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Helping Drive Transformation across South Africa's ICT Industry
MultiChoice SA Executive COLLEN DLAMINI IS HELPING TO DRIVE TRANSFORMATION ACROSS SOUTH AFRICA’S ICT INDUSTRY
At the beginning of the year, MultiChoice South Africa announced the appointment of Collen Dlamini as their new Executive Head of Corporate Affairs. Collen is, in fact, a lawyer by training, and has previously served as Group Head of Regulatory Affairs for Kagiso Media, as well as a Special Regulations and Consumer Manager at MTN.
Collen has also taken up the role of Executive Director at Future Managers in the past. Future Managers is a company geared towards utilising digital platforms to supplement traditional platforms in order to enhance teaching and learning for both students and lecturers in the higher education sector. Most recently, Collen also founded the Copyright Coalition of South Africa (NPC).
On 15 July this year, MultiChoiceSA played a pivotal role in thesuccess of the 20th AnnualTop Empowerment Summit,coming in as a top sponsor,and qualifying as a finalist atthe Top Empowerment Awardsin the ‘Enterprise & SupplierDevelopment’ category.
We sat down for an interview with Collen to discuss his appointment and MultiChoiceSA’s ESD programmes.
Congratulations on your appointment this year as the Executive Head of Corporate Affairs at MultiChoice SA. Please unpack for us what your key roles and responsibilities are.
As the Executive Head of CorporateAffairs for MultiChoice South Africa,I am responsible for protecting and enhancing the reputation and image of MultiChoice and its product brands in SouthAfrica. I manage and oversee stakeholder relations, corporate communications, internal communications, corporate services, reputation management, CSI, transformation, and the company's social impact agenda.
Please describe the core services that MultiChoice SA delivers.
MultiChoice Group is a leader invideo entertainment and is theparent company of the followingbrands: DStv, GOtv, SuperSport,M-Net, DStv Media Sales,Showmax and Irdeto.
What have been some of your major milestones?
Our ability to developentrepreneurs in South Africacontinues to be something weare extremely proud of.
During this past year with itsCOVID-related challenges,our Innovation Fund providedmuch-needed financialsupport to eight smallbusinesses, which helpedthem to create 47 new jobs.Due to the exponential growthof online content, the Fundfocused on empowering onlinecontent creators to scale up tomeet the growing demand.
HERE ARE THE EIGHT COMPANIES THAT YOU SHOULD TAKE NOTE OF:
1. The Bubblegum Club: born as a cultural intelligence agency, it has grown into a digital publication and a content production studio.
2. Duma Collective: a creative communications agency
3. Mzansi Live: a Pan African independent multimedia management company, who developed Mzansi2Cario, a broadcast media marketplace
4. Swypa Deliveries uses door-todoor scooters to deliver goods and services for township-based businesses for orders placed through their app
5. The Plug: an online publication focusing on all aspects of urban culture
6. The Throne: a boutique agency specializing in influencer marketing, social media strategy, talent management and the home of The Throne Magazine
7. Whoosh: a payment solutions provider based in Tshwane
8. Yellow Bone: a film and television production company, focusing on bringing authentic South African content to international markets
MultiChoice SA has maintained its level 1 B-BBEE status – to what do you attribute this success?
At MultiChoice, we believe inempowerment that makes areal impact in the lives of SouthAfricans and take the first twoletters of B-BBEE very seriously.
Broad-based is at the heart of ourB-BBEE philosophy and we havemade it our mission to implementand participate in inclusive initiativesthat broaden empowerment aswidely as possible – to as manySouth Africans as possible.
As part of our transformationinitiative, we have developeda robust and integrated way ofworking that ensures that seniorleadership who are responsiblefor making decisions are aware,involved and educated in thetransformation work being donewin the organisation.
In 2020, we developed a B-BBEEcommittee to develop strategiesand monitor the progress of ourB-BBEE initiatives. This committeeis made of B-BBEE pillar championsand sponsors. The pillar owners areresponsible and accountable for theexecution of the B-BBEE strategiesand policies in their respectivefunctions. They are also responsiblefor the implementation of policiesthat govern the respective pillars.
This approach has allowedtwo-way communication so it isnot just the committee filteringthrough information to staff butshould any of our staff be part ofany CSI projects, we can evaluate ifthere is potential for wider supportand if such a project has impacton the scorecard.
Our B-BBEE committee is one ofthe catalysts that have helpedwith coordination, but we mustalso give credit to the leadershipof MultiChoice Group – who seeBEE as a business imperativeand not just a compliance issueand thus have ensured that allinitiatives are driven from the top.
Please describe MultiChoice SA’s ESD programmes.
We have an ESD system through theMultiChoice Enterprise DevelopmentTrust, recently branded as theMultichoice Innovation Fund, whichfocuses on funding innovationSMEs that operate in thebroadcasting, innovation,technology, and the ICT sectors.
We also provide mentorshipand the skills necessary toacquire assets and supplyMultiChoice with varioushigh-quality productions.
Our ESD programmes have helped to drive transformation in South Africa in the ICT industry by prioritizing black, black women and youth-owned initiatives.
To be eligible to be a beneficiary of the MultiChoice Enterprise Development Trust, companies need to be in the ICT sector, be minimum 51% black-owned with a turnover that does not exceed R50m per annum.
Since inception, the fund has disbursed R252m in loans, grants and business development expenses to assist beneficiaries in acquiring skills and assets.
Our ESD programmes are truly effective as over the years they have been able to create jobs, impact the South African economy, are sustainable and ensured that our communities are viable. Since 2012, our beneficiaries have grown more than expected, where some have generated more than R100M per annum.
OUR ESD PROGRAMMES ARE:
• Enterprise development through the Innovation Fund which uplifts small black entrants into the market. This year, we funded nine companies who now have diversified portfolios and additional revenue streams.
• Our preferential procurement programme ensures continuous support of BEE compliant suppliers that are in our database.
• Supplier development through the Innovation Fund. We have helped small service providers grow and remain sustainable. We have funded 21 companies including Duma Collective, who is now MultiChoice’s digital and PR agency.
• One of Multichoice Group’s strategic pillars focuses intently on Employee Development, where operational excellence is maintained through developing talent, skills, and diversity. The Group leadership continues to pledge both investment and focus into the growth of internal staff and our positive impact upon the communities we serve.
What are some of the company’s CSI initiatives?
Our purpose is to enrich lives.We are committed to contribute toeconomic and social developmentof our country. Our CSI initiativesfocus on creating employmentopportunities, developing upand-comingfilmmakers andsports stars through training andskills transfers, and supportingbudding entrepreneurs andSMMEs.
The following are some of ourCSI projects.
• Let’s Play: SuperSport Let’sPlay gives young people theopportunity to participate insport activities. This providesmuch needed social and physicalstimulation, which positivelyimpacts their overall wellness.
• DStv Diski Challenge: Throughthe DStv Diski Challenge we fasttrack the development of youngplayers from disadvantagedcommunities into professionalsin the Premier Soccer League.
• MultiChoice Talent Factory:MultiChoice is buildingtomorrow’s workforce today,through the MultiChoice TalentFactory (MTF) which investsin the creative industry in 14countries across Africa withthe aim of growing a pipelineof African storytellers.
• Recently launched DStv Netball Challenge: In May we launched the DSTV Schools Netball Challenge, a nationwide competition that will shine a spotlight on young female athletes between the ages of 16 and 19 who play netball at secondary schools across the country.
• Regional TV stations support: MultiChoice has given 1KZN TV and Mpuma Kapa TV each a grant to improve their news coverage capability and establish news bureaus for Newzroom Afrika in their respective provinces.
We partnered with the Youth Employment Service (YES) to assist with the recruitment and training of 300 learners. Seventyfive TVET college students will receive internships across a diversified portfolio that includes HR, Finance, Marketing, Law and IT, while the remaining 225 places are prioritised for learnerships in the ICT space for matriculants and others with qualifications but who are not working.
How has the pandemic impacted the company?
For FY21, MultiChoiceSouth Africa increased its90-day active subscriber base toreach 8.9 million households.
The increase was driven byheightened consumer demandfor video entertainment products,continued penetration of themass market, and an easingof electricity shortages. Westarted the year confrontedwith severe disruptions to ourprogramming schedules, bleakmacroeconomic forecasts andsharply weaker currencies. Inthe face of these challenges,our teams rallied together – thishelped us deliver on all our keyperformance metrics.
Last year, we also made means to support our suppliers and beneficiaries through various initiatives.
• The MultiChoice Group implemented several measures to safeguard the incomes of cast, crew, and creatives as well as the sustainability of production houses during the coronavirus pandemic. We set aside R80-million to ensure that productions were able to pay full salaries, and this went a long way in creating income stability for them and their families.
• Through the MultiChoice Talent Factory, we launched an online learning portal that supported over 40 000 members of the industry to gain access to courses and online masterclasses, so they could continue to hone their craft while adhering to the public health measures of social distancing and isolation.
• The company also committed to guarantee the incomes of freelancers in SuperSport productions, who were unable to work due to the suspension of sport and the national lockdown. This extended to ensuring the income of freelancers in the broadcast technology environment.
On a more personal note, what is your “why”?
Working every day to makea positive impact in the livesof other people makes lifemeaningful and purposeful.I find joy and fulfilment whenI lift as I rise, when I helpothers turn their tragediesinto triumphs and hopelesssituations into achievements.
What exciting plans do you have for the coming year?
• In May we launched the DSTV Schools Netball Challenge, a nationwide competition that will shine a spotlight on young female athletes between the ages of 16 nd 19 who play netball at secondary schools across the country. The tournament will be contested across all nine provinces and aims to take South African Schools Netball(SASN) to a whole new level by giving the sport more exposure and encouraging greater support, especially in the lead up to the upcoming 2023 Netball World Cup to be held here in South African shores.
• We will also be increasing investment in the Lets Play sports fields project, which aims to increase access to state-of-the-art sporting facilities for disadvantaged school and communities across South Africa, with a focus on rural areas. We believe that having access to a world-class sports field is a big first step to encourage children to be more active and lead a healthier lifestyle.
•We are also excited to welcome and onboard the new cohort of SMME's that have just joined the innovation fund and there are are some really exciting and different plans that we cannot wait to share with them.
•We will also be running a mentorship program together with industry experts that promises to be very invaluable for our beneficiaries
•To continue transforming and developing the media and broadcast landscapes, Newzroom Afrika entered into agreement with two of South Africa's regional TV stations, IKZN TV and Mpuma Kapa Tv. To support this initiative, MultiChoice has given IKZN TV and Mpuma Kapa TV each a grant to improve their news coverage capability and establish news bureaus in the respective provinces. These grants will cover production equipment such as cameras, lighting, sound, and computers, as well as training and technical support.
Do you have a special message for the businesses and individuals out there struggling to survive?
These are challenging times foreveryone, and we believe thatthey are also providing us withan opportunity to address theplethora of social ills that havebeen brought to the fore becauseof the pandemic.
The MultiChoice Group continuesto see a lot of opportunities in themedia, technology and digitalsectors and we have been andcontinue to support SMMEs thatare coming up with innovativesolutions that address uniqueAfrican problems.
