Do you have 50 or more employees in your company? Or is your company's annual turnover higher than Schedule 4 of the Employment Equity Act? If so, then you're labelled a 'designated employer'. And with that label comes a lot of legal responsibilities, the most important of which is to comply fully with the Employment Equity Act. If you don't comply with it completely, then you'll face heavy non-compliance penalties, alongside costly legal procedures for you and your business. So, the message is clear: You have to comply with the Employment Equity Act! Reports from The Department of Labour’s Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES) branch announced that it is taking 6 companies to court for prosecution for failure to prepare employment equity plans as per the provisions of Section 20 (1) of the (EEA) and reporting to the Director-General on plans that do not exist which amounts to misrepresentation. The 6 companies affected are Gooderson, Clientele Legal, Clientele Life, Mazor Aluminium, Mazor Steel, and Spanjaard Limited. The Department of Labour also reported that 72 JSE-listed companies are being inspected for employment equity compliance. The initiative, undertaken by the Department’s Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES) branch, started with the inspections in July 2017 that will continue until December 2017. The inspection process entails “interrogating” companies’ employment equity plans to see if they comply with legislation. Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant stated that “It is very concerning that there are just too many JSE listed companies that are completely ignoring (employment equity law),” she said at the time, adding that 21 JSE-listed companies had been fined for non-compliance, while "several others" would follow. In terms of Section 20(7), the Director-General may apply to the Labour Court to impose a fine in accordance with Schedule 1 if a designated employer fails to prepare or implement an employment equity plan in terms of this section. For a first-time offence, an employer will be subject to a fine, the greater of R1 500 000 or 2% of the employer’s turnover. If the employer has contravened the provision once before the fine shall be the greater of R1 800 000 or 4% of the employer’s turnover. The fine increases depending on the repetition of the contravention. In addition, companies that falsely reported on employment equity plans while not having such plans in place, will be criminally prosecuted. Section 20(1) of the Employment Equity Act requires a designated employer to prepare an employment equity plan which will achieve reasonable progress towards employment equity in that employer’s workforce. This employment equity plan must include the affirmative action measures to be implemented, the procedures used to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the plan, the timetable setting out the plan, objectives, duration, procedures and internal management of disputes regarding the plan and the numerical goals to be achieved of the appointment of underrepresented persons from designated groups (“black people, women and people with disabilities”) in order to achieve equality in the workplace. Steps ensuring Employment Equity Compliance? Step 1: Appoint an EE Manager and form an EE Committee Step 2: Educate and Train staff on their Role and Responsibility as Committee Members Step 3: Conduct a workplace analysis with Income Differential Statements Step 4: Conduct an internal audit on the Barriers and Affirmative Action Step 5: Discuss and Plan Goals and Target for the next 5 years Step 6: Develop an EE Plan in relation to compliance if there is a deviation from the norm Step 7: Structure the EE Plan to accommodate for the Goals and Targets to be reached Step 8: Engage in a meaningful consultation process with the Committee to ensure agree Step 9: Verify and Document Statistics for Reporting Step 10: Submit an annual EE report to the Department of Labour – signed off by the EE Manager and the CEO Important Sections of Compliance a) Consult with employees as required by section 16; b) Conduct an analysis as required by section 19; c) Prepare an employment equity plan as required by section 20; d) Implement its employment equity plan; e) Submit an annual report as required by section 21; f) Publish its report as required by section 22; g) Prepare a successive employment equity plan as required by section 23; h) Assign responsibility to one or more senior managers as required by section 24; i) Inform its employees as required by section 25; or j) Keep records as required by section 26. “ If the Department of Labour inspects your company, you will need to show the Inspector the following things: An Employment Equity File, containing: • Your company’s current EE Plan, signed by CEO • Copies of previous plans • Records showing how plan has been communicated • Evidence of Employment Equity Committee nominations, acceptance and the process followed • Evidence of the appointment of an EE Manager with a signed letter of responsibility • List of EE Committee members • Employment Equity Committee’s Constitution with a code of conduct, signed by all members • Minutes of EE Meetings • EE related complaints and records of actions taken • Qualitative analysis of the workforce • Workplace Profile and numerical goals and targets, as well as previous Reports • Latest Workplace Skills Plan and Training Report The Department of Labour Inspectors can also interview Committee members and ask them to explain the Committee’s role. Annual Reporting The Department of Labour online reporting portal opens on the 01st October, and closes on the 15th January each year. The Department of Labour head office will schedule national advocacy events during September every year to coincide with the commencement of the report date of 1 October. Employment equity announcements in the press will aim to raise awareness and thus ensuring high levels of compliance. There will also be national events to coincide with the launch of new regulations, codes of good practice, the public registry and reports by the Commission for employment equity. www.drg.co.za

CELEBRATING A LEGACY The late Rajen Reddy, CEO and founder of the RR Group, who sadly passed away on the 18 February 2021, created a profound legacy for both the current generation and those generations that follow. Rajen’s life of excellence is well worthy of celebration. Apart from his drive to make the world a better place, he was an avid entrepreneur, and a visionary business leader. From small beginnings – he started his working life as a plumber – his obvious passion for his businesses was apparent in his tenacity to succeed against all odds. Most importantly, Rajen was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and a supportive friend too many. He touched the lives of his family, friends, employees, clients, and the many other people with whom he interacted in countless meaningful ways. Esay Reddy, Rajen’s wife for close to 40 years, reflected, “We lost a wonderful man; I lost my soul mate, my children – Kerushin, Venisha and Kreeshan – lost their father. Our businesses and our 300 employees lost their leader. The many initiatives that he was involved in lost an enthusiastic supporter. After Rajen passed, I found that for us to honour him as a person. I wanted to create a legacy – I wanted something to grow from this great loss that we all experienced.” Consequently, the Rajen Reddy Foundation (RR Foundation) was created in his memory and launched on the 18 February 2022, the first anniversary of his passing. The RR Foundation’s overriding goal, said Esay, is to be an embodiment of everything that Rajen stood for, fought for and passionately lived for. Foundation’s Pillars Rajen was a great philanthropist who was passionate about growing young entrepreneurs, about providing access to education and about promoting physical and mental health. These aspirations drive the RR Foundation’s path, which as its motto states, aims to ‘educate, inspire and motivate’. The three pillars of the Foundation are: • Education • Physical Health • Mental Health (Philosophical Psychology) Flagship Projects A current goal of the RR Foundation is to focus on ensuring that its Flagship projects, which fall under each of these pillars, are bought to full fruition. These projects, which are at various stages of development, are: • The Aurora Hospice for Children. The core function will be to offer palliative care for children who live with cancer. • 24/7‐365 Mental Health and Gender Based Violence Online Call Centre. A constituency of local and international psychologists and organisations will provide the expertise and knowledge in the services that the call centre requires. • RR School of Leadership. The Core Curriculum is the professional development of young leaders with emphasis on ethical conduct. Institutional Relationships and Ad Hoc Projects Following the launch of the RR Foundation, several institutional relationships, which in many cases were a consequence of Rajen’s initiatives, were forged. These include the Nelson Mandela Foundation, World University Association for Community Development (WUACD), AirlanggaUniversity andDurbanUniversity of Technology (DUT),the Confucius Institute atDUT, eThekwini Municipality and the KZN Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, among others. Through these partnerships several ad hoc projects have been completed, some of which are in continuous progression or have evolved into new phases of implementation. These include: • The Inaugural Durban International Book Fair which was held from 1 – 5 August 2022 at Sibaya Conference Centre. The event showcased a range of local writers, publishers and budding creatives displaying theirtalents for storytelling. The RR Foundation was approached to exhibitthrough its publishing house, Nadim Books and launched its latest publication, The Art of Storytelling. The event provided an opportunity to present the Wayang Kulit (Shadow Puppetry) project to a local audience and highlight the RR Foundation’s partnerships with the WUACD, Airlangga University and DUT. The official commencement of the partnership between the Confucius Institute at the DUT and the RR Foundation was marked on 5 October 2022. Both parties have agreed to facilitate closer collaboration in organising workshops focusing on Health, Wellness, Chinese and Vocational Skill Training Programmes and co‐organising cultural functions and activities. Tai Chi, Qigong and Chinese traditional medicine classes have commenced within the RR Group of companies amongst all staff. The classes will take place at the Group’s facilities in Durban before the classes are opened to the youth from the wider communities. • The RR Foundation collaborated with the South African BRICS Youth Association (SABYA) for the inaugural BRICS International Summer School held at DUT in 2022. The Leadership Development Training Program – Leadership for Freedom from Poverty was presented. The RR Foundation aims to formalise their relationship with SABYA early this year in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding towards common goals and objectives within a global dynamic as it relates to South Africa and the youth. • The RR Foundation was invited by the Nelson Mandela Foundation to their Lead Like Mandela Summit, titled Mandela Talks – African Leadership Summit on Sustainable Development. The RR Foundation represented and chaired the breakaway session on Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation. The outcomes of that breakaway were presented on the feedback panel session towards the end of the Summit. The RR Foundation anticipates further involvement with the Nelson Mandela Foundation in 2023. • Esay Reddy (Executive Chair of the RR Foundation) attended the Singapore National Day on 9 August 2022 under special invitation from the High Commission of the Republic of Singapore in Pretoria. The day is marked as a celebration of independence from Malaysia in 1965. The Centre for Social Entrepreneurship in partnership with RR Foundation supports local SMMEs towards the greater good. On Monday 9 May 2022, five SMMEs from the Centre were randomly selected by the RR Foundation to provide much needed goods and services to a few institutes and organisations. The RR Foundation selectedDr Macken Mistry Primary School, Khethiwe Kids Rehab Centre, KerrHouseDurban Hospice for Women, and Chatsworth Regional Hospice as part of an ongoing initiative. • Friday, 18November 2022 was a day spentin supporting the cause of SMMEDevelopment and Early Childhood Development. eThekwini Business Support, and Oluthando Home Fitting Co‐ops supported SekusileDay Care by providing 100 cubicle lockers that served in separating an open space classroom as well as storing the children’s bags during the day. • The RR Foundation’s relationship with DUT was established by Rajen Reddy based on a mutual understanding for the progressive needs in Science and Technology, Innovation, and Education. The RR Foundation engages with DUT Centre for Social Entrepreneurship on a continuous basis to identify ongoing synergies and collaboration within the SMME development space, especially amongst the youth. Gala Dinner 2023 The RR Foundation will be hosting a gala dinner on Saturday 18 February 2023 to showcase its successes and the progress made in implementing the flagship and other projects. The Foundation will also use the opportunity to raise funds or obtain pledges for services in order to continue its effort to benefit children, youth and elders in South Africa and sub‐Saharan Africa. _________________________________________________________________________________ For more information contact: Nadim Aziz CEO of the RR Foundation 063 7265738 nadim@rajenreddyfoundation.org Yashna Sookoo Fundraiser of the RR Foundation 071 553 4007 yashna@rajenreddyfoundation.org Mbuso Dlamini Marketing Manager of the RR Group 081 454 8610 marketingmanager@rrgroup.africa

The late Rajen Reddy, CEO and founder of the RR Group, who sadly passed away on the 18 February 2021, created a profound legacy for both the current generation and those generations that follow. Rajen’s life of excellence is well worthy of celebration. Apart from his drive to make the world a better place, he was an avid entrepreneur, and a visionary business leader. From small beginnings – he started his working life as a plumber – his obvious passion for his businesses was apparent in his tenacity to succeed against all odds. Most importantly, Rajen was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and a supportive friend too many. He touched the lives of his family, friends, employees, clients, and the many other people with whom he interacted in countless meaningful ways. Esay Reddy, Rajen’s wife for close to 40 years, reflected, “We lost a wonderful man; I lost my soul mate, my children – Kerushin, Venisha and Kreeshan – lost their father. Our businesses and our 300 employees lost their leader. The many initiatives that he was involved in lost an enthusiastic supporter. After Rajen passed, I found that for us to honour him as a person. I wanted to create a legacy – I wanted something to grow from this great loss that we all experienced.” Consequently, the Rajen Reddy Foundation (RR Foundation) was created in his memory and launched on the 18 February 2022, the first anniversary of his passing. The RR Foundation’s overriding goal, said Esay, is to be an embodiment of everything that Rajen stood for, fought for and passionately lived for. Rajen was a great philanthropist who was passionate about growing young entrepreneurs, about providing access to education and about promoting physical and mental health. These aspirations drive the RR Foundation’s path, which as its motto states, aims to ‘educate, inspire and motivate’.

2023 is a particularly significant year for The Association for The Aged (Tafta) as it marks 65 years since a group of concerned young men decided to formalise an organisation dedicated to the care and support of older people. The organisation has since grown and evolved over the last six decades but the centre has always been about the people it supports; a diverse and capable group of elders who continue to push the boundaries even in the face of adversity. Today, older people face several challenges, including retirement security, access to affordable health care and supportive sheltered housing options, ageism, social isolation and exclusion. Tafta remains committed to assisting older people to navigate the journey of ageing through providing access to care and support services, and creating environments that promote dignity, respect and inclusion for all older persons. Tafta’s CEO, Femada Shamam shared her thoughts, saying; “We are proud of the strides and many contributions Tafta has made over the years to enhance the lives of our elderly community, and are privileged to be able to celebrate with our supporters to mark the occasion of reaching 65 years of age. We hope to continue supporting and serving older people into the future.” “Thank you to our stakeholders; Council Members, staff, care partners, donors, media partners and affiliated organisations in the sector, government and the general public for your continued support over the years. We depend on each stakeholder to drive the objectives of our organisation forward, and while I don’t always get a chance to see and interact with everyone who is part of this amazing organisation - I know that when I speak of the amazing work we do, I am talking about YOUR efforts,” continued Shamam. Tafta invites everyone to join them in celebrating this milestone with commemorative events, activities and programmes throughout the year. Divisional Manager of Income Development and Public Relations, Susanne Ramsunder said, “In turning 65, we want to celebrate with our community and encourage those who have assisted us in reaching this landmark to continue showing their support for older persons – a contribution of just R45 is what it costs the organisation on average to provide care and support services to one older person per day reaching over 5,000 older people in our homes and in the community. Visit our website www.tafta.org.za for information on our care and support services and to easily make a donation through the donate page.” For more information on how Tafta will be commemorating its 65th birthday, you can contact Susanne Ramsunder on 031 332 3721 / susanne@tafta.org.za and follow their social media platforms in the weeks to come as they share details of special events.

Employee onboarding is the process of integrating new employees into your company. This mainly involves making your new employees familiar with their workspace, company policies , and the company culture. Research shows that employees who felt their onboarding was effective were more likely to feel committed to the organization . Onboarding is a strategic, comprehensive process that can last up to a year. It’s important to remember that using a new hire checklist template doesn’t mean onboarding should be treated as a simple check-the-box activity. Why efficient employee onboarding matters? Employee onboarding is the first interaction an employee has with the organization right after the interview and offer process. If the experience fails to live up to expectations, then your employee might regret their decision of accepting the job offer. The negative impression left by a poor onboarding process might affect their perceptions, give them prejudiced notions about the organization, and ultimately cause them to quit early. A solid employee onboarding process is necessary to help your new hires settle down in their jobs, get to know the organization, obtain clarity on their job objectives, and forge a good relationship with other employees. A memorable onboarding experience not only makes employees feel welcome but also helps them gel with the existing organizational family faster. Documents for On-Boarding There is a range of onboarding documents that you need to provide new employees when they first join your company. Some are legal requirements; others relate to your company’s policies and procedures, and some are relevant to the role an employee will be undertaking. Some of these documents are: POLICY AND PROCEDURE MANUAL DISCIPLINARY CODE OF CONDUCT INDUSTRY GOVERNED REGULATIONS EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT JOB DESCRIPTION TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN SAFETY AND EVACUATION PLAN Prior to the new employee’s first day, send an announcement to all employees, either in-person or via email, advising staff of the new person. The announcement should tell them the new employee’s role, a bit about their experience, what they’ll be doing at your company and encourage other employees to welcome them. As a new employee, nothing is worse than not having the tools you need to be successful. Setting up the new employee’s computer, email, applications, and phone numbers ahead of time, and providing any necessary office supplies, can help a new colleague feel valued from day one. Schedule some time for the new employee to meet with key people and departments on their first day. Although they may not remember everyone’s name, this will give them a good overview of where to go to get what they need. Even if the employee has performed the same job function elsewhere, there are bound to be differences between companies. Having a training plan in place is a vital part of helping new employees find their feet in an organization. Training should cover company rules, processes, procedures, and expectations. Even if the employee is doing well and you feel like they don’t need an evaluation, meet with them. This is an opportunity to learn more about your company’s onboarding process from the employee perspective. Find out what they liked and didn’t like about your process and make changes as you see fit. The first few weeks are the most influential to a new hire’s outlook on the company - positive or negative - and sets the tone for their relationship with your business in the long-term.

Regardless of your organization’s size, developing formal policies and procedures can make it run much more smoothly and efficiently. They communicate the values and vision of the organization, ensuring employees understand exactly what is expected of them in certain situations. Policies and procedures save time and stress when handling HR issues. The absence of written policies results in unnecessary time and effort spent trying to agree on a course of action. With strict guidelines already in place, employees simply have to follow the procedures and managers have to enforce the policies. Implementing these documents also improves the way an organization looks from the outside. Policies and procedures help to ensure your company complies with relevant regulations. They also demonstrate that organizations are efficient, professional and stable. This can lead to stronger business relationships and a better public reputation. What are Policies? A ‘Policy’ is a predetermined course of action, which is established to provide a guide toward accepted business strategies and objectives. In other words, it is a direct link between an organization’s ‘Vision’ and their day-to-day operations. Policies identify the key activities and provide a general strategy to decision-makers on how to handle issues as they arise. Well-written policies and procedures allow employees to clearly understand their roles and responsibilities within predefined limits. Basically, policies and procedures allow management to guide operations without constant management intervention. This is accomplished by providing the organisation and employees with limits and a choice of alternatives that can be used to ‘guide’ their decision-making process as they attempt to overcome problems. As employees are hired, it is important that they understand the correct work process to ensure that the service or product maintains high quality. What are Procedures? The ultimate goal of every ‘Procedure’ is to provide the organisation and employees and with a clear and easily understood plan of action required to carry out or implement a policy. A well-written procedure will also help eliminate common misunderstandings by identifying job responsibilities and establishing boundaries for employees. Good procedures allow managers to control events in advance and prevent the organization (and employees) from making costly mistakes. A procedure can be defined as a road map where the trip details are highlighted in order to prevent a person from getting lost or ‘wandering’ off an acceptable path identified by the company’s management team. When procedures are followed, there is consistency in practice for work processes. This helps to ensure that things are done the same way, every time and that all steps are followed. To create an acceptable policy, the following must be very carefully noted. The policy must: - Set out the aim of the Policy - Explain why the Policy was developed - List who the policy applies to - Set out what is acceptable or unacceptable behaviour - Set out consequences of not complying with the policy - Provide a date when the policy was developed or updated Policies and procedures should not be written once and left alone for decades. Reviewing these documents regularly and updating them when necessary is key to their success. In addition to an annual review, consider updating your policies and procedures when you: - Adopt new equipment, software, etc. - See an increase in accidents or failures on-site - Experience increased customer complaints - Have a feeling of general confusion or increased staff questions regarding day-to-day operations - See inconsistency in employee job performance - Feel increased stress levels across the office - Embark on significant change to the organisational structure Enforcement of the policies guarantees your organization’s operational procedures and decision-making processes are uniform and consistent across cases. When you don’t enforce your procedures, you put your organization at risk. If an employee or external person comes forward with an allegation against your company, having formal policies and procedures in place strengthens your case. As organizations grow it is important to put things in writing that the organization values and deems important. Doing so in a detailed policy and procedure manual, that is shared with employees, can help to ensure that products and services maintain the high quality that customers expect. Important to note Policies and procedures need to be reviewed and updated at least annually to make improvements and keep them current. Policies and procedures should be consistently reviewed for its effectiveness and to ensure that what is being done in practice is adding value.Each policy must be tailored to the organisation and their specific industry. http://drghumancapital.com

To support more organisations being more successful more often, DRG and BusinessFit have created a Leaders Guide Workbook, which focuses on important considerations in creating a successful and sustainable business. This workbook is available to everybody. Contact Lindiwe Bhadi at lindiwe@businessfit.co.za . Accessing the economy and leading a successful and sustainable business, is as we all know, not easy. A simple measurement of the number of failures that exist in start-up businesses, and in the course of day-to-day trading of more established businesses, demonstrates this fact. Aspects contributing to business failure are multiple and are influenced by changes in micro and macro environments, which include changing customer perceptions, access to raw materials, attracting and retaining able and contributing staff, managing financial resourcing, and much more. Within DRG and BusinessFit our focus has been in developing constants within a business. Constants that help to form a business foundation that can be relied on to guide the business towards reaching operational and stakeholder measures. With technological advancements being experienced daily through electronic media, communications and systems, etc., nothing external to our business remains constant. Except, of course, that change itself is a predictable norm. A defined model Creating a defined model for business leaders to follow needs to include all the considerations of an evolving economy and world, and also the essential aspects of environmental protection and societal development and inclusion. On the face of it, business without an effective governance framework is just too complex – requiring luck to play an influencing role in developing a successful and sustainable business. We believe that the hope of success through luck can be replaced with the business framework we refer to as the BusinessFit Blueprint, which helps to provide an encompassing governance foundation. This helps to provide business leaders with confidence that their organisation is given its best chance to succeed, to follow its intended evolution path, to guide the business towards its milestones and goals, and to meet operational, stakeholder and sustainability measures. To ensure the governance foundation is not considered a dynamic structure, able to be altered to suite current demands and market fluctuations, we created the BusinessFit Blueprint template in such a way that individuality can exist per organisation size and industry, and to recognise too that all successful businesses tend to have competencies and structures around the same four pillars of exceptional leadership, integrated functional foundation, clearly defined measurements and metrics, and an engaged work culture and encouraging collaboration, teamwork and innovation. Building better businesses It is true that all businesses, small and large, access the economy in a similar way, have similar administrative, reporting and compliance responsibilities, are constantly needing to focus attention on consumer demands and changing customer perceptions and preferences, and in ensuring quality assurance and controls are maintained. Financial and operational measures are also forever being adjusted to meet internal hurdle rates, and to ensure the organisation is maintaining its intended sustainability. Governance has long been regarded as a necessary consideration to provide the well-intended approach to building better businesses, but often the language of the shared governance structures is only accessible to formally tutored professionals, and as such many of the benefits of these structures are missed by entrepreneurs armed only with a core skill and a will to succeed. King IV is considered the world over as an advanced governance framework and adopted as a vital framework in helping organisations plan and organise activities to meet organisational outcomes. King IV recognises the critical considerations of ethical, effective leadership, and notes that this organisational virtue is achievable when the organisation leadership and governing bodies focus measurement and effort on ensuring the organisations productivity and it is meeting operational and stakeholder measures, legitimacy through being a good corporate citizen, risk management, and an ethical and engaged work environment. TCFD (Task Force on Climate related Financial Disclosures) was established by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and is another incredible tool encouraging the importance of governance, strategy, risk management and metrics and targets. There is no shortage of good advice available to business leaders and entrepreneurs, and to some degree this mountain of information remains elusive due to its sophistication, recommended disclosures of board oversight, and management’s role in assessing and managing climate-related risks and opportunities. There are of course many other frameworks to guide decision making, and helping organisations meet sustainability objectives, but in our experience many of these models require a deep understanding of business administration and sustainability considerations which is elusive to the majority of entrepreneurs and business owners. Critical touch points The BusinessFit Blueprint model combines each of the critical touch points needed in building a governance framework that helps to create a common language for each organisation, and a focus on attracting and retaining staff that believe in the organisations ethos, are comfortable with the culture and outcome intentions of the organisation, and feel a sense of commitment and belonging through being aware of how the organisation collectively interacts to meet its desired outcomes as well as their personal zone of influence contributions. Each staff member within the organisation essentially contributes within one or a combination of the functional areas of administration, operations, HR, finance, marketing and sales, customer care, legal, and other. These staff members must be competent in their roles, must enjoy their work, must be rewarded appropriately, and have a sense that the organisation’s value creation is contributing to a greater cause other than just profitability and material gain. Staff must also clearly understand the measurements and metrics for the business, and these goals and milestones must reach into the value derived by customers, staff, suppliers, and other stakeholders. The leader’s role in the first instance is to create a sustainable business, able to meet operational and stakeholder measures. A good leader knows that this is only possible through creating an engaged work environment, where individuals and teams take responsibility for delivering predictable internal value, follow standard operating procedures, and implement corrective action to improve internal processes, systems and communications, to result in a better value experience for consumers and customers. Although leaders are also employees of a business, with reporting responsibilities their role requires them to provide the vision of the organisation. They must clearly articulate the purpose, intention, value creation, and measurement of the business, and must transfer confidence to the business through a knowing of how the business is able to create and distribute its products and services favourably into the market. Confidence is created through experience, access to critical resources, access to networks, and assembling a team committed, capable and enabled to contribute towards meeting consumer, customer and stakeholder expectations. Become a sustainable organisation The BusinessFit Blueprint combines each of the activities contained in well-known and respected governance frameworks, but does so in a simple and organised structure, making following the methodology available to all business leaders and entrepreneurs of all size organisations wishing to ensure their businesses have been given every chance of being successful and sustainable. We look forward to sharing this governance framework and workbook far and wide, and to ensuring all small, medium, and micro business have every opportunity to become a sustainable organisation, able to meet operational, stakeholder and sustainability measures. Business leaders and entrepreneurs are encouraged to join the BusinessFit quality assurance App, and to profile themselves as valuable contributors to a sustainable world for all. The BusinessFit App is mobile enabled and can be downloaded from Playstore (Android) and AppleStore (iPhone). T: +27 (0)31 767 0625 E: lindiwe@businessfit.co.za W: www.businessfit.co.za

If you missed the pre-entries cut off date on Sunday, don't worry you can still enter at no extra cost. Click on the buttons below. Sea quality gets the green light! Durban's water quality over the past few weeks has been improving with the latest independant results giving events and swimmers the green light at most of Durban's beautiful beaches. The latest water tests have been attached below and the tests have been undertaken independantly by Adopt-a-River and Talbot. This is fantastic news for the event as well as the competitors and the general public. ENTER HERE

Safety in public places While in a public place, the following are a few safety measures to consider: Avoid walking alone and using shortcuts through unfamiliar, deserted areas; Look confident and be aware of your surroundings; Travel in well-lit areas and away from bushes, doorways and buildings. Try to take routes that are used by other people; Carry emergency cab fare; If you must stay late on campus use the Work Alone program and move your car closer to a building, in a well-lit area; Use the Campus Walk program at night to get an escort; Have your keys ready so you can enter your car or residence quickly; Check in and under your vehicle before entering; Lock your car as soon as you enter or leave it; and Keep car windows and sunroof closed. Article Credit: https://ontariotechu.ca/campus-services/safety-security/personal-safety/safety-in-public-places.php

The GIBS Business School (Gordon Institute of Business Science) MBA manufacturing students at the Toyota Wessels Institute for Manufacturing Studies (TWIMS) recently visited the United Kingdom. Having, due to Covid-19, been unable to travel internationally over the past two years, this cohort of MBA manufacturing students were immensely grateful to participate in the first manufacturing global module. The global module is a compulsory component of the MBA, which has a focus on enhancing competitiveness in dynamic markets. The participating students were provided with a learning experience of a lifetime and gained immense value from being exposed to manufacturing challenges and approaches in the United Kingdom. The trip has also led to several positive connections being made between TWIMS and the organisations visited. The students were exposed to the robust research, innovation and strategic insights into the future trajectory of manufacturing from the Global Development Institute at The University of Manchester and the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM), University of Cambridge. The experience provided the opportunity to affirm the key focus areas in the manufacturing curriculum designed by TWIMS, benchmarked against what is being taught at the Institute for Manufacturing Studies in Cambridge. In addition, the students were able to relate their knowledge gained from the suite of manufacturing electives offered through the manufacturing focused MBA to the practical experience of walking the floor of the Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK plant and PepsiCo Coventry plant. They further reflected on the learnings with Rose Heathcote from University of Buckingham. The standard of the TWIM’s curriculum was apparent in the students’ engagement with the experience, the challenging questions they asked, and in their insightful observations (often in pubs!) The students were also well equipped to engage in meaningful discussions about what they are taking back home as leaders of manufacturing in Africa. Of course, the students managed to fit in some purely fun time! Highlights were watching Manchester City playing a match at the famous Manchester City Football Club – Etihad Stadium, visiting Manchester United Football Club – Old Trafford and a walking tour of the industrial history of Manchester and the university colleges of Cambridge. The students returned with their minds expanded, renewed appreciation of the potential of industry in South Africa and were inspired to lead sustainable industrialisation in the digital age of global connectedness. They sent thanks to their United Kingdom hosts who were incredibly generous with their time and insights and to the faculty team, Justin Barnes and Robyn Green, who made this trip possible. www.twimsafrica.com/mba

ENTRIES CLOSING Entries for the 2023 Durban Ultra Triathlon on the 5th of February are closing on the 12th of January, only a few days away. So enter now and secure that pre race entry which comes with an awesome goodie bag! The iconic Durban Ultra Triathlon is the first MUST DO Triathlon race of 2023 and it will also mark the return of the epic 153 distance race, which brings back the same distances as SA's premier long course triathlon from the 1980's and early 1990's. Entries for the 2023 event are pouring in, but they close on the 12th of January 2023. So make sure you don't miss the entry cut off. This is the perfect event for athletes attempting the Iron man race in PE in March. It's a perfect 4 weeks out, giving competitors plenty of time to rest their legs and minds. The Durban Ultra now offers 4 different Triathlon races, with TEAM options available for all events except the Aquabike race. The SUZUKI Sprint Race: 600m Swim / 20km Bike / 5km Run The ULTRA Race : 1.9km Swim / 90km Bike / 20km Run The 153 Race: 3km Swim / 120km Bike / 30km Run AQUABIKE: 1.9km Swim / 90km Cycle (Individuals only) The Swim for the races will be moved down south, which will give the athletes a short run to transition before they get onto the bike. The final swim start venues will be finalised in early January. 153 RELAY Team entries have just been launched, so Relay Teams can now choose a Sprint, Ultra or 153 to enter into. If you want to be part of the action but would prefer to do it with your friends, grab your mates and get entered and start training for this exciting iconic Durban race. See you on the starting line in February. THE B-ACTIVE TEAM ENTER HERE B-ACTIVE

Welcome to the final edition of KZN Business Sense for 2022. The front cover and page three article feature Zanele Luvuno who is the CEO and founder of Metamorphosis Integrated Solutions. Zanele has an extensive career spanning over two decades. She has primarily worked in the people space in the area of coaching, talent acquisition, executive search, and partner profiling for transactions. We end the year with many outstanding business achievements and much celebration and we congratulate all the exceptional individuals, businesses and organisations recognised. The KZN Top Business Women 2022 powered by DRG and BusinessFit SA is an annual initiative that features some phenomenal women of influence. Read pages 7 –10. The 2022 Investec Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Chamber of Business Annual Banquet celebrated business success in the region. Page 6 . Also on page 6 , the winners and finalists of iLembe Chamber’s 12th annual The Entrepreneur Programme and Competition were recently announced. After a two-year lapse due to the Covid 19 restrictions, the Minara Chamber of Commerce Business Awards and Gala dinner took place. Page 11. The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate took everyone by surprise and was selected as the Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant of The Year for 2022. Page 15 (It’s well worth a visit) Our regular contributors’ topics are: Johan Van Deventer, LabourNet, who comments on dmissibility of evidence in a disciplinary inquiry. Page 2. Monique Labat writes on the power of networks and B2B linkages in 2023. Page 4 Russell Curtis, Invest Durban, says that Durban is now positioned as a global business services ‘powerhouse’. Page 4 Cox Yeats Attorneys’ Commercial Law team provides an update on small merger notifications . Page 5 Ndumiso Jerome Sikhakhane, Infinity Growth Digital Marketing, reflects on the future of digital media in South Africa. Page 12 ActionCOACH Marlene Powell says business is simple, stop complicating it! Page 12 Dr Fareed Amod Crown Dental Studio asks, ‘Is chewing gum good for your teeth?”. Page 14 David White explains that to support more organisations being more successful more often, DRG and BusinessFit have created a Leaders Guide Workbook. Page 16. We have a book give away for one lucky reader. To win a signed copy of the James Hendry’s Return to the Wild see bottom of page 14. We extend the warmest wishes to each of our contributors and to our readers over this holiday season and thank you for your support over this past year. We look forward to 2023!