SepHold recognises the role of all stakeholders and the responsibility of the group towards those individuals or communities that are affected by SepCem and Métier’s operational activities. The group regularly engages with groups that can potentially have an impact on the business.
The group aims for effective stakeholder engagement to develop and maintain mutually beneficial relationships. The stakeholders’ legitimate needs and expectations are appropriately addressed and incorporated in the management and board reports. Métier’s and SepCem’s internal experts and external practitioners effectively manage these matters and report on them to operational executive committees. SepHold, as the listed entity, is primarily responsible for managing the group’s investor relationships.
Several factors, such as accessibility and priority, determine how the group engages with each stakeholder group. The matters that stakeholders highlight also contribute to material matters determinations and risk assessments. SepHold actively evaluates the group’s engagement programmes and encourages a deliberate, consistent and systematic approach to stakeholder engagement. The group’s success requires the cooperation and support of all its stakeholders. Therefore, it is critically important that stakeholders have trust and confidence in the group.
The stakeholder engagement focus areas aim to:
- To create sustainable value by providing complete, accurate and timely disclosure of material matters and performance information.
- promoting enterprise and supplier development initiatives in our communities;
- supporting skills development opportunities, mainly for historically disadvantaged individuals; and
- complying with all licence conditions awarded by the various government departments.
- appropriately awarding all employees, and always treating them fairly and with dignity;
- providing a safe working environment that supports overall wellness; and
- offering career advancement opportunities for the employees who surpass expected performance.
- regularly and transparently engaging them to better understand and satisfy their expectations;
- supplying consistent, good quality building and construction materials; and
- ensuring that suppliers and contractors align to the group’s terms that promote responsible and ethical manufacturing practices.
Engagement with the stakeholders is through, among other things, our integrated annual review, annual financial statements, written submissions, newsletters, roadshows, conferences, focus group discussions, meetings, workshops, forums, websites, presentations, working groups, community engagements and surveys.
MÉTIER
Métier’s leadership team’s key focus in the medium term is on strengthening operating procedures to facilitate effective and efficient ways to sustain its market share and positioning. Being aware that any business is as successful as the people who drive it, the executive committee continues to assess the organisational structure to ensure that the right people are employed in the right functions.
Human capital
In line with its high-performance culture, Métier ensures its employees are afforded opportunities for growth and skills development through strategically aligned training and development programmes. This includes individual performance development discussions and internal training. The interventions ensure that employees operate at the expected optimal level.
Community engagement
In the past few years, Métier has contributed funds and/or its products to various projects within the greater KwaZulu-Natal area. Métier realises that the biggest contribution it can make in breaking the poverty cycle is to invest in the education and support of our nation’s children. In response to the communities’ needs, Métier has demonstrated commitment through relevant and sustainable community engagement activities with a focus on educational initiatives and early development projects. The company’s charitable donations have been aimed at building schools, crèches and orphan villages
SepCem
Human capital
At SepCem, all levels of employees are committed to translating strategy into measurable outcomes. The associate facilitates continuous performance improvement for employees through transparent communication and feedback. SepCem’s executive management recognises the need to engage with the employees at all levels and utilises the Sephaku Communication Meeting forums as a platform to discuss the operational, human and structural issues in a focused manner in order to enhance the execution of strategic objectives.
SepCem also recognises the importance of linking employee health and wellness to company needs and strategic priorities. Therefore, all employees have to be on a medical aid scheme, and the operational sites have clinics that support employees with occupational health requirements. Employees are encouraged to do medical health assessment annually, especially during SepCem’s wellness days.
SepCem’s skills development programme includes learnerships, internships and mentorships. The company has implemented portable skills training for workplace qualifications such as mobile equipment operating, and engineering skills. These skills and qualifications are complemented by bursary schemes to support talented individuals with their tertiary studies.
SepCem remains committed to both retaining employees with critical skills, and to effectively managing talent. To this end, the long-term retention scheme is fully implemented to secure the skills of targeted employees. Learning interventions, including on-the-job training, classroom training and seminars are regularly performed. To build a succession pipeline, employees are chosen for critical positions, and enrolled in management development programmes.
Community engagement
SepCem has adopted a policy that ensures complete understanding of the potential impacts its operations may have on adjacent communities, and how to manage the related risks. This strategy is supported by a number of management systems dealing with impact assessment, community engagement processes and social investment. The main objective for engagement is to develop a mutually beneficial relationship that will enable the associate to appropriately deliver on the community expectations while achieving its strategic objectives.
Enterprise and Supplier development programme
SepCem has identified job creation and the development of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) as important factors in the sustainability of the local economy and community development strategy. SepCem provides business opportunities and training to SMMEs through financial and logistical management support. The programme encompasses entrepreneurship development initiatives that range from the registration of the enterprises to basic business management skills through training, mentoring and coaching. Through this programme, community members effectively create jobs by establishing SMMEs, thereby contributing to the empowerment and alleviation of poverty.