to reach consensus that is financially sustainable and in the best interest of its employees, the public and the country at large,” said Eskom.

The power utility said that if disruptions “were to occur, these may have a negative impact on our

infrastructure and operations, which may compromise our ability to supply electricity”.

During the talks in the Central Bargaining Forum, Eskom will engage with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) and Solidarity to determine the conditions of employment and wages for all non-managerial employees.

The unions are the recognised labour representatives of Eskom’s bargaining unit employees.

“Eskom will be approaching the talks in good faith, with the best interests of the company, its employees and the country at heart.”

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY STRATEGY ROADMAP FOCUSES ON HYDROGEN South Africa is finalising the much-anticipated Hydrogen Society Roadmap as the country shapes its industrialisation and economic pathway.

This development was recently outlined by the Department of Science and Innovation’s (DSI) Chief Director for Hydrogen and Energy, Dr Rebecca Maserumule.

Crafting the document began last year and is expected to be finalised in the next three months.

Dr Maserumule outlined this during a webinar on the future of alternative energy sources.

“We think that around this transition, the lynchpin is hydrogen – that is with prior emphasis on green hydrogen. The emphasis of the roadmap really is how do we, as South Africa, try to find insights in the expectations and purposes towards how we should make this movement?”

The roadmap is a collaborative roundtable of which all relevant stakeholders are at equal footing and the issues of gender equality and social inclusion are at the forefront.

These revolve around how the energy sector would contribute towards the country’s efforts in building an inclusive economy while “making sure that we reduce poverty and inequality while moving towards a sustainable future for South Africa.”

This considers stakeholder benefits such as job creation, economic growth and development, industrialisation or the sustainable industrialisation contribution towards energy security.

“The growth areas for the sector are around energy in the mining sector, transport industry, buildings, [and the] export of green hydrogens to other economies (either Europe or Asia) in resource development,” says

the Chief Director.

For South Africa, industrialisation is an important ideal.

“That is an aspiration that we have as a country. We are building our economic growth out of COVID on the back of infrastructure development. In order to do that effectively, while keeping to our Paris Agreement commitments, we really need to maximise system value.”

She adds that at the core of maximising system value is the expansion of renewable energy.

Addressing issues around energy efficiency, and grid system upgrade interventions are central to successfully achieving this.

“This plays into transforming the energy system. This is looking at power in market reforms,” she says while also mentioning the unbundling of power utility Eskom which is currently underway.

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BLEND PROPERTY GROUP

The Bank to Bring New Life to Rosebank PRODUCTION: David Napier

The Bank, from Blend Property Group, is the new business and lifestyle hub of Rosebank and brings together first-class business services, a new voco® hotel, and vibrant retail and hospitality offerings. The former FNB building is a flagship project for Blend and is also a demonstration of what is possible with modern green technologies. CEO Mark Corbishley tells Enterprise Africa more…

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INDUSTRY FOCUS: PROPERTY

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In Rosebank – the trendy cosmopolitan hub between central Jo’burg and Sandton – a one-of-a-kind development described as ‘the ultimate investment node in Johannesburg’ has been carefully created by Blend Property Group.

The Bank, a unique and historic high-rise, has been injected with new life. A 1970s FNB building, on the corner of Tyrwhitt Road and Craddock Avenue, The Bank is perfectly nestled in the heart of a thriving business, residential and lifestyle community.

Close to the Gautrain, Rosebank Mall, and the Zone shopping centre, this exciting new concept is a mixed-use

// MOST ENGINEERS WILL TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN ADD ONE OR TWO STOREYS TO A PROPERTY; WE ADDED EIGHT //

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development, home to first-class office space, an international hotel, and a restaurant which is quickly gaining a reputation as a shining light in the Johannesburg social scene because of its amazing food and chic but luxurious décor.

The 13-storey, 14,000m2 development from Blend Property Group is described by CEO Mark Corbishley as a ‘feather in the cap’ after what was a challenging year for all businesses battling through tough conditions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Bank is a demonstration of the appeal of the area, attracting big names as tenants. It is home to the first voco® brand hotel in Africa – a product of the IHG Group – designed to bring business and professional travellers to the area. Office space has been taken by consistently successful businesses including Rand Merchant Investment Holdings, Transaction Capital and Taquanta Asset Managers.

Workshop 17, one of the country’s leading flexible workspace providers,

is involved with the provision of industry-leading office environments – an extremely important offering right now with the balance of home and on-site working shifting all the time. On the ground floor, the Trio Group has installed its latest offering, headed by chef Christo Nortier, the 250-seat Proud Mary restaurant.

A LANDMARK For what was previously a relatively monotonous ‘70s bank building, the R500 million project is a major achievement for Blend Property Group and is a testament to South African design and creativity. Stylish, modern, upmarket and packed with innovation, The Bank is a success story for Gauteng, where development has been mixed with cranes only seen periodically over the past few decades.

“We’ve just completed it and we see it as a true landmark in the heart of Rosebank,” says Corbishley.

“We acquired the building in 2016 and sought the best and most artistic

BLEND PROPERTY GROUP

minds in the country to modernise. It started out as a 4000 m2 four-storey structure but has been transformed.

“Most engineers will tell you that you can add one or two storeys to a property; we added eight. This involved significant reinforcement of the existing columns as well as beefing up the foundations. We had to bring in a specialised micro-pile machine (there was only one in South Africa) that could fit in our existing 2.3m high basement and place micropiles around the existing columns; it was a four-month process and was exceptionally difficult.

“We have retail on the ground floor, we have serviced offices in partnership with Workshop 17 on the first and second, we have some vanilla office space that is available on the third and fourth, we have a 131 key voco® hotel – the first in Africa -, and the top two floors are home to RMI Holdings in what we call the penthouse office spaces.”

Currently, the property is a complete project and 5000m2 of the 6000m2 total office space has been let. The hotel is expected to open in September as Covid restrictions in international markets ease and confidence returns to the tourism industry.

“It attracts global leaders who identify with the vision of living with easy access to modern conveniences and services without the pretentiousness so prevalent in upscale developments,” says Corbishley.

Rosebank’s population is small. The suburb only has a minor residential offering, but those that live in the area contribute to a range of big businesses with head offices based locally. Clearly, the appeal of Rosebank is for visitors. Shoppers, leisure, business and commercial travellers coming into the area know that they can expect vibrant pedestrian and café culture within the suburb’s characteristic village charm and contemporary city-style.

Sketch Studio is a boutique interior design studio that specialises in retail and restaurant design. The studio is headed up by interior architect, Enrike de Villiers, and is based in the vibrant city of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Sketch Studio’s most recent completed project is Proud Mary at The Bank building in Rosebank.

Quintessence. Commitment. Convivial.

These values are the cornerstone of Sketch Studio which we strive to always uphold.

www.sketchstudio.co.za info@sketchstudio.co.za | +27 82 567 7944

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INDUSTRY FOCUS: PROPERTY

SA’S BEST The Bank has been lovingly revitalised

by South Africa’s own Daffonchio Architects and Enrico Daffonchio, alongside Nkuli Nhleko of Imbewu Design who completed the interior design. Littered with fine art, collated

by Art Gazette curator Morné Visagie and SA art veteran David Krut, shared space at The Bank has not been left out. One of the largest collections of South African art to ever be located in a single space, the collection at The Bank covers the restaurant, offices, hotel and courtyard.

Proud Mary, with its feeling of a glitzy 20s Manhattan whisky bar, was decked out by Sketch Studios and comes from popular restaurateurs Gary Hollywood and Warren Murley.

“We launched Proud Mary and it has been a phenomenal success – it is the talk of the town at the moment,” says Corbishley. “We have a huge number of A-listers that have frequented the space. At one lunch sitting, we had Victor Matfield on one table, Kerry McGregor at the bar, and Black Coffee with friends on another table. It is the place to be and it has created quite the spin in the Jo’burg social scene which is nice for social media attention.

“We took the decision to not have a food and beverage operation within the hotel, we decided to outsource it. Proud Mary does both its own patrons as well as the hotel – so as a guest of voco® at The Bank, you can walk down and have breakfast at Proud Mary and it will be an à la carte breakfast experience rather than a typical hotel buffet.

They will also do the room service, corporate functions for the offices, and food for Workshop 17.”

Importantly, The Bank has been designed with the future in mind and utilises modern technology that adds environmental efficiency to the building. Soon, the building will operate completely independently from the Eskom grid, and Corbishley

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BLEND PROPERTY GROUP

is also keen to get the building away from the national water supply.

“It’s a nice story in terms of the greening of the building,” he says.

“We have some amazing technology, including a 90kw solar array on the roof and a 416kw gas genset as we

// WE TRY TO BUY WELL; REWORK THE ASSET - DEVELOP IT, EXTEND IT, REPURPOSE IT, PUT IN NEW TENANTS, GET THE RENTALS UP, STABILISE IT, AND THEN MOVE TO THE NEXT PROJECT //

are connected, via a high-pressure gas line into the building, to the Egoli Gas line. We expect the building to draw approximately 400kw on average and, for 90% of its usage, this building will be completely off-grid. We are looking at putting a battery pack that will be able to store energy and take us off the power grid completely.

“We are busy installing a borehole in the basement which will supplement the municipal supply, this water will be filtered to sans 214 compliance before joining our municipal supply.

“We have a first-of-its-kind in Africa air conditioning system – a Mitsubishi VRF. As all units are linked to a central control, we are able to load throttle the start-up and prevent unnecessary peak draws. The hotel component uses Mitsubishi’s two-pipe heat recovery system, this system uses special BC controllers

that use by-product from one unit for another unit’s heat/cooling source.

In the morning, heat given off by cooling rooms on the eastern façade is diverted to units on the western façade that are in warming mode; much of the building’s need can be handled just by off-setting, without the need for external energy sources – it’s very clever.”

The design of the façade includes 65% face brick and 35% double glazing - 12mm argon infill with thermal aluminium frames and automatic louvres for the harsher western façade.

The Bank also comes with a full ICT package, including back-up internet lines, to ensure businesses are uninterrupted. Valet parking services and video conferencing booths complete the offering, highlighting the building’s focus on a modern, smart way of working.

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INDUSTRY FOCUS: PROPERTY

BEST IN CLASS Blend Property Group, established in 2006, has been working to bestin-class standards since day one.

The company has seen the ups and downs in the economy and property industry, and has successfully navigated each situation.

Perhaps one of the company’s most notable projects, prior to its work in Rosebank, is the Harrington in Cape Town. Just to the east of the city’s CBD, the 11,000m2 building is a mixed-use space, home to flexible office space and secure underground parking. Completed in 2017, the project took a similar path to The Bank, revitalising an existing structure and bringing it into the modern world while at the same time boosting the local community.

Blend’s expertise is demonstrated across its rich portfolio. “We are a privately held commercial property fund,” says Corbishley. “60% of our portfolio is offices and the balance

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is a mix of industrial and hospitality assets. We tend to trade a lot and we have five-year investment terms on most of our assets.

“We try to buy well; rework the asset - develop it, extend it, repurpose it, put in new tenants, get the rentals up, stabilise it, and then move to the next project.”

Currently, the company’s gross asset base is around R2.2 billion across a gross lettable area of around 200,000 m2.

But, even for a business like Blend with many years experience and enviable industry knowledge, work has not been easy. The commercial property market was

BLEND PROPERTY GROUP

under pressure for many years prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, thanks in part to the continued lacklustre performance of the South African economy. Retailers are now reimagining their physical premises – with digital commerce and cost as a first thought; office space occupancy is being overhauled as businesses adapt to new working patterns and trust employees to work from home; and property owners are looking at how they can secure their yields without scaring investors and tenants.

Interestingly, in April, South Africa’s real estate investment trust

// IT STARTED OUT AS A 4000 M2 FOURSTOREY STRUCTURE BUT HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED //

(Reit) or listed property sector became the top performing asset class on the JSE. This bounce back is welcome after a very difficult 2020 for the industry. Most point to the lifting of harsh restrictions and resultant economic improvement as key drivers of growth. If the country can avoid further Covid-19-related waves, harsh lockdowns, and manages to improve its vaccine rollout, there is confidence that the listed property sector can strengthen further. Property is still a haven for investors and especially those who know what they want and which partners will help them achieve it.

Blend brings property management and corporate real estate services to the market, and the key selling point across these offerings is the ability to allow clients to focus on their own core business.

In the future, the company is investigating new mixed-use projects, including two exciting prospects in

Gauteng, and is bullish about where its ambitions can be taken.

With most talking about the pandemic in the past tense, Blend - as a fully integrated property business – will use The Bank as a prominent part of its marketing moving forward and will look to continue doing what it does best - what it has done for the past 15 years, achieving phenomenal results with its portfolio.

The powerful New York art decostyle design of The Bank now fits seamlessly into the Rosebank skyline, bolstering the appeal of the area and proving what is possible with the right approach.

WWW.BLENDPROPERTY.CO.ZA

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SAKHIWO HEALTH SOLUTIONS

Health Industry to Benefit

from Alternative Funding and Tech Solutions PRODUCTION: Manelesi Dumasi

The Coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the inability of healthcare systems to deal with major disease outbreaks and events. With many viewing this as a reason to hide, SAKHIWO Health Solutions sees opportunity. “We are seeking to work with our international partners to look at alternative funding models that will enable governments to deliver on healthcare infrastructure,” CEO Dr Tebogo Mphake tells Enterprise Africa. www.enterprise-africa.net / 17

INDUSTRY FOCUS: HEALTH

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In August 2019, the environment for SAKHIWO Health Solutions was looking good. The Pretoria-based turnkey results provider for the healthcare industry was facing a pipeline in excess of R10 billion of hospital development projects, ranging from affordable to best-in-class private facilities.

Corporate Director, Johann Loubser told Enterprise Africa that SAKHIWO was “very bullish” and that it was “a time for us to move more aggressively in the market”.

But, like with many others, the Covid-19 pandemic has slowed down some of SAKHIWO’s investment and development plans. However, the outbreak of the virus has cast a light on ill-prepared healthcare facilities around the world, emphasising the need for ongoing innovation and investment.

“Obviously, the pandemic has slowed things down in that area,” says SAKHIWO CEO, Dr Tebogo Mphake, talking about the company’s proposed movement into the affordable health

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provision sector. “But we are engaged with a process with the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) to look at a project preparation fund for four budget hospitals which will enable us to take them to full bankability and get investors in so we can take the idea forward.

“The pandemic and the resultant economic slowdown, in our view, has not necessarily meant that there is decreased demand on our services.

In fact, what happened is that it has exposed the soft underbelly of our healthcare systems throughout the world. Almost everyone realised that our healthcare systems are not geared towards managing and containing this and other possible future pandemics.

What that has done is create pent up demand for infrastructure in order to ensure our healthcare systems, around the world, are resilient.”

SAKHIWO has built its reputation on quality and delivery, completing the development of Cecilia Makiwane Hospital, Frere Hospital Oncology and

ICU for the Department of Health in the Eastern Cape, and is well on course to deliver on Limpopo Central Hospital in Polokwane and Siloam Hospital in Vhembe District, Limpopo for the National Department of Health.

While some provide a singular approach, bringing just equipment solutions or staffing offerings, SAKHIWO’s unique proposition is its ability to bring a project from concept to reality, implementing every step of the process from financial viability to planning and design and construction management, through to procurement of equipment, training of staff and ongoing facilities management.

// WE ARE VERY BULLISH ABOUT OUR BUSINESS AND WHAT THE PROSPECTS LOOK LIKE //

SAKHIWO HEALTH SOLUTIONS

ALTERNATIVE FUNDING In collaboration with international partners, SAKHIWO’s expertise in building funding models and finance solutions is unrivalled in the South African healthcare sector. With multiple projects funded effectively through innovative models, each package is tailored to the specific needs of the area, industry and requirements. During the pandemic, the way projects are funded has changed again, and investors have an even closer eye on returns.

Perhaps an indicator on the strength of finance for the health sector in South Africa comes when looking at the country’s position globally in the Covid-19 vaccine rollout. To date, the supply of jabs into the country has been slow and there has been issues securing contracts with the major global providers with only a small percentage of the population receiving any form of vaccine.

This is concerning considering that Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s budget in March was heavily dedicated towards pandemic relief, coming at a cost to other healthcare priorities.

“Obviously, the fiscus is under pressure,” says Mphake, “but government will have to manage that. We are seeking to work with our international partners to look at alternative funding models that will enable governments to deliver on social infrastructure, such as in healthcare. We are looking at export credit funding, with export credit agencies, which will result in us being able to deliver on Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) models of delivery.

That means governments do not have to worry about putting a lot of cash up front but can enter into an agreement, even on a government-to-government basis, with export credit agencies who can ensure that those governments get credit on an affordable basis.

“We are seeking to influence our government to think about these options so that we are able to roll out more projects so that the healthcare systems in African countries can be resilient and robust.”

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INDUSTRY FOCUS: HEALTH

SAKHIWO is a partner of VAMED, Austria– one of Europe’s largest healthcare companies and collaborates with development funding institutions (DFIs); and through these partnerships can maximise knowledge and expertise leading to the development of unique funding and servicing solutions that suit local challenges.

// IN THE FACILITY MANAGEMENT SPACE, THERE IS ROOM TO TAP INTO THE DIGITAL SPACE AND LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE REMOTE MONITORING OF FACILITIES, REMOTE MONITORING OF EQUIPMENT, AND REMOTE MONITORING OF PLANT // 20 / www.enterprise-africa.net

“Governments, on one hand, are struggling with the impact of the pandemic, but we know that there is a need to focus investing more into healthcare facilities. That will come with a need for reprioritisation of funds away from other programmes,” admits Mphake.

“On the other hand, we are dealing with major infrastructure projects – hospitals the size of Limpopo Central Hospital of 488 beds – which are being identified by governments as major drivers of growth.

From that perspective, we are very bullish about our business and what the prospects look like.”

Of course, the private sector has a major role to play in bringing about true change in the state of facilities across Southern Africa. For this reason, SAKHIWO is establishing partnering with various players along the healthcare value chain and in order to position the firm’s participation in public private partnerships.

“An area that we will focus on is the opportunity for us, alongside government, to expand more on private-public partnerships, particularly in a time when the fiscus of our clients is under pressure,” says Mphake.

EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY According to the Lancet, sub-Saharan Africa is becoming a hotbed of innovation for digital health services. For patient management and disease surveillance and prevention, in a region which is underserved by healthcare providers and faces funding deficiencies digital solutions are being adopted quickly to help fill voids. By using Internet of Things (IoT) - connected systems and devices, including wearable technologies - new diagnostic concepts are being developed.

Social media has been adopted to spread promotional messages around health across the region; and big data analytics have been employed to prepare for and manage outbreaks. Driven by the ever-growing use of smart phone and feature phone technology, and the desire of telecommunication companies to find new revenue channels, digital health strategies have so far been developed by 41 of the 54 African nations. With a population where 43% of people are between the ages 0 to 14 years, future projections are that technology and digital innovations will play an increasingly important role in Africa’s healthcare sector.

SAKHIWO HEALTH SOLUTIONS

Newtown Landscape Architects NLA strives for sustainable environments that have cultural, artistic and ecological merit. For the past 27 years NLA’s designs recognised the realities of the contemporary situation as well as the influences that gave uniqueness to place. This approach is evident in the many different projects completed by the firm. NLA provide well-managed design, development and environmental plans and offer an array of services, focusing on sustainability and expertise that can add long-term value to a project. NLA are committed to quality of design and service.

Drawing on the members' extensive experience, we are able to respond timeously and effectively to the specific needs of our Clients.

SERVICES

“There is a need to focus on health technology across a broader continuum of healthcare,” confirms Mphake. “Focusing on equipment and ensuring we have the best available, but also ensuring that the equipment is serviced and maintained properly.

Therein lies an opportunity to tap into the digital health space in terms of focus on how we can use IoT to ensure processes in hospitals are improved and to ensure, from a patient care perspective, that maintenance and management of medical equipment is first class. Data, AI and robotics will also become more important to the industry and therefore important to SAKHIWO. To that end, we already have a contract with the DBSA to have technology consultants on three community health centres where we can ensure that equipment is planned, installed and properly maintained.”

Some reports suggest that, with $1.3 billion being poured into African healthcare between 2015 and 2020 through private equity and venture capital, digital healthcare concepts could become the next fintech-type arena, with large ROI to be made as well as solving problems for those in need.

To implement digital strategies, it is imperative for SAKHIWO to be involved throughout the lengthy development process, to ensure cohesiveness. SAKHIWO’s approach to health facility development is centred around the deployment of appropriate technology right from the inception of any project. The process starts with the application of our industry leading Building Information Modelling (BIM) application, CodeBook and the latest architectural design softwares. Our design professional and engineers then ensure that any facility that we develop is future ready and incorporate the requirements of green technologies and digital health and facility management technologies . These digital technologies include machine learning , internet-of- things , robotics as well as virtual and augmented reality.

Landscape Architecture Visual Impact specialists Urban Design & Master Planning Open Space & Ecological Planning Environmental Impact Assessment Sustainability & Greening Specialists

www.newla.co.za johan@newla.co.za +27824426114

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INDUSTRY FOCUS: HEALTH

The company is well-versed in facility management, offering this service up as a key part of the portfolio. Without ongoing contracts to manage facilities from the ground up, it would quickly become difficult to apply digital solutions to problems and train staff to keep up to date.

“With facilities maintenance management, it’s good to rather revamp facilities than build from new, but it is equally important to ensure that they are properly equipped and maintained. We have competence in that area, and we are going to be expanding that across our customer base. In the facility management space, there is room to tap into the digital space and looking at things like remote monitoring of facilities, remote monitoring of equipment, and remote monitoring of plant,” details Mphake.

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// THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT ENGAGED US ON A RAPID INTERVENTION PROGRAMME BECAUSE CASES WERE RISING SO RAPIDLY THAT WE HAD TO INVESTIGATE HOW SURGE CAPACITY CAN BE CREATED IN EXISTING FACILITIES // The company’s FM expertise was demonstrated in the early stages of the pandemic where SAKHIWO was called upon to assist in the supply of desperately required professional resources.

“We have had to work with different departments to set the guidelines around how we ensure that facilities have extra capacity, so we have had to go into facilities and asses from a mechanical and electrical point of view, and from an oxygen supply point of view. Right in the middle of the pandemic, it was discovered that

high-flow oxygen is a whole lot more effective compared to other forms of ventilation in most cases.

“The health department engaged us on a Rapid Intervention Programmes because cases were rising so rapidly that we had to investigate how surge capacity can be created in existing facilities. We went into hospitals and wards to find additional spaces that could be converted and made available for Covid cases. That is a part of the role we have found ourselves playing during the pandemic,” explains Mphake.

SAKHIWO HEALTH SOLUTIONS

HEALTHY PIPELINE In the early part of 2021, SAKHIWO has been busy solidifying relationships and ensuring that existing contracts are being serviced effectively while the healthcare industry remains under pressure. But, looking to the future, SAKHIWO remains typically ambitious.

“Amongst other opportunities in South and Southern Africa, we are working with a client in Angola to deliver a private hospital. There are some private hospitals in Angola, but our studies show that they are not of the required standard for a private hospital. We are in the planning phase and developing a bankable business case following our pre-feasibility studies,” says Mphake.

Healthcare as an industry, beyond its obvious human benefits, has the potential to deliver so much.

Job creation, industry expansion,

technological innovation, knowledge growth, and FDI all come as a result of developing the industry. SAKHIWO is perfectly positioned to drive funding and infrastructure development in South Africa and beyond.

“Healthcare systems have been exposed and what we already knew about the state of these systems has been brought to the fore. One area that we will be putting focus on, from the perspective of our responsibility as a corporate citizen, is to look at skills upliftment in the healthcare sector,” emphasises Mphake. “Together with our partners, we are looking at a programme through which we can take young, unemployed matriculants or graduates on a project which will skill them in facilities management. We will be providing them with training and they will gain a certification. During the programme,

they will be placed in hospitals under the guidance of qualified technicians and they will receive theoretical and practical training.”

‘Let’s build health’ is the call from SAKHIWO. In a time where healthcare and its efficiencies have been under the spotlight like never before, this is a company that has thrived and continues to work towards improving systems. By offering turnkey solutions, SAKHIWO has become the partner of choice and, even through the pandemic, continues to deliver.

WWW.SAKHIWO.COM

www.enterprise-africa.net / 23

Marc Wiese, MD Warwick Wealth

WARWICK WEALTH

Warwick Wealth:

“Relax. We’re Here for You” PRODUCTION: David Napier

By proactively reaching out to all clients as the pandemic raged during the tough months of 2020, Warwick Wealth has continued to build its formidable brand and grow business significantly. MD Marc Wiese talks to Enterprise Africa about making people feel comfortable and building trust. www.enterprise-africa.net / 25

INDUSTRY FOCUS: FINANCE

//

In the beautiful and lush afternoon shadow of Table Mountain National Park, between Wynberg and Constantia – where the Cape Dutch manors line the streets and Geissorhiza radian flowers grow in well-kept gardens – one of the country’s leading wealth management specialists is feverishly reaching out to its large client base, reassuring any with worry on their mind that their pensions, investments and financial plans are safe and sound during the Covid pandemic.

Warwick Wealth MD, Marc Wiese, sits in his office proudly talking of a difficult, but brilliant year. The pandemic wreaked havoc across markets, jobs were cut, spending power reduced; but Warwick Wealth realised one of its strongest years since establishment in 2002.

By taking a proactive stance during a bleak period both economically and in general terms, Warwick was able to drive its position as an industry-leader.

“We are here for you, don’t stress, we are keeping an eye on your investments, it’s our job – relax,” says Wiese, a man with more than a decade of financial management experience.

“A lot of financial advisors are reactive – they are great financial advisors, but they are reactive,” he states. “They’re not in a medium-sized corporate like Warwick where there are rules and regulations that dictate working flows and patterns.

You have to call your top 100 clients – there is no way around it; we measure it.

// WHEN YOU ARE LOOKING AFTER SOMEONE’S FINANCIAL PLAN AND YOU ARE LOOKING AFTER THEIR FINANCIAL FUTURE, IT’S A VERY IMPORTANT THING // 26 / www.enterprise-africa.net

By having these very strong customer care obligations, we allow for a more proactive approach. Too many advisors go with the ‘if you need something, you call me’ approach which is not ideal.

We have taken a proactive approach to communicating with our clients.”

By setting up digitally during the country’s first period of lockdown, Warwick’s client engagement was uninterrupted and the company managed to successfully marry reassurance of clients with continued focus on growth.

“We went into the first lockdown and managed to get set up digitally very quickly. That gave us a massive advantage in that we were able to spend time servicing clients. Stock markets had fallen by up to 40% depending on which market you look at, the Rand weakened which absorbed a large part of the blow on the South African side, but we changed the expectations from our wealth specialist teams and we said ‘go and speak to clients, whether through Zoom or phone’. We put a lot of effort in speaking to a large part of our client base. That created a lot of positivity for clients as many of our competitors did not do that and they saw it as a holiday,” says Wiese.

But for many financial advisors and wealth specialists, face-to-face meetings are still the bread and butter of the industry, they are essential in building the key element between advisor and client – trust. Like the entire global monetary system, trust is the keystone. Warwick Wealth promotes professionalism and quality as two of its most important characteristics and both of these feed into advancement of trust.

NEW NORMAL? “When you are looking after someone’s financial plan and you are looking after their financial future, it’s a very important thing,” admits Wiese. “It’s not something like short-term insurance or a rental agreement. For something like this, you need to build trust and building trust is much more difficult to do electronically.

// OUR CLIENT SERVICING MODEL, OUR PRODUCT MODEL, OUR FUND RANGE ARE ALL THERE – WE HAVE SPENT 20 YEARS BUILDING THAT AND GETTING IT RIGHT. THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE BUSINESS ARE ROCK SOLID // When you sit with someone, you can see their body language, you can look them in the eye properly and that is where they open up. In my opinion, you can have a broader and more valuable chat, and that helps build trust. Ultimately, that is what financial services is all about. Building trust and the client knowing that you are there for them is 70% of the battle.”

In April, President Ramaphosa encouraged South Africans to forge a new economy for a new global reality as the country moves beyond the pandemic. “We have to both recover the ground that we have lost due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and to gain new ground by placing our economy on a fundamentally different growth trajectory,” he said. The important element taken by most was that his emphasis was very much on the future and leaving 2020 and the pandemic as a memory.

“In this new digital world, technology is going to be a large part of how we service clients going forward, but I believe there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction. Right now, if our clients are older, or it’s not safe for us to see them or them to see us then 100%, make use of digital solutions. But a lot

WARWICK WEALTH

of people don’t have laptops or a very old computer – we have to adapt. As we start getting back into more of a normal situation, we are most certainly going to see most of these clients face-to-face – I feel it is really important, as long as it is safe to do so,” says Wiese.

Now more than ever, the advice of an experienced financial planner or wealth manager can mean the difference between financial independence and the need to carry on working beyond retirement age.

Too many fall foul of habits including taking on too much debt, investing in inadequate retirement funds, not making use of tax deductions, not planning effectively for education and health costs, not understanding investment products, not being adequately covered by insurance and many more. For this reason, Warwick is looking to boost its

profile and expand aggressively across the country to help more people make the most of their wealth.

This expansion will come in two forms. Firstly, by taking on the books of independent financial advisors (IFAs) who are looking to retire or exit the industry but who value the ongoing security of their client’s portfolio, and secondly by investing in organic growth through sponsorship of sporting initiatives. Labelled the Warwick Professional Network and the Warwick Lifestyle Network, Wiese believes growth through these large linkages will continue strongly.

“We are pushing hard into our Lifestyle Network which we believe is the largest grassroots sport network in South Africa,” details Wiese. “We have relationships with more than 800 retirement or sports organisations

across the country which we have been building for the past 20 years. We are expanding that quite rapidly into high end golf courses and we have agreed sponsorships for some really top courses including: Erinvale, Steenberg, Westlake, Stellenbosch, Pinnacle Point, De Zalze and many more around the country. We are growing that Lifestyle Network into elite golf courses and reinvesting into clubs so that we can be there for them when they do not have other sources of revenue.

Wiese also recently met with the Western Cape Bridge Association, based in Green Point, and renewed a longlasting partnership, agreeing to sponsor the association for a further three years.

Although the company is still unable to get in front of people in the same way as before, this commitment unlocks future potential for engagement.

It pays to be working with a prepared team.

FINANCIAL SERVICES PROFESSIONALS www.compliserve.co.za / 087 897 6970 / info@compliserve.co.za

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INDUSTRY FOCUS: FINANCE

THE MERGER PLAN In 2020, while others languished, Warwick Wealth was on the front foot, thriving with mergers of many successful financial advisory practices.

A proven growth strategy for Warwick, offering merger opportunities to IFAs provides major benefits for both parties.

“I am confident in saying that Warwick offers the best succession plan deal in the financial services industry in all of South Africa,” states Wiese.

“Many financial advisors looking to exit the industry have decided that now is the perfect time to join Warwick through what we call our merger plan.

Effectively, this means they transfer and entrust their clients to Warwick and they can retire, but they also have the confidence of knowing that those clients will be well looked after. They know a professional and very focussed private wealth business will be taking care of their financial and retirement needs. They have built their business usually over many years and they know

they can get the best possible exit deal in South Africa for that business. Our deal allows for a minimum P/E (price to earnings ratio) of 10 on the business.

Should they pass away, we would transfer any wealth to their named beneficiary – in most cases, a spouse.”

A recently completed merger saw Warwick Wealth partner with Graham Hewett Independent Financial Advisors, a Gauteng-based practice founded in 1996. Asked about his experience dealing with Warwick during the merger, Graham Hewett was clear: “I am extremely happy with the merger process and onboarding of my clients.

It was done professionally, and Warwick has shown they have the clients’ interests at heart.”

The company has followed this mode for some time and was busy rolling out the Professional Network at the start of 2020 when Wiese previously told Enterprise Africa about achieving ‘exceptional growth’ by employing the merger plan strategy.

// WE AIM TO BUILD A SUSTAINABLE AND EXCITING BUSINESS IN AN AMAZING COUNTRY //

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// I AM CONFIDENT IN STATING THAT WARWICK OFFERS THE BEST SUCCESSION PLAN DEAL IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY IN ALL OF SOUTH AFRICA // “We have had one of our best years on record – it’s remarkable, as there have been so many businesses struggling. We had in excess of R1.5 billion join us and that is a decent year. All things considered, we are thankful and we feel privileged.”

Alongside the Professional and Lifestyle Network promotion, Warwick is offering a franchise-type model which will see it open new offices in previously underserved regions of South Africa.

“Our client servicing model, our product model, our fund range are all there – we have spent 20 years building that and getting it right. The foundations of the business are rock solid.

WARWICK WEALTH

“We have recently opened a second office in Gauteng in Benoni, we have opened a second office in Port Elizabeth, we have opened an office in East London on a franchise model and those are for IFAs or those working for a large corporate who want the backing of a larger business while having the independence to run their own practice. Compliance, business administration, succession planning is all built in,” details Wiese. “We’ve been testing it for the past couple of years and we believe we have the recipe right. We are promoting this model vigorously into the market and we are talking about growing the Warwick offices across the country. We want to give IFAs the ability to operate under a larger business while enjoying the independence to run their business.”

The target for Warwick is to realise the opening of another 15-20 offices as a minimum over the next three to five years. While specific locations are not yet confirmed, discussions are ongoing

around the country. By promoting this franchise model and tying it in with the continued absorption of smaller IFA business, Warwick will continue to build a powerful brand.

BLUE & RED With blue and red Warwick sponsorship boards displayed proudly across the Lifestyle Network footprint, the brand is now well-recognised. Organic growth and referrals remain strong, and Wiese puts this down to the proactive approach.

“We are working hard,” he smiles.

“We have professionals out there servicing clients every single day – talking to clients, talking to IFAs; we have invested into high-quality people so we can service our clients and we are getting great feedback.

“We are looking after our clients well, we are offering a great deal to IFAs who join us or retire, and we have grown strongly, so it is an exciting time in our business. We are reinvesting into South Africa, into our people, and into our

footprint. We aim to create jobs and we aim to build a sustainable and exciting business in an amazing country - we want to take and create the positives.”

From the office in the Alphen Estate in Cape Town, where the blue and red Geissorhiza radians blossom in flower beds, the blue and red of Warwick Wealth is shining brightly. Across South Africa, this powerful brand – steeped in quality and professionalism – is continuing to safeguard and grow its clients’ wealth.

“As Warwick, client care is core to who we are. We are one of the fastest growing companies in financial services in South Africa through providing IFAs with the best possible succession plans when they are looking to exit the industry or providing financial advisors a larger brand to sit behind them while they operate independently,” Wiese concludes.

WWW.WARWICKWEALTH.COM

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GLODINA

Glodina ‘Covid Set Back’

but Remains Positive PRODUCTION: Karl Pietersen

KZN’s Glodina has for decades been a reliable and quality-driven manufacturer of towels, but after a scare in 2017 and now the wrath of a global pandemic, the company is faced with new challenges. Enterprise Africa talks to new CEO Abdul-Gakeem Satira about reinvigorating this stricken business and readying for the new normal.

//

Up and down is the story of Glodina. Like most companies, the peaks have been sweet and troughs sour. But this South African legacy has seemingly faced the extremes of the highs and lows. Founded more than 60 years ago, the company comes with strong South African roots. Known for producing high-quality luxury towels,

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Glodina has a reputation as a KZN manufacturer of choice, supplying into high-street retails stores, hotel chains, and many independents.

After leading the pack for decades passed, in 2017 the textile giant closed its doors after stumbling into a period of poor performance. A weak economic climate and the increase in imports saw all 550 employees

facing an uncertain future. It was a difficult time for the company, and the region. Located in Hammarsdale, on the outskirts of Durban, many of the affected employees would be unable to find new opportunities and, following the closure of another large employer in the area at around the same time, the government was forced to step in.

INDUSTRY FOCUS: MANUFACTURING

The Glodina Factory was at an absolute standstill for 12 months and in November 2018, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) announced that the company would open its doors once more. The iconic Black Label towels, famous for a soft and luxurious feel, could be manufactured locally again. R150 million was ploughed into the business, with investments into new machinery and efficiencies. Mark Goliath, the IDC’s textile lead and trouble shooter was installed as Interim CEO and looked to resharpen the Glodina approach.

He told Enterprise Africa that competitiveness was being reinstated by reducing bottlenecks in the company’s manufacturing processes.

Modernisations in the weaving shed, dyeing and finishing departments, makeup and sewing areas, as well as the introduction of automation would help to drive productivity and create a more seamless flow of goods.

After sinking to the unchartered depths, this textile phoenix was rising

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again. At the beginning of 2020, Goliath told Enterprise Africa once again that the company was moving in the right direction, improving from 30% capacity to 50%. Makro and Game were customers, and Colibri (a Western Cape towelling business and former competitor) had also been merged with Glodina. Things were looking good for the business as it attempted to bring manufacturing back to South Africa, demonstrating that the country’s sector could compete on quality and value, even with imports from the East.

But by the end of March 2020, South Africa (like much of the world) had been placed into a state of lockdown as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Tourism was decimated and non-essential retail forced to close.

Once again, Glodina was facing a very difficult test.

New CEO Abdul-Gakeem Satira, who was appointed to bring longterm sustainability and stability, was immediately in a whirlwind.

“I have been with the organisation for a matter of months and I have had to hit the ground running from day one,” he smiles.

DRIED UP Trying to balance continued production, sales, and finances, while also incorporating new technology into a business which is facing stunted demand is no easy task, and Satira has been forced to make tough decisions.

“From a Covid perspective, we have been hurt,” he says. “Covid has impacted all businesses, not just textiles specifically. It has definitely put a spanner in the works, in that a significant part of our business sits in hospitality and with the lockdown in full effect, combined with the international restrictions, a lot of that business has been taken away. We saw an immediate collapse in hospitality. We have however had instances where we have had some ease in lockdown restrictions and we would immediately see interest for new business within hospitality,

GLODINA

// IT HAS GIVEN US A PLATFORM WHERE WE CAN REASSESS OUR BUSINESS MODEL AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE FIT FOR PURPOSES IN LINE WITH OUR GROWTH STRATEGIES MOVING FORWARD // however Covid as a whole has definitely impacted us negatively.

“From an operational perspective, we were unable to complete some of our upgrades on time, which in turn

has impacted our production output.

Though new technology has come to the market which we have installed in our mills, none of it could be effectively utilised in order for us to drive better efficiencies. So, we find ourselves in a similar position to where we were pre-Covid.”

At the start of 2020, Glodina had managed to re-employ more than 210 people and was on track to meet targets for the financial year. It had regained the business from hospitality giants Tsogo Sun and Sun International, and was targeting exports in tourismfocused economies such as Mauritius, Madagascar and some Indian Ocean islands. Other attractive areas across southern Africa had been targeted, but with a total collapse of people movement in a tourism capacity, these ambitions have been halted.

“Covid has definitely slowed down our progress but sometimes a slowdown is much-needed before you launch products into the market.

It has provided us a platform where we could reassess our business model and our capabilities to ensure we are fit for purpose, in line with our growth strategy moving forward,” says Satira.

TIME TO ADJUST Clearly, Glodina could not sit back and wait for the pandemic to pass, doing nothing at all. Satira has encouraged reassessment and refocussing of attention so that strategies can be executed effectively, making the most of all opportunities available.

“We’ve used the time to refocus our energies on other parts of the business, other than new sales, which also needs attention. These

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INDUSTRY FOCUS: MANUFACTURING

areas include improving processes, clearly understanding our real challenges and how we can affect that, and focussing on our commercial capabilities and what we need for the market. None of this, of course, being possible without investing in our people. This is one of our key priorities.” he says.

“As much as Covid has impacted the business negatively in terms of revenue and production output, it has fast-tracked our focus on our development of our people, in our quest to provide excellent customer service through every-day-great-execution.

“Right now, the aim is to stabilise the business and that is our core focus. When we have a certain level of stability, we then have the platform to sustainably expand into other growth areas. The important thing for us is not to do the same. If we are expecting improved performance results, then we have to change our ways or working. We need to mitigate our risk and dependency on certain markets and diversify our customer portfolio and be more entrepreneurial. We need new areas of growth and there are a few projects on the way, on how we tap into these new opportunities.”

34 / www.enterprise-africa.net

DIGITAL FUTURE? For now, as the market continues to settle in a post-pandemic world, Satira is keeping expansion plans close to his chest. There is a level of fluidity needed during these challenging times, and as tourism and hospitality remain uncertain, diversification will continue to be explored by Glodina.

“We have already started evaluating our current product and customer portfolios as well as our considerations of how we mitigate our financial risks,” he says. “With hospitality being such an essential part of our portfolio, we’ll continue driving growth in this area whilst expanding into new untapped areas in order to deliver sustainable business growth.

New product developments are already under way and as the market re-opens, we’ll be better positioned to provide improved service delivery with a variety of products available to choose from.

The emphasis on our brand moving forward is absolutely key to our success.

Competing like-for-like on price with imports is not a sustainable model for Glodina. A towel is not just a towel, especially when Glodina is your brand of choice. As my seven-year-old son articulates: ‘Dad, my Glodina towel is so

// THE IMPORTANT THING FOR US IS NOT TO DO THE SAME. IF WE ARE EXPECTING IMPROVED PERFORMANCE RESULTS, THEN WE HAVE TO CHANGE OUR WAYS OR WORKING. // warm and fluffy, I just want to use it as my blanket and go sleep with it’. Glodina is not just a towel, it’s an aspirational experience. It’s wrapping yourself in luxury in the comfort of your own home.

We want to sell this experience and win the hearts and minds of our customers.”

Textile imports in South Africa reached an all-time high of R5826 million in April 2020, increasing yearon-year since 2014, highlighting a disturbing trend of suppliers looking to China, India and East Asia and Pacific regions to satisfy a need. The Textile and Clothing (T&C) industry is a major job creator – especially in the low-skilled

GLODINA

sector – and to see jobs being shed thanks to imports overtaking local supply is a long-term problem for the industry and government to address.

Interestingly, the pandemic has provided an opportunity for local manufacturers, with trade interrupted and large workspaces closed in foreign markets. Retailers had to turn to South African manufacturers to fill demand, and this is just the sort of opportunity that Satira and Glodina will look to grasp.

“We will always be challenged with imports, however Covid has influenced the focus of local retailers, highlighting the importance of supporting local manufacturing. With this need comes the responsibility of providing excellent customer service, with a great sense of urgency and speed to market. We need to be agile in order to respond to the ever-changing demands from our customers,” he details.

“This is another positive for local manufacturers that has come through this process. We also cannot ignore the fact the e-commerce will now be more important than ever. Retailers and customer alike, now understands that we have to go digital if we are going

to survive in this new world. Obviously there have been negatives, but there have also been some positives that we can extract from this entire process.”

Moving forward, if the company can take advantage of an increasing appetite for local supply from the country’s big retailers, as well as the emphasis being placed on local job creation by the general public and government, Glodina could secure a large market opportunity. The pandemic kickstarted e-commerce in South Africa – traditionally viewed as a nation with a love for in-store shopping. The country’s largest online retailer, Takealot, saw revenue up to the end of September increase by 41% over the previous year. Massmart saw impressive online growth through a number of its brand channels, and supermarket retailers are also intensifying their digital efforts after seeing growth in demand during the pandemic.

“That being said, with South Africa being in lockdown and mostly only essential services operating, customers were just not able to get into stores and this has fast tracked the need to go online. All in all, we’ve definitely seen

the impact of the economy shut down and people were very nervous about what happens next,” admits Satira.

Glodina has always bounced back when faced with difficulty. It is a company that has overcome hurdles and successfully navigated challenges while producing quality South Africanmade goods. The pandemic has forced a step-change within Glodina, and the new CEO is ready to adjust to a different future. Establishing a new culture surrounding excellence, and driving sales in innovative new ways, Glodina is looking to life after Covid.

“Where Glodina found itself two years ago was unfortunate, however with that, there has been a change in culture and organisational behaviour.

A lot of time and energy has gone into people and making sure we have the right capabilities to manage the levels of technology we have brought into the company,” Satira concludes.

WWW.GLODINA.CO.ZA

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GRINDING TECHNIQUES YOUR INDUSTRY PARTNER FOUNDED IN 1981 TO SUPPLY SPECIALISED GRINDING WHEELS AND OTHER ABRASIVE PRODUCTS TO THE INDUSTRIAL MARKET, THE COMPANY HAS GROWN TO BECOME A MAJOR FORCE IN INDUSTRIAL ABRASIVE SUPPLY IN SOUTH AFRICA. IN ADDITION TO FORMING PART OF THE GLOBAL TYROLIT GROUP, OUR LOCALLY MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS ARE EXPORTED TO SATISFIED CUSTOMERS WORLDWIDE.

Grinding Techniques has been a solution-driven manufacturer of specialised abrasive products since 1981. With an extensive range of highquality cut-off and grinding discs, vitrified and resin bonded grinding wheels, specialised industrial diamond tools and a wide range of surface finishing products, we are able to provide the perfect product solution for your application with optimum balance between cost and performance.

We became part of the global TYROLIT Group in 2014 – known as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of grinding and dressing tools and a system provider for the construction industry based in Austria. With more than 100 years of manufacturing experience, we are willing and able to conduct trials, assist with application optimisation, and work in partnership with our customers achieving a tailor-made solution for all job requirements.

With our expertise focused on three key areas, Metal industries, Industrial trade and Quartz industries, we offer a complete package focused on customer service and satisfaction.

All our abrasives products are manufactured in compliance to the highest international standards (ISO, EN and OSA) with the aim of producing maximum outputs at affordable input costs.

Whatever your industry, choosing an abrasive partner has never been easier.

Our ANDOR range consists of specialised precision and rough grinding abrasives that are suitable to a range of grinding applications within the Precision and Foundry Industries.

These wheels are all manufactured with specialised bonding properties and proven grain combinations that allow for excellent form holding, cool grinding and high stock removal.

The Superflex range carries a variety of cutting-and-grinding abrasives that have been tried and tested for over 40 years. Produced locally at our Head Office in Chamdor, Krugersdorp, these abrasives are manufactured with only the best raw materials to ensure optimum performance upon application.

The latest addition to our range includes Non-Woven Abrasives, composed of abrasive grains that are fused to a three-dimensional support of nylon fibres. Uniform distribution of the abrasives combined with the softness of the material ensures a constant and consistent finish throughout the working process and product’s lifetime. Other product benefits include, high ventilation to avoid overheating of the work piece surface, high flexibility and adaptability to the work piece with lower noise levels and resistance to clogging.

Non-Woven Abrasives are effective on multi materials e.g. stainless steel, aluminium, ferrous metals and their alloys, cast iron, titanium, plastic, varnish and plasters, and available in a variety of derivates.

Pre-cut sheets, also known as hand pads are ideal for manual use or applications with orbital sanders. The same Non-Woven material is also available in roll form that can be cut to the desired length as to avoid wastage. Both mentioned variances are available in Medium, Fine, Very Fine and GP Green derivatives.

Grinding Techniques also offers an extensive

range of Convolute and Unitized Wheels in a number of different densities, grit types and grades, all manufactured with the latest technology to provide the best finishing combined with high tear resistance and product longevity. The main applications for these products are deburring, blending and finishing of a variety of materials such as all kinds of metals, plastic and composite materials.

Unitized and Convolute wheels are similar types of products, but with important differences. Unitized wheels tend to be smaller in diameter, usually 150mm or less, making them ideal for use on portable power tools or for working on intricate profiles and shapes. Convolute wheels, being larger in diameter, usually 150mm or over, are ideal for stationary or robotic machines.

Tyrolit Rough Cleaning (Strip It) wheels are ideal for cleaning welds, removing corrosion, rust, scale and paints without excessive stock removal of the workpiece leaving a clean manageable surface to work on. The open structure of our Rough Cleaning wheels avoids clogging and makes them ideal for numerous applications.

The Strip-It material is applied to a stiff fibre backing thus allowing it to be used on angle grinders. Our surface finishing range also include Felt Flap Discs with a fibre glass backing for mirror polishing to be used in conjunction with abrasive polishing pastes on variable speed angle grinders.

Our extensive range of abrasives provide application solutions to almost any cutting-andgrinding application from stock removal to creating the perfect finish. Our Business Development team is constantly developing and innovating our product range, to ensure a partnership with Grinding Techniques will take your business to the next level with increased productivity and profit.

LEKELA

Turning Up the Focus

on African Renewable Energy PRODUCTION: Karl Pietersen

With six commercial wind farms soon to be fully operational across Africa, Lekela is demonstrating the potential of clean energy for both investors and local communities.

“No longer are these things just about environmental well-being, they are now the economic choice,” says Lekela COO, Chris Ford.

//

“Lekela’s vision is to be the go-to renewable energy company and investor and operator in Africa.

But it goes beyond that to contributing to the development of Africa, value creation in Africa, and, of course, the economic and social development of our host countries,” says Chris Antonopoulos, CEO of Lekela.

After its establishment in 2015, Lekela has taken firm and fast steps towards this vision and, without compromise, has delivered clean energy, value, and community

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upliftment. In just six short years, the company has carved out a reputation for offering best-in-class delivery of clean power in African countries.

Developing renewable energy resources is no more an effort of the green community and undertaken with environmental protection as the foremost idea. Today, clean energy is a dream for investors. The technology is cheaper, the desire for clean energy is larger, the roll out has a proven blueprint, and – perhaps most importantly –

projects are now offering up significant return on investment.

But the Covid pandemic has wreaked havoc across the energy sector, forcing sites to close, slowing projects, and reducing development. Every company has felt some impact. For Chris Ford, Lekela’s Chief Operating Officer, there have been challenges to navigate.

“In February/March 2020, we had four wind farms under construction and that was the busiest period in our history as Lekela,” he remembers.

Noupoort Wind Farm

INDUSTRY FOCUS: ENERGY

“Facing an unknown risk like Covid was a challenge for the business but I think we rose to it very well. We managed to commission and get the two windfarms in South Africa online very successfully. We had a couple of months of delay because we were prevented from accessing the site because of the lockdown. It was the same in Senegal, and initial implications for us were about making sure our own employees and our communities were safe and not spreading the virus. “We put in place extremely strong protocols to ensure hygiene was maintained and we received a really rewarding response. We continued with construction activities in Egypt and the project is on track despite being in the middle of the worst period where components were still being manufactured in China and India with potential disruption in supply chains.”

Of course, this disruption is unwelcomed in the energy business.

Demand for power is unending and negative supply issues lead to more than just unhappy customers. The smaller grids powered by Lekela’s projects around Africa are vital for local communities and power hospitals, schools and other vital infrastructure.

“It’s not as if we can just switch off the wind farms and wait for the pandemic to go away,” says Ford. “A big focus for us was ensuring the wind farms always continue to produce.

Our teams did an excellent job and we didn’t have any slowdown at all on the operational sites.”

// RENEWABLE ENERGY IN AFRICA IS TAKING THE MAIN STAGE. IT’S NO LONGER A NICHE PRODUCT AND IS THE CHEAPEST SOURCE OF POWER // 42 / www.enterprise-africa.net

WIND POWERED MILESTONES In November 2020, Lekela announced that its Kangnas wind farm, located close to Springbok in South Africa’s Northern Cape, had achieved commercial operation following the end of construction activity in August.

This important milestone also marked the completion of the five wind-farm portfolio that Lekela holds across SA. Along with Perdekraal East, Noupoort, Loeriesfontein and Khobab, Kangnas brings Lekela’s total capacity to more than 600MW – that is enough clean power to supply 485,000 SA homes for the next 20 years.

Kangnas is home to 61 Siemens SWT-2.3-108 wind turbines, each reaching 168m into the sky, helping to eliminate 550,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

Currently, the South African government is busy introducing three new renewable energy procurement rounds which should total 6800MW in 2021. Lekela has the experience and know-how to contribute in a big way.

The country’s Integrated Resource Plan aims to diversify the energy mix, which still relies heavily on coal.

“South Africa was one of our first markets and it has been one of the biggest renewable markets on the continent. I was fortunate enough to be involved with the Round 1 projects when it first started but we are now through Round 4 and moving towards Round 5,” says Ford.

“2020 was extremely busy, getting those two projects in South Africa finished and then embarking on the projects in Senegal and Egypt - the pandemic striking was not a brilliant time for us.

“Lekela’s first project was a Round 3 project and it started with the Noupoort Wind Farm, an 80MW wind farm which is mid-size for South Africa. It’s connected to the grid and we contract directly with national energy entities, supplying bulk electricity to the grid.”

Loeriesfontein came online in December 2017, alongside Khobab,

offering up 140MW each, from a single 6653-hectare site in the Northern Cape. During construction, the projects achieved more than two-million-man hours without a single lost-timeincident. 122 turbines across both of the sister wind farms power some 240,000 homes.

“Last year, we added another two large projects,” details Ford. “Perdekraal East is 110MW and came online in October and then Kangnas is 140MW which came online in November. Those were really interesting projects and were under construction when the pandemic struck. At the same time, we were also building projects in Senegal and Egypt.”

AFRICAN POWER The UK is expected to fuel its entire electricity demand by wind by 2030.

Europe has made major commitments to increasing its use of wind, aiming for 50% of its total energy mix by 2050. The USA, under President Biden, is attempting to kickstart its wind energy sector, which lags behind Europe, by developing 30GW of offshore generating capacity by 2030 and reducing emissions to 50% below the levels of 2005. All the signs are indicating a global shift to the way our world is powered and Lekela is at the forefront in Africa, where uptake has been positive but slower – with a report from GWEC Market Intelligence suggesting the continent is tapping just 0.01% of its wind energy potential.

Outside of South Africa, countries are missing opportunities to tap into this major renewable resource but Lekela is trying to make a difference.

In Egypt, the West Bakr wind farm is under construction and in Senegal, the Parc Eolien Taiba N’Diaye (PETN) project is fully operational.

“In Senegal, we have a 158MW project which is now operational after being completed in three phases. The final project which is under construction is the West Bakr project in Egypt

LEKELA

// FACING AN UNKNOWN RISK LIKE COVID WAS A CHALLENGE FOR THE BUSINESS BUT I THINK WE ROSE TO IT VERY WELL // which is a 250MW project in the Gulf of Suez, a very windy area. It’s due to reach commercial operation in September/ October this year,” says Ford.

“In Senegal, the grid system is growing very rapidly and adding in the capacity of the PETN allows them to service customers and brings an economic source of clean power.”

These two projects are encouraging, and act as examples of what is possible at an affordable price, for governments and private investors all over Africa.

“Renewable energy in Africa is taking the main stage,” emphasises Ford.

“It’s no longer a niche product and is the cheapest source of power. We are competing against gas or coal but wind and solar are becoming cheaper and cheaper. It’s not only a socially good thing, it’s an economic imperative to get these things off the ground. We are having very different conversations to what we had 15 years ago when renewables were expensive. We can go to governments and say this is the cheapest source of power on the system and will save you buying liquid fuels or gas, and that is a real benefit.”

This message is vital for decision

makers to understand. Recently, a study from the University of Oxford found that there are around 2500 planned power plants across Africa but only 10% of the capacity that is created will come from wind or solar.

“There is still a place for thermal projects but there is so much appetite from investors for renewable projects that countries can get some really good, competitive, low cost production into their systems.

“It’s gaining momentum in South Africa and the government has set out a road map to see the industry regrow.

There has been a clear view provided for industry participants which allows for people to focus on developing projects and put money into activity.

It’s an exciting market, there is plenty of space for renewable in South Africa, and around Africa,” says Ford.

www.enterprise-africa.net / 43

INDUSTRY FOCUS: ENERGY

© Lekela

COMMUNITY POWER Lekela’s impact on the communities in which it builds has been extensive.

From empowering youth, funding literacy programmes, assisting with healthcare rollout and investing in IT for schools through to assisting local businesses and non-profit organisations, the company is actively seeking opportunities to be involved in a sustainable and long-term way.

Initial job creation is significant, with often more than 500 people involved in construction of a wind farm, but as the operational phase is reached long-term jobs are limited, usually around 15 to 20.

“Because we are active with these projects for the long-term, a key success factor for us is the work we do with the local communities and in South Africa there is a well-defined programme around how you work with local communities and what sort of investments you can make,” details Ford. “In Senegal, we have extensive investment programmes with communities because we want to be a good neighbour and see those communities thrive. Our role is not just to supply electricity to a single

44 / www.enterprise-africa.net

community but to the country as a whole, so it’s important that when we invest in an area, the community benefits too so that they buy into the project. Our approach on that side has been to embed that process upfront and take those communities with us.

Making partners of them is critical to the success of any project.

“We’ve put a lot of money and effort into these projects, and we focus on three key areas - education, environment and enterprise development. We also invest in improvements in local healthcare and we responded strongly to the Covid-19 pandemic as we were worried about the resilience of healthcare in these communities.”

In 2020, Lekela spent around $2 million on local communities and Ford confirms that next year will likely be more, suggesting that, with the project in Egypt coming online, the figures will probably reach $3 million. “That is a continued investment and we don’t just hand over some cash at the start of a project – we do it every year, so over 20 years there is a significant amount of money going into these communities,” he confirms.

CARBON NEUTRAL Proving its commitment to developing a cleaner, better system, Lekela was labelled as a carbon neutral company in accordance with the Carbon Neutral Protocol. The company’s wind farms help to avoid 1.7 million tonnes of CO2e being added to the atmosphere each year and Lekela has partnered with Natural Capital Partners through which a programme will be established to offset carbon emissions.

“We constantly extol the virtues of clean, reliable and cheap energy for Africa in the form of wind power. It’s only right therefore that we behave the same way internally and act the way we want others to on climate change,” says Chris Antonopoulos.

In the future, Lekela will be active in the industry beyond just wind farms. The company will attempt the solve a key problem associate with renewable power production – storage. How do you save excess energy produced during high output, ready for us in a time of high demand?

Batteries are yet to follow turbines and become cheap and highly efficient. So Lekela is investigating.

LEKELA

// NO LONGER ARE THESE THINGS JUST ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL WELL-BEING, THEY ARE NOW THE ECONOMIC CHOICE // In September 2020, the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) awarded Lekela a grant in partnership with the National Electricity Company of Senegal (Senelec) for a feasibility study into Senegal’s first grid-scale battery electric storage system. Located at the PETN, the 10-month project will, if successful, pave the way for future development of renewable resources in Senegal and further afield.

“This is the logical next step to

utilise wind and solar and bring clean, cheap power to Senegal’s citizens… It’s fantastic to be involved in furthering this progress through this project and we are grateful to Senelec for their support and collaboration in making this project happen,” says Antonopoulos.

With this innovative type of work being done in, and for, the communities that Lekela now calls home, alongside the obvious financial and environmental benefits that go with wind energy, Lekela’s vision seems to be coming true.

“It has been a very busy five years.

Quickly adding project after project has been quite exciting. We oversee construction activity and we hold the project through operations where the team is responsible for the performance of the plants through the life.

“The industry trends are that turbines, panels and batteries are getting cheaper all the time. We are developing the battery project in Senegal and the economics are

extremely favourable right now. A few years ago, batteries were an expensive product but they are getting cheaper and cheaper. No longer are these things just about environmental wellbeing, they are now the economic choice. Wind turbines are getting bigger and bigger and that means sites that were not suitable are becoming economically viable as you can get large turbines which can capture so much energy, even in low wind conditions,” smiles Ford.

With Lekela operating in Africa, new things now seem possible; clean energy at an affordable rate has been proven; long-term community upliftment has been achieved. This is an example to follow and a drive that must be encouraged.

WWW.LEKELA.COM

“I joined Lekela in 2016 and prior to that I was working in the African market where I spent 10 years living in Tanzania running a gas power project. I looked after some of the first wind and solar power projects in South Africa. I was also involved in projects in Ivory Coast and Cameroon.

“I switched into the renewables industry but wanted to stay in Africa and enjoy the continent. I Joined Lekela because it’s focussed on Africa and renewables – that’s all we do. One of the main issues of the pandemic for me has been not being able to get out there – I’m travelling twice a month normally, checking out the assets in country, but with the restrictions in place, that has been dramatically reduced unfortunately.”

CHRIS FORD, LEKELA CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER www.enterprise-africa.net / 45

GOGO GROUP/EKM EXPORTS

Picky About Fruit

so you Don’t Have to be PRODUCTION: Karl Pietersen

South African citrus fruits have become a product in demand around the world as buyers look to fill gaps in supply and sell to consumers desperate for the vitamins hiding within the country’s lush crops. EKM Exports and the GoGo Group are leading the way in getting South African produce, in record numbers, to markets all over the world.

//

The sour taste left by the Covid-19 pandemic, as President Ramaphosa describes the country moving from relief to recovery, has resulted in a lack of zest across major industries in the country. At the beginning of 2020, the economy sat stagnant – zero growth and the disease of corruption still clear for all to see. Once the ripe and ready African partner of the world, South Africa’s position was ailing like a dead fruit falling from a tree. But promises of improvement, and a history of overcoming challenges, left many with hope. When the virus hit, it became clear that economic plans had to shifted to deal with the fallout. Now, meaningful growth is not expected to return for some time, but not all industries have been allowed to decay.

Citrus farming has long been a staple of the South African agricultural scene. After Jan van Riebeeck planted citrus trees in Cape Town in the 1600s, the industry blossomed and the farming of citrus spread across the country, reaching Limpopo – now citrus heartland. A perfect climate for growing citrus - with warm temperatures, dry seasons, and well-drained soils – South Africa has positioned itself among the world’s top players, alongside Brazil, China, the USA, Mexico, India and Spain.

Thankfully, this juicy-sweet industry has managed to avoid the relative darkness of Coronavirus and is growing, picking, packaging and shipping to all corners of the world as people’s insatiable appetite for citrus booms.

HUNGRY In October, the Citrus Growers Association (CGA) announced that South Africa was on track to export a record number of cartons. By the start of the month, the industry had moved 148.8 million cartons – 20 million more than the previous year – with all fruits except grapefruit performing above predictions.

By mid-October, the country was heading towards 170 million cartons exported, using reefer containers and refer vessels to fill gaps in the supply chain, helping to avoid slowdowns at big ports around the world.

One of the largest companies involved in this major push is the GoGo Group. Headquartered in Pretoria, the GoGo Group and EKM Exports (the group’s international sales arm)

www.enterprise-africa.net / 47

INDUSTRY FOCUS: FRUIT

is a major citrus farming operation with many producers working to a model which maximises returns while ensuring fruits of the highest quality.

‘The quest for fruit excellence’ is the vision the group lives by. Since Eben Kruger founded the business alongside his brother and farmer Tian in 1998, his goal has always been to lead the industry by doing things right for farmers and buyers.

Today, the GoGo group farms massive swathes of land across Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Sometimes

// NOW THAT WE HAVE THE PACK HOUSE RIGHT NEXT TO THE COLD-ROOM, WE ARE MUCH MORE EFFICIENT //

reaching as far as the eye can see, and continuing beyond the horizon, this green ocean of fruit trees is expertly cultivated by farmers with years of experience.

The size of the operation is clearly demonstrated by the numbers.

Currently, the GoGo Group has 1400 hectares of citrus and 130 hectares of grapes in production, it boasts a 22,000m2 world class cold store facility where 7500 pallets can be stored and the only inland cold treatment facility in South Africa where 1000 pallets per cycle can be processed, and a 17,000m2 world class packing facility where 90 tonnes are packed each hour. New cold room and packhouse facilities are now operational and state-of-the-art electronic sorting and quality control machines (providing weight and density measurements and taking multiple high resolutions images of each fruit) ensures high quality produce at all times.

Provided by MAF RODA AGROBOTIC, an

innovative French machine engineering company specialising in food processing, the technology installed at the GoGo packhouse is some of the most advanced in Southern Africa and this helps to drive interest from customers around the globe.

“We’re the only inland cold-room facility in South Africa that is approved for phytosanitary inspections as well as doing the pre-cooling for special markets like China, India, and Taiwan,” EKM Exports Director, Brendon Kruger told Enterprise Africa in 2016. “In the past, any grower or exporter would have to send containers of fruit to the port and at the port they would do the inspections and this caused congestion and delays as everyone is harvesting at the same time and everybody is sending their fruit to the port at the same time. Now that we have the pack house right next to the cold-room, we are much more efficient.

“The fruit goes straight from the

Vrugteboom International - Your Open Fuit Source Vrugteboom is an international fruit marketing organisation, focussed on the supply of apples and pears, stonefruit, citrus and grapes. Product is sourced from South Africa, Egypt, Chile, India, The Netherlands, Belgium and Poland. Vrugteboom is selling to all countries of Europe, the UK, Middle East, Far East, Russia and Africa.

Currently the Vrugteboom organisation consist of Vrugteboom SA based in South Africa, Vrugteboom International based in the The Netherlands and Vrugteboom Egypt based in Cairo.

From Vrugteboom SA we are exporting South African produce to Europe, Middle East and Far East. Vrugteboom International is marketing the fruit all over Europe and is sourcing apples and pears from Poland, The Netherlands and Belgium. Vrugteboom International is also the financial basis of the company. Vrugteboom Egypt is supplying citrus and grapes to the same customers.

Vrugteboom has an international dynamic team with experienced people and a young spirit. The team consists of people from South Africa, Holland, Poland and Egypt and shares solid knowledge of the fruit industry.

Growth is based on honesty, transparency and an open mindset, where we aim to get the best results for our suppliers and customers.

We congratulate EKM and Gogo with their strong growth and ongoing success and we thank them for the good cooperation in the past 10 years. Let’s keep growing together!

48 / www.enterprise-africa.net

Vrugteboom SA (pty) Ltd Subtropico Business Park Route R44 Stellenbosch, Klapmuts 7625, South Africa

Vrugteboom International BV Uilecotenweg 7 5324 JT Ammerzoden The Netherlands

Vrugteboom Egypt LLC Apartment No. 22, 4 Street 231 Degla Maadi, Cairo Egypt

INDUSTRY FOCUS: FRUIT

pack house into the cold-room and we load the containers, seal them, and the next time the container is opened is by the client overseas.”

TRULY GLOBAL Currently, EKM Exports on behalf of the GoGo Group is moving product heavily into China and the Far East but India remains a major target area. To bolster

50 / www.enterprise-africa.net

its brand in India, the company began a high-profile marketing campaign back in 2015 making use of a major South African export to India. Cricket legend AB de Villiers was photographed in full GoGo cricket uniform and printed on boxes, cartons, packaging, and digitally through website and social media channels. The batsman, at the time playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore,

was keen to help promote a South African success story.

“It’s definitely a positive thing in the market, especially in places like India and Bangladesh. We are going to carry on with this campaign and push it harder than we have before,” said Kruger.

Wherever the demand comes from, the GoGo Group and EKM Exports stand ready to deliver.

For South Africa’s fruit industry as a whole, the pandemic has been another factor in a long line that have boosted exports. An exchange rate which sees a very favourable Rand for exporters combined with a market left bare, after European and northern hemisphere stocks were depleted, has provided South African growers with an open goal – especially while consumers look to traditional fruits, rich in vitamins, to bolster their immune systems.

The 2020 export crop for the USA has been a bumper. CGA Chief Executive Justin Chadwick said at a recent digital event that the numbers were staggering.

GOGO GROUP/EKM EXPORTS

“In March 2020, when the Covid-19 situation was really bad in the US, sales increased by 84% compared to the same time last year. Over the year, there has been a 29% increase in navel sales. It has been a massive positive for South African citrus in the US.” He added that the same was true for red grapefruits and lemons with sales increasing by 11% and 17% respectively.

// WE ARE PROUD TO SAY THAT, THROUGH OUR CONSISTENCY AND DEDICATION, GOGO HAS NOW GAINED A REPUTATION AS ‘THE ROLLS ROYCE OF FRUIT’ //

China and East Asia accounts for around 20% of all citrus exports and this is major milestone for the industry.

In 2004, when South African citrus was first allowed into the Chinese market, the country was shipping around 10,000 tonnes. Today that figure is higher than 140,000 tonnes.

While the export figures have been good for the year, it has not come easily. The need for innovation has been strong thanks to a slowdown at the bottlenecks in the chain – the ports. Some of South Africa’s ports had to close to be deep cleaned before reopening with fewer staff and reduced capacity. At the GoGo Group, this challenge was hurdled through the use of rail.

The company’s position, close to rail links allowed loading reefer containers that headed straight for Durban very convenient. Loading at Bela Bela, Tzaneen, Musina and City Deep before being sent out on reefer vessels from Transnet’s Port of Durban, the GoGo group railed

70% of all the containers destined for shipment through Durban this season, and 100% of all exports. With limited road capacity in Limpopo, rail links are a major hope for the future as more citrus farmers in the region are encouraged to use the tracks to access lucrative export markets.

By 2021, EKM Exports forecasts 3.7 million cartons of South African produce will head for international markets. By 2022, four million cartons will be moved. This demand will emerge from a consistently first-class product, and a seamless link between producer and consumer.

“We are proud to say that, through our consistency and dedication, GoGo has now gained a reputation as ‘the Rolls Royce of fruit’,” the company states.

WWW.EKM-EXPORTS.COM

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LE T’S BUILD HE ALTH w w w. s a k h i w o.c o m mail@sakhiwo.com

Our Vision To be an outstanding leader in health infrastructure development, while meeting the needs of the client and the community.

Our Mission We are committed to excellence in design and implementation of high quality, efficient and cost-effective solutions. We aim to respond accurately to the transformation of health care infrastructure delivery by developing outstanding facilities.

Current projects SOUTH AFRICA • Cecilia Makiwane Hospital • Lilitha College of Nursing • Frere Hospital (New Oncology and ICU) • Sipetu District Hospital • Thabazimbi District Hospital • Letaba Regional Hospital • Limpopo Academic Hospital • Siloam Hospital • Eastern Cape Health Facilities Maintenance ZIMBABWE • The Avenues Woman & Child Hospital MOZAMBIQUE • Nampula General Hospital GAMBIA • Horizons Private Clinic (TA for AfDB) NAMIBIA • Otjiwarongo Referral Hospital • Ondangwa District Hospital • Khomas District Hospital • Katutura Hospital • Windhoek Central Hospital BOTSWANA • Health Facilities Maintenance

SAKHIWO – Leaders in Health Infrastructure Development.

We believe in the powerful impact of world-class health care.

We specialise in strategic health planning, health briefs, facility planning, architectural design, project and construction management, health technology, consultancy and advisory services related to hospital infrastructure development, commissioning and health facility maintenance management.

SAKHIWO acts as an implementing and multidisciplinary development agency for hospitals and health facilities and pulled together some of the best expertise in South Africa for the establishment of SAKHIWO Health Solutions.

MEET THE LEADERS IN HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT SAKHIWO Health Solutions is the leading turnkey professional service provider in the public health care sector in Africa.

Sakhiwo covers all aspects of hospital infrastructure development from strategic planning, to health planning, health technology planning, organisational

BRAND NEW EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

development, change management to architectural and engineering design and project management of the construction of a hospital. Sakhiwo also takes care of

DR GIL MAHLATI

DR TEBOGO MPHAKE

Executive Chairperson

CEO South Africa

the commissioning of a hospital, including managing installation of equipment and the eventual operationalisation of the hospital. Furthermore, it also provides after-care of the facility in the form of facility maintenance management of both the physical infrastructure, mechanical and electrical installations as well as clinical and non-clinical equipment.

BACKGROUND SAKHIWO was formed in 20 06 bringing together the best exper tise in this field in South Africa. Its aim was to provide the above ser vices to the South African Depar tments of Health in the wake of a decrease in available capacity.

Since then SAKHIWO has been involved in the building and upgrade of numerous clinics, emergency medical centres, community health centres, distric t hospitals, regional hospitals and ter tiar y hospitals and specialised units such as oncology units, TB -MDR and XDR hospitals, psychiatric institutions, paediatric intensive care units and more.

Some of the flagship projects included the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, a 530-bed Level 1 and 2 Hospital and the new Limpopo Central Hospital (currently in the planning and design phase), a ter tiar y

and academic hospital with 488 beds that will form an academic complex of 688 beds with facilities at Polokwane Hospital and Mankweng Hospital, providing academic hospital facilities to the University of Limpopo.

In 2014 SAKHIWO branched out to Namibia where it was appointed by the Ministry of Health for the planning and design of a number of hospitals of which the Otjiwarongo Referral Hospital has advanced to the point where it is ready for construction.

SAKHIWO is currently in the process of re-struc turing with a new grouping of shareholders taking the company to the next level in terms of expanding its ser vices into the private hospital sec tor and into the rest of Africa in both the public and private health sec tors. It is also expanding its ser vices to include hospital management ser vices and management suppor t ser vices.

As part of its restructuring, SAKHIWO recently appointed, Dr Gil Mahlati as Executive Chairperson and Dr Tebogo Mphake as Chief Executive Officer. They are spearheading the expansion with existing directors, Mr Benjy Mokgothu, (Operations) and Mr Vincent Sahanga (African Projects).

Dr Mahlati is founding shareholder and director of African Financial Group, specialising in the funding of hospital developments, a perfect fit for SAKHIWO. Dr Mphake joined our team following a career in hospital executive management in the private health sector in South Africa. His level of experience fuels SAKHIWO’s expansion drive into the private health sector, both in South Africa and the rest of the African continent.

A DIVISION OF ALTRON