Gauteng Premier Makhura sees potential in Chamdor
"Both SAB's projects are aimed at reducing unemployment in previously disadvantaged societies."
David Mahkura, premier for Gauteng, visited South African Breweries (SAB) in Chamdor recently to scope the business for a possible future collaboration.
In a meeting between SAB’s top stakeholders, such as John Roseveare, SAB Chamdor’s plant manager and Phumzile Chifunyise, SAB enterprise development specialist, Makhura said he saw incredible potential within SAB for Gauteng’s Ntirhisano project and made it quite clear that the business is ideal for what he aims to do.
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“I thought it was of the utmost importance for me to interact with you as a business,” said Makhura.
Ntihrisano is a project that aims to rapidly improve interaction between government and community to better respond to the needs of the people. It further seeks to empower communities to drive their own development. The project empowers the community by providing financial support for programmes that have learnership platforms.
This is why he considered SAB to be the perfect candidate for the Ntirhisano project. SAB has learnership programmes such as the African Dream Project and the Kickstart Programme. In SAB Chamdor alone, these projects ensure 18 learners are employed and educated per year, and that 27 locals have the opportunity to be in-service trainees per year.
Since SAB Chamdor is busy with a R250 million expansion project for 2017, the business is more than the ideal candidate, it’s the perfect one.
“Both SAB’s projects are aimed at reducing unemployment in previously disadvantaged societies,” said Phumzile. “They aim to make sure that the youth is included in jobs and development. ”
Makhura said that SAB is focused on the right issues. “All these projects create hope for youth and this is why we want a partnership with them. We will not take over the projects, however we will provide the finances to enhance them.”
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During the meeting, the premier focused on two facets of SAB’s projects – youth empowerment and education, and black business ownership.
He also said that the two most powerful people at SAB were the two black women, Phumzile and Zoleka Lish, the procurement capabilities director. “We are looking at how we can increase SAB’s scale and impact. We can get this to a much higher level.”
He said he was tired of government and private businesses blaming each other for economic misfortune. “We can only move the country forward if we work together.”
Discussions between SAB and Ntirhisano are continuing.
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