Social responsibility

Worker participation

There are a variety of participative structures across the group to deal with issues that affect employees both directly and indirectly. These include collective bargaining mechanisms, structures to drive productivity improvements, safety and employment equity committees and other participative forums. These structures have been set up with trade unions and other employee representatives to achieve good employer/employee relations through the effective sharing of relevant information, consultation and the identification and resolution of conflict.

Environment

The group aims, at all times, to comply with all relevant legal obligations and regulations concerning the environment and to adopt an approach of continuous improvement. The group strives to keep waste materials to a minimum and recycle where possible. All waste is disposed of in the safest and most responsible manner to ensure minimal environmental impact. These environmental issues are subjected to annual audit by an external consultant and their reports are submitted to the audit committee.

Health and safety

All group companies operate best practice safety standards, which are monitored by a group risk committee. External consultants audit occupational health and safety standards on an annual basis and their reports are submitted to the audit committee.

Managed healthcare

Access to healthcare is provided to employees either through the provision of medical insurance schemes or primary healthcare clinics.

The group continues to take a proactive stance against life-threatening epidemics such as HIV/AIDS and TB. These diseases are being actively managed, largely on a preventative basis, to reduce their impact on the employees as well as the business. The group is committed to addressing HIV/AIDS in a positive, supportive and non-discriminatory manner.

Employment equity

The group is committed to providing equal opportunities for its employees, eliminating any form of discrimination, and the transformation of the group to be representative of the demographics of the regions in which the company operates. The board monitors progress in this area.

The group has a staff complement of 5 272 of which 38% are female and 92% are from the previously disadvantaged sectors of the population. Progress has been made towards the attainment of employment equity with 82% of the technicians, 39% of the professionals and 17% of management being black. Further work is required to grow the diversity across executive management levels and the group has identified training and development to fast track internal staff as the key to improvement. 77 candidates have been identified in this regard and their progress through the organisation is being carefully monitored. These employees are all undergoing training and mentoring programmes to develop and enhance their skills.

The group has embraced the SETA sponsored learnership programmes on offer. 214 employees and 185 unemployed people have been registered through learnership programmes and trained to improve the skills base of the available labour pool.

Black economic empowerment

The group has aligned itself with Motseng Investments as its BEE partner. For over two years, a healthy relationship has developed between the group and Motseng Investments, culminating in a share ownership agreement being concluded with Daun & Cie in November 2004. Three directors of Motseng were appointed to the KAP board and we look forward to their input.

Projects have been undertaken in all group companies to quantify the extent of procurement from BEE companies, and following which action plans will be developed to ensure continual improvement.

Social responsibility

The group has made financial contributions to various community welfare initiatives. 170 children are educated up to Grade 10 in a company-sponsored school housed on the company premises in the North West province.

At divisional level, social responsibility programmes are in place aimed at benefiting the community from which labour is drawn. These are targeted at uplifting the lives of the many people left in crisis by AIDS, teenage pregnancy, poverty, old age and illness.