10 minute read
TRENDS
from CSI November 2021
The Limpuma Enterprise Development Project in Vhulaudzi, Limpopo, supported by SAFCOL, manufactures wooden furniture.
SETTING THE TREND FOR CSI
Corporate social investment can be much more than a handout, writes JAMES FRANCIS
In parts of KwaZulu-Natal, communities no longer cause fi res in the nearby forests. People frequently hunted for wild honey in the forests and used smoke to access it at one stage. Mistakes happened and fi res started. Yet rather than punish the communities, forestry companies took a different tack by offering to collect wild honey on behalf of local communities. And in KwaZulu-Natal, a community-initiated collaboration helped people establish beehives in their backyards.
It’s one of many stories shared by Norman Dlamini, business development director at Forestry South Africa (FSA), some captured in CSI reports issued by FSA in 2018. With the latest edition due in mid-November, Dlamini can cite more examples. Suffi ce to say, there is more going on than handouts, which explains why the forestry sector ranks among the most generous for CSI. It’s part of the basic resources sector, which according to Trialogue’s Business In Society 2020 report, represents 25 per cent of CSI spend in South Africa.
“We don’t talk enough about the good work of the forestry industry, but I am certainly not surprised that our sector is one of the biggest CSI contributors in the country,” says Dlamini.
Forestry shares the group with several other sectors, including water. For Xylem, a pure water technology company that operates its African operations out of Johannesburg, CSI is crucial.
“There is a strong link with CSI,” says Chetan Mistry, Xylem’s strategy and marketing manager for Africa. “Xylem solves water challenges, and our CSI projects always include water. All communities need water; it affects people’s health and their quality of life. We want to assist in providing water to those who don’t have easy access to it.”
CSI WITH PURPOSE
CSI as a corporate handout doesn’t support long-term sustainability. Thus many companies that operate in basic resource sectors acknowledge that the welfare of underprivileged
Norman communities impacts them
Dlamini directly. “Basic resources companies usually operate in rural areas that are neglected,” says Mistry. “We are quietly making a difference and providing long-term solutions to as many underprivileged communities as possible.”
Dlamini agrees that within the forestry industry, the same type of commitment exists. “Some projects by FSA members have been
“BASIC RESOURCES ARE OFTEN IN RURAL AREAS THAT TEND TO BE NEGLECTED. WE ARE QUIETLY MAKING A DIFFERENCE AND PROVIDING LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS TO AS MANY UNDERPRIVILEGED COMMUNITIES AS POSSIBLE.” – CHETAN MISTRY, XYLEM
THE STATE OF NONCASH GIVING
Cash remains the most popular way for companies to express CSI. However, Trialogue’s Business In Society 2020 report reveals that 24 per cent of companies made noncash donations, down from 35 per cent in 2019.
During 2020, these companies gave donations – goods, products, and services – to the value of R833-million and R2.5-million in employee time (though most companies do not quantify employee volunteer time). In terms of CSI expenditure, noncash giving rose from 6 per cent (2019) to 16 per cent.
going for over two decades. Over the years, we have seen forestry CSI initiatives evolve from being charity-based – giving when you have a little extra – to an intentional effort to create value and sustainability for those neighbouring our plantations. Many FSA members have actively re-engineered their markets, products and value chains to benefi t local economic development by creating new businesses owned and managed by locals.”
CSI AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
When the pandemic arrived, such companies used their established CSI networks to distribute food parcels and healthcare products to communities and provide washing stations. Go deeper, though, and you fi nd a great example of how CSI and social development overlaps.
“Some communities have shown real resilience during the pandemic, partly due to the entrepreneur schemes our members have helped set up – these include honey harvesting projects, community food gardens and even small businesses. They have enabled community members to generate income during the pandemic, in ways neighbouring communities that do not have these programmes in place have not been able to,” says Dlamini.
Synergy, not charity, is the ultimate goal – and that spirit is evident among smaller players. Helping establish food gardens, create businesses, and support schools are all examples of sustainable CSI. The CSI activity of the basic resources sectors sets a great example of meaningful intervention and co-operation. “When you empower communities, you give hope,” says Mistry. “You give opportunities, you remove obstacles, and you enable people to live with dignity.”
COMMITTED TO Gift of the Givers Foundation with Isuzu have transported drinkable water to communities who have experienced major water crises. SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES
Isuzu Motors South Africa is committed to recognising its impact on the community and the environment and leverages key partnerships to fi nd sustainable solutions in the community
Isuzu Motors South Africa’s (IMSAf) corporate commitment to sustainability is in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, including contributing towards education, poverty and hunger alleviation and creating sustainable environments.
Isuzu focuses its corporate social investment on initiatives that are responsive to the needs of the communities where the company operates. IMSAf department executive of corporate and public affairs Mandlakazi Sigcawu says Isuzu remains committed to assisting government and South African communities in curbing the impact of COVID-19. “The needs across the country have been immeasurable, especially during the hard lockdown. We continue to receive requests for support from all walks of life. Through our partnerships, we reached many communities and, I believe, we made a difference in those people’s lives.”
While a big focus of Isuzu’s corporate commitment to sustainability in 2020/2021 was on humanitarian relief efforts, Isuzu invested in all three of its corporate social responsibility focus areas: natural disaster relief support, education and skills development and environmental management.
DISASTER RELIEF SUPPORT: ISUZU’S RAPID RESPONSE TO COVID-19
IMSAf responded swiftly when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country in 2020. Within just eight days, the Isuzu team completed renovations to the Livingstone and Provincial hospitals in Nelson Mandela Bay, providing increased capacity to accommodate COVID-19 patients that required screening, testing and hospitalisation.
The company also made its media fl eet, which was stationary during the level 5 lockdown, available to Gift of the Givers and offered its marketing fl eet to the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Pretoria. These vehicles were used to transport medical supplies, food and personal protective equipment to remote communities across the country.
Isuzu also rented space from its logistics supplier DSV to store medical supplies for the public hospitals in Nelson Mandela Bay.
In 2021, Isuzu continued to support COVID-19-related initiatives that seek to assist the community at large. As the fi rst vaccination phases rolled out across the country, IMSAf funded the refurbishment of an old casualty ward in the provincial hospital in Gqeberha to ready it as a vaccination centre.
Isuzu has achieved a Level 1 B-BBBE rating for two years in a row, despite a challenging business environment. “We are committed to transformation and believe that an inclusive economy is the foundation for economic prosperity for all citizens,” says IMSAf president and chief executive offi cer Billy Tom.
“Isuzu remains committed to investing in initiatives that will develop and nurture youth, including those who are still attending school,” says Sigcawu.
Alexander Road High won The Herald Isuzu school quiz. The nail-biting competition saw Sanctor in second place with Nico Malan third and Paterson fourth.
Mandlakazi Sigcawu, Department Executive Corporate & Public Affairs “OUR YOUTH DESERVE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ACCELERATE THEIR EMPLOYABILITY AND WE BELIEVE THAT THE YES PROGRAMME PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN SKILLS, LEARN WORKPLACE DISCIPLINE AND GROW AND DEVELOP ON A PERSONAL LEVEL.” – BILLY TOM, ISUZU
The company’s graduate-in-training programmes and interships continued to run throughout 2020 and 2021 – including the highly successful Youth Employment Services (YES) programme.
Over 114 YES candidates have gained work experience at Isuzu over the past two years. Almost 40 per cent of the fi rst intake of YES candidates at Isuzu found meaningful employment following their participation in the programme.
“Our youth deserve opportunities that accelerate their employability and we believe that the YES programme provides an opportunity to gain skills, learn workplace discipline and grow and develop on a personal level,” Tom says.
Isuzu also unveiled several media partnership programmes as part of the company’s commitment to school learners in Nelson Mandela Bay in 2021. In partnership with Media 24, Isuzu sponsored a six-part career webinar series that provided general career guidance on mechatronics, artifi cial intelligence, education, journalism and logistics. Isuzu was also the main sponsor of The Herald schools quiz, an initiative aimed at fostering, developing and stimulating learners in the area of general knowledge.
“The initiatives that Isuzu sponsored were designed to encourage students to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics as well as the media, and to keep students encouraged and up to date with news and information – a critical requirement for knowledge economies,” Sigcawu explains.
The company continues to support the Nelson Mandela University Isuzu Chair of Mechatronics programme to ensure an enhanced skills base in the industry through the research and the development of unique and innovative solutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT: ISUZU LEADS THE WAY
In 2021, Isuzu was recognised for its pursuit of excellence in environmental management by Exporters Eastern Cape during the Exporter of the Year Awards ceremony. IMSAf received a merit award in the SJM Flex Environmental category.
IMSAf reduced its water usage in operations by 50 per cent, has seen signifi cant reductions in utilities’ costs through direct process change, and, based on high waste recovery initiatives, all facilities continue to be landfi ll-free. Isuzu recycles 94 per cent of the waste generated at its manufacturing facilities; the remaining 6 per cent is sent to Johannesburg for alternate energy usage.
Isuzu is also committed to environmental best practice outside the gates of its manufacturing facilities. It has formed a successful partnership with Gift of the Givers to support communities affected by environmental challenges, in particular, drought conditions. In the Eastern Cape, many towns and cities have experienced a major water crisis – with the province offi cially declared a disaster area in October 2019.
Isuzu supports Gift of the Givers with two trucks, a water tanker and three bakkies.
Gift of the Givers has drilled nine boreholes in Graaff-Reinet and fi ve in Adelaide – all producing drinkable water. Daily, the Gift of the Givers team and the Isuzu trucks make their way into communities where they are met with empty water bottles, buckets, and smiles from community members. For a while, these water tankers were the only source of water for some community members and, in some areas, it remains this way.
Gift of the Givers has also completed 15 boreholes in Makhanda, of which 14 deliver drinkable water. “The water tankers play a strategic role in getting the clean water from the source to the residents. Isuzu has made an invaluable contribution to our operations,” says Gift of the Givers director of strategic planning Badr Kazi.
In just one year, the three Isuzu trucks have transported an estimated 5.85 million litres of water to communities in the Eastern Cape. IMSAf is also part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber’s Adopt-a-school initiative. The initiative addresses water leakages at schools, as part of the region’s water preservation efforts.
Isuzu Recycling Program.
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