Mi7 National Group has claimed top honours at the Standard Bank KZN Top Business Award for 2022, having being selected as the winner in the Business Innovation category. Mi7 Chief Executive Officer Shadrach Karien received the award on behalf of the company during a ceremony held in Durban on Wednesday evening. The title was awarded to a business “that can demonstrate an innovative approach to products, or processes, which has contributed to the success of the business.” When Mi7 National Group established its Armed Response service in March 2021, it had to set itself apart in an already saturated market. By incorporating the company’s public service model with a number of digital innovations, the company was able to transcend traditional service models in the industry, adopting a proactive approach to crime prevention for the entire community, client or not. This has led to Mi7 National Group’s Armed Response being a formidable stakeholder in Pietermaritzburg’s security cluster after only a year since its establishment. “This award is for our dedicated teams who begin and end each day in the service of their communities. It is for our clients who have entrusted us with their protection. It is for our entire community which has encouraged and inspired us to be better. We are proud to have this honour bestowed upon us. It serves as motivation for us to continue delivering the exemplary service our clients and communities expect,” said Karien. Mi7 National Group would like to extend its appreciation to the team and judging panel at the Standard Bank KZN Top Business Awards.

W ho's the leading Brand in KZN? W ho's ahead of the curve in their categories? W ho's the KZN Personality of the Year 2022? All will be unveiled at the Standard Bank KZN Top Business Awards. LIVESTREAMED KZN Top Business Awards The Standard Bank KZN Top Business Awards 2022 LIVE: STREAM Join us online on Wednesday 27 July at 6.30 pm Share this link below with clients, office colleagues, friends, and families. Let's join in on the celebrations of Business Success in KZN. Grant Adlam www.kzntopbusiness.com Subscribe to KZN Top Business YouTube Channel Lucky draw will be drawn TWO NIGHTS for two people at the new Radisson Blu Hotel Durban Umhlanga winner will be announced at the Standard Bank KZN Top Business Wards on the 27th of July at the Radisson Blu Hotel Durban Umhlanga KZN TOP BUSINESS AWARDS Gayle Adlam

Standard Bank KZN Top Business Awards 2022 Finalists Announced Media Release Durban, 21 July 2022 Several top businesses, organisations and individuals are waiting in anticipation to hear who will be honoured at the Standard Bank KZN Top Business Awards 2022. The gala event, now in its 16th edition, will be held on the 27 July at the new Radisson Blu Hotel, Durban Umhlanga. The award proceedings will be streamed live. The aim of the Standard Bank KZN Top Business Awards is to celebrate the achievements of companies and organisations in a range of categories. Of note these reflect some of the challenges experienced over the past two and a half years. “We at Standard Bank are particularly excited about this event where we celebrate the captains of industry, the thought leaders and the trendsetters of 2022. This is indeed the business flagship event for the year,” said Imraan Noorbhai, Standard Bank Head Consumer Client Coverage, KZN. He added, “Standard Bank is committed to driving Africa’s growth and business plays a crucial role in the growth of Africa. Businesses provide employment, fuel economies, and connect the continent and the rest of the world. We are proud that we have the opportunity to recognise business success and growth in KZN and highlight our brand proposition of ‘It can be’.” In line with King IV Corporate Governance Principles, the awards aim to promote excellence, achievement, and accountability in all entities. The finalists in the various category awards are as follows: 1. Business Innovation • The Holiday Club (Beekman Group) • Mi7 National Group • Hannah Grace • Inzalo Utility Systems 2. Entrepreneur Resilience • Dr Fareed Amod – Crown Dental Studio • Portio Dlamini – Emakheni Cleaning & Industrial Solutions • Allan, Margaret, Richard and Luci Hirsch – Hirsch's • Saskia Hill – MCS Debt Recovery & Connect BPS • Nondumiso Mthwa – Idwala Property Group • Isaac Mbatha – Sky Tents 3. Digital/System Implementation • SmartXchange • Airshot • Netstream Integrated Solutions 4. Employee Wellbeing • uThandekile Foundation • KZN Oils • Cox Yeats Attorneys 5. Small Business Start-up • Eita Radio • Visual Network South Africa • Infinity Growth Digital Marketing 6. Community and Social Responsibility • East Coast Radio • SLG • Project Rhino • The Association for the Aged (Tafta) • Innovate Durban 7. Family Business • Beekman Group • LHL Engineering • Magnet Electrical Supplies The announcements of the winners will include the recipient of the KZN Personality Award which is an honorary award given to a person of exemplary industry influence. In addition, the 20 top brands, which are selected by public SMS vote only, will be announced. The accolade of being ranked as the KZN Top Brand is much coveted with much interest and hundreds of votes submitted. Commenting on the awards, Grant Adlam, CEO KZN Top Business says, “They are a great way to showcase the many achievements in KwaZulu-Natal. These businesses and organisations have risen above the ordinary and have very good stories to tell. We are looking forward to celebrating these achievements at the awards evening.” For more information www.kzntopbusiness.com Issued by: Gayle Adlam KZN Top Business 0836530465 gayle@mweb.co.za Current KZN Top Brand THE BATTLE OF THE BRANDS Beekman Group Blue Security Woodford Car Hire East Coast Radio Hollywoodbets KZN Oils LHL Engineering SLG Tyson Properties Cox Yeats Attorneys Hirsch’s Icebolethu Group Magnet Imperial Armour DRG Mediterranean Shipping Company King Shaka International Plennegy The Sharks Durban ICC Issued by: Gayle Adlam KZN Top Business 0836530465 gayle@mweb.co.za

If one is to make a vivid reflection and introspection about one’s background and upbringing, its nothing short of wonder, excitement and triumph. Perseverance, resilience, hope and respect are essentailly life’s fundamental principles and values which I had the privilege to observe and experience from a very young age. Still to this day, when I reflect to the earlier days of our lives as a family, in terms of standard of living and quality of life, the question lingers” How did both of my parents endure and made it through the storms, trials and tribulations that life thrown at them?”. As I grew older, I got to understand that my family, especially my parents had such greater degree of hope which meant the ability to believe in the unknown, that one day life will change for the better for the family, inspite of the current life’s challenges. My late Father was the only breadwinner at the time and somehow managed to ensure that we had a roof over our heads, were all medically taken care of and most importantly, never went to bed without plate of food every night. As years went by, my Mother enrolled at a College of Education to become a school educator and we were left home with my father looking after us. What I witnessed as young as I was, was the level of respect and perseverance my parents exercised towards the betterment of us as a family. As I come from a family of educators, it needless to say that, discipline and respect was mandatory at home and school work came before sports and any other extra mural activities. High crime rates, high levels of unemployment and despondency are some the prevalent characteristics defining Umlazi Township, South West of Durban, where I grew up. It became compelling that one needed to choose a path that sets you apart from the rest, in the township. Even though my parents were never flawless, however, it was pleasing to see my parent’s desire for success superseding the any degree of fear and uncertainty. My Mother has always been a praying woman, puts God before everything and today can vividly attest to GOD’s wonderful miracles He has downed upon us as a family. Regardless, how hard life can get, my parents have always instilled a sense of hope and perseverance until a desired outcome is reached. They believed and said that, a human being/s is defined by “their patience when they have nothing and their attitude when they seemingly have everything”. Never to be afraid to take risks worth taking! This is how they managed to ensure that we had a life that was perceived as “better” or slightly privileged from other children who weren’t as fortunate. When I got into high school and seemingly doing well in subjects like business economics and economics and being top of my class throughout, I together with other school mates from other grades were selected to participate in the Junior Achievements Programme. This programme was aimed at the grade 10-11s across different high schools in Durban. I performed extremely well in these subjects having observed how my Grandfather from my Mother’s side ran his store in the farm at the south coast. I’d usually visit my grandparents during school holidays. My mother as well used to sell fresh sandwiches to school teachers in the nearby school. The Junior Achievements programme was a 12-week intensive business programme whereby learners teamed up to start and run a business. In this programme, my group took the first spot. The following are critical business skills attained: Work readiness - teamwork, communication, integrity ethics and problem-solving Entrepreneurial - goal setting and initiative Leadership and responsibility, creativity, Perseverance Resourcefulness Financial Literacy - Money and risk management, Decision making, Negotiation and resilience. This programme and the experiences shared in the family profoundly cultivated my interest into business. With the utmost respect to my parents as school educators, I’ve always wanted to follow their footsteps in the teaching profession but not until I was retired. One of us as children needed to take it to the next level and think bigger and broudly, outside the borders of society. After graduating from DUT, I got employed by Dept of Health as a training officer, whereby we would be assigned to different hospitals around KZN to conduct trainings and only send feedback reports to head office. Feedback reports from delegates undergoing training were predominantly positive suggesting my ability and capability to impart knowledge and skill. This was around the time when I began learning about accreditation processes and development of the quality management system. I was really showing greater ambitions towards becoming an entrepreneur. My services were rendered to the department for five years and subsequently resigned to pursue an establishment of an accredited training business. There was still lots to learn in this field, however, I told myself that I’ll always remain a humble student to acquire as much knowledge and understanding, which to this day, I still am. My desire for success exceeded the degree of failure which was a quality learnt and experienced from both my parents at a very young age. Years later, I with family got the business accredited by LGSETA which enabled us to provide accredited training to local government. Realizing the greater need for training and development across the spectrum, we then decided to extend our scope of accreditation into NATED (N4-N6) courses which are accredited by QCTO and registered with DHET, enabling us to provide education and training to post matriculants. High levels of despondency due to unemployment have brought about the prevalent skills mismatch and skills gaps in the South African context. It is for this reason that we have once again extended our accreditation scope into Technical – Tradesman courses. Such courses are fundamental in addressing the current unemployment rates by providing trade related skills to delegates. Upon completing a competency assessment, delegates can facilitate opportunities for self and formal employment within the areas they reside in, thus promoting economic activity. The unemployed, unskilled-semi skilled, those already in the field and RPL are eligible to undertake artisan trainings. This is how a two year old TVET in Pathways Institute came into being.

The week of the 8th to 15th April 2022 will never be forgotten in the minds of many people of the KZN Community as no one can claim to have not been affected, directly or indirectly, by the events related to the floods that engulfed the Province. Days of heavy rains across the Province led to deadly floods. Particularly hard-hit were areas in and around Durban. At least 435 people died across the Province, with an unknown number of people missing as of April 2022. Several thousand homes were damaged or destroyed. Critical infrastructure, including major roads, electrical systems were also impacted by the flood. It certainly was one of the deadliest natural disasters in the country, and deadliest storm since the 1987 floods. After almost two months of the floods having occurred, leaving many people destitute, with some losing family members, their properties and belongings, it still feels like this was a yesterday’s event. I am a resident and part of the Dassenhoek Community which is located in Ward 14 of the eThekwini Metro. The ward is one of the most under resourced areas under the Tribal Authority where water, electricity, roads and high levels of unemployment are serious issues. Like many other Communities, Dassenhoek was also not sparred from the wrath of the floods. The ward also experienced steady but consistent rainfall that began on the 8th April, and lasted the entire week. The rain that began pouring steadily but consistently could be described as good rains for the farmer. However, as the days progressed it was becoming evident that the rains were becoming destructive as infrastructures started crumbling, houses collapsing with occupants inside, resulting in deaths for some and to date, there are those whose bodies have not yet been recovered. The magnitude of these floods led to the Province being declared a National Disaster Area. For this Ward, this was the beginning of a major operation to be executed by young activists organized under the banner of an NPO called Faith and Hope. Without any resources these young men and women walked kilometers in heavy rain trying to identify houses that had been affected, pulling out the victims and getting them into the Community Halls, which had been identified as safe havens for the flood victims. As a Social Activist myself I was finding it hard to be a spectator and not get involved when I could see the pain that people were going through. This meant working with Faith and Hope and other formations. These are young activists who worked tirelessly day and night under extremely difficult conditions trying to identify affected families for placement at the Community halls. Most of the occupants in these halls are women and children and very few men. This raises a lot of questions on the role of men in the society. There is a combined total of 90 people that had been living in these two halls, and until such time that the Government is able to allocate housing for them, their fate remains in the hands of various Donors who be willing to assist. With so many people that had been affected by the floods, assistance becomes limited. I must mention that without resources it becomes a huge challenge to assist in a meaningful way in situations of this and similar nature , and this is when networks become useful. The extent of the damage caused by the floods in the Province was so severe such that a lot of resources had to be mobilized through various organizations that were ready to help with different interventions such as mattresses, blankets, food and clothing as immediate needs. To this effect, the Community is very grateful for the support received from organisations such as Robinhood Foundation, DRG Outsourcing, the Nelson Mandela Youth Centre and many such organisations and individuals. Faith and Hope continues to play a vital role in communicating with various community structures and leaders, these included the CPF, Ward Councilors, Churches, Civil Society and Government Departments. This role included making arrangements for funerals for the deceased . The struggle continues for these affected families due to the fact that although the floods have come and gone, their lives have changed for ever, the impact of the floods have left permanent scars in their lives . Living in the Halls means a new way of life for the victims and it goes without saying that this new way of life is not pleasant. Their right to privacy has been compromised, health and safety issues remain a challenge as hygiene products and supplies run out quickly since the donations are not sustainable. Since these are community halls, from time to time halls are required for community events, meaning that the victims would find themselves having to give space for that period.

Following on from my first article about why you should be using LinkedIn and the two key sides to LinkedIn – your profile and your strategy – let’s delve into what you should be doing with your rofile. Your profile needs to: · Get found · Give value to the reader · Prove your credibility The six key starting points (there are 12 points we will cover in total) should be: · The banner: Personalise it. Keep it simple. Make it stand out and ‘say what you do on the tin’. · Your photo: As I’d expect to see you if we met. A head and shoulders shot on a clear background is best. Not a photo of you and your bestman/ bridesmaid – I don’t know which one is you! · Your name: As you would introduce yourself. Make it easy for people to know how to address you. I am only Andrew if I have upset my Mum! · Your headline: The most important part of any marketing. It needs to say what you do FOR THE READER. And can include some search terms for what you want to be found for. Lose any qualifications here – It’s your ego and the reader probably doesn’t care (or at least could be intimidated) there’s space for these further on, which we will come onto next time. · Your ‘About’ section: This is your ‘landing page’ and window to the world. Tell people how you help them and ‘What’s In It For Them’ (W.I.I.F.Me). Who you are looking to work with and how you work with them? You have 2000 characters so use them. · Your ‘Experience’ sections: Here you can go into more detail and expand on your ‘About’ section. This section and the ‘About’ section are where most people go wrong. It is human nature to talk about ourselves. Me, me, me we, we, we – ‘They wee all over their audience!’. My most frequently used phrase when talking, messaging, communicating etc with prospects, customers and anyone is: ‘How can I help you best?’. Think smart – make past experiences relevant to how you work today. Maybe split them into separate product groups, target audiences, revenue streams etc. This is all about marketing! Remember: “No one cares about you. They care about what you can do for them!”. Upload content of value into your ‘About’ & ‘Experience’ sections. This includes articles, case tudies, tips, documents, and videos (keep these below three minutes each – your reader will tune out otherwise). Remember I said there are 12 main sections to your profile. Some are more powerful than others. I often hear people complain how they don’t like some of them. Get over it! LinkedIn is huge and a law unto themselves. It is what it is, so let’s utilise each section to serve us best. When you create a powerful headline, about and experience sections, full of value, more people will see your profile, ask to connect with you and even communicate with you. I have, in the files section of my free Facebook group, a heap of resources to help you even more with this, which we will delve into in future articles. We will cover the other sections next time. You can join the group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/linkedinmasterywithandy Start utilising LinkedIn more effectively and set yourself apart from your competition! Connect with me on LinkedIn You will get some automated responses but I will reply to any messages you send me – we’ll come onto how you can leverage your activity in the same way soon. SUPERCHARGE YOUR INBOUND LEAD GENERATION ON LINKED . . . . . .and get potential customers messaging you! (Without paid ads, even if you don't have a big following) If you're looking to get consistent enquiries that gives you the freedom you want to steadily grow your revenue and create the life and business you want - then reading this page will be the best decision you can make for your future. JOIN POST PARTY CLUB TODAY

The Human Elephant Foundation is making positive strides in conservation success in KwaZulu-Natal and beyond, and through its linkages with Rewilding Africa CIC, Project Rhino, CWC Projects and other supporting organisations is helping give birth to a new wilderness area known as Loziba Wildlife Reserve. Situated in the beautiful Thaka Valley in northern KwaZulu-Natal, Loziba is adjacent to Babanango Game Reserve, another incredible rewilding project aimed at securing land for animals to live in today and thrive into the future, and for local communities to benefit through tourism by providing services within these wildlife reserves. Initial steps in the development of Loziba as a sanctuary for elephant, rhino, and other endangered species have been the purchase of a pristine farm called Zoekmij. This natural bushveld stretching some 3 600 hectares is in the heart of Loziba and has for many years been home to a herd of 40 elephants. In recent months these elephants came under a destruction order from Ezemvelo Wildlife because of their interference with local communities, so the Human Elephant Foundation stepped in and purchased this land and secured the elephants’ tenure in their known paradise. The Human Elephant Foundation was the brainchild of acclaimed South African sculptor Andries Botha, who in 2009 saw an opportunity through his artwork to create an organisation to help stimulate conversation and debate encompassing topics such as earth’s fragile ecology, disintegrating human value systems, xenophobia, human conflict, the disintegrating family unit, human and animal rights, endangered natural resources, and the global migration and refugee crisis. Botha approached his good friend, high-profile business leader John Charter to join him in this important work. Charter was delighted, and immediately became the managing director of the Human Elephant Foundation. Since those early days, the organisation has enjoyed incredible success. Recently Grant Fowlds, renowned conservationist and director of Project Rhino, and David White, KZN business leader and wildlife advocate, joined the Foundation, bringing with them their passion for positive change, powerful networks, and creative funding and community development considerations. The elephant is used as the Foundation’s symbol due to its vulnerability. Elephants are the world’s largest land mammal, with incredible wisdom and strength, and yet fragile in their ability to co-exist with humans in our fast-changing world. Elephants are incredibly similar to humans. They love, protect, and nurture family members in the same way we do, and educate their young with skills to survive in the wilderness. They also mourn the passing of family and friends. We only have to look into an elephant’s eyes to sense that we share similarities in our emotions and mental considerations. The Human Elephant Foundation has placed Botha’s life-sized elephants in prominent places around the world helping to encourage conversations around the precarious state of our planet. The concept was successful and has helped ignite innovation and creativity to foster understanding of the importance and value of caring for and promoting conservation and rewilding activities. The Human Elephant Foundation is not only concerned with elephants but nature as a whole. Elephants are at the sharp end of change and used as the symbol for the whole of nature as a keystone species. The Foundation recognises too that successful conservation initiatives in natural and wilderness areas are only possible when local communities are involved in drawing incomes and livelihoods. The Human Elephant Foundation has been involved in many efforts over the years. One successful project has been Roving Reporters. This organisation is run by veteran journalist Fred Kockott with friends and associates. It is committed to publishing environmental stories of both uplifting and depressing nature. At the heart of Roving Reporters is the notion of training young people in the art of environmental journalism, a successful endeavour which has been active for close to ten years. The Human Elephant Foundation’s more recent aim is to support rewilding efforts through encouraging the purchase of unutilised farms in the Thaka Valley to create the 36 000 hectare Loziba Wildlife Reserve. Thereafter it will encourage joining game reserves such as Babanango, Mziki, Phinda, Hluhluwe, and Umfolozi, thus creating corridors for elephants and other animals to move freely between defined wilderness areas. Over time this momentum will pursue corridors that link game reserves right up to the trans frontier parks in Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda, and up the eastern side of Lake Tanganyika and beyond into Uganda. Loziba thus represents a catalyst in encouraging other wildlife reserves to recognise the importance of rewilding areas for animals to occupy and move about safely from land overutilisation through being confined into smaller areas. Each wildlife reserve is a microcosm of the natural environment, and each is critically important and ensuring the preservation of animals in our natural kingdom. The late Dr Ian Player, the world-renowned conservationist and philosopher, had a widely held view about the connection of elephants and humans. He maintained that humanity reached Europe from the cradle of mankind in South Africa where human life began and developed, with the aid of elephants. Elephants are natural water diviners and moved from water to water through deserts and extreme dense vegetation right up to north Africa. Humans found it very easy to follow the huge elephant paths to Europe. Yet it is the human footprint which has rendered them highly threatened. We have encroached upon their territory to such an extent that within 30 years or so there is a strong possibility that no wild elephants will be left on our planet. The notion of elephant corridors is the only concept that we can find to save these majestic creatures. The vision is to join various reserves and natural areas together by encouraging other conservationists and advocates to allow elephant corridors through their territories. This will include communities in various areas where elephants are currently a huge threat to crops and livelihoods. Great advances have been achieved in this area with the help of Fowlds, a great Zulu and Xhosa linguist and friend to the people. Dr Player and his conservation work had a huge and lasting influence on Charter. He recalls that just before Player passed, he received a wonderful tribute in a copy of Player’s book “Zululand, Wilderness Shadow and Soul”. Player said he had woken up at 3am one morning and had put the book he wanted to give to Charter on his hall table. When Charter unexpectedly came to visit that day, he said he knew then why he had got up so early that morning. Player then proceeded to write a tribute in the book for Charter. This was a wonderful moment in Charter’s life, and in a way the book acts as a passing of a baton of hope and responsibility from one person to another – and one generation to the next. Player as many will remember, was an exceptional person, mystical in his thinking and ways, who played a pivotal role in saving both white and black rhino from extinction in the 1930s and 1940s. Botha is in the process of creating a monument to Dr Ian Player, which will be erected in Umfolozi Game Reserve. Botha has already erected a monument to Beyers Coetzee. Coetzee, another passionate and able conservationist, and Loziba Wildlife Reserve founder was tragically killed a few years ago while moving the Loziba elephants away from the community. John Charter himself comes from a praised conservation lineage. His grandfather A.E. Charter, also an influential conservationist, fished in the lake now known as Charter’s Creek. A.E. Charter’s name is on Memorial Gate at Hluhluwe together with Potter and Powers as founders of Africa’s oldest park. A.E. Charter’s role at the time as provincial secretary of Natal was to proclaim Hluhluwe and Umfolozi. There are many ways people can get involved in the development of Loziba Wildlife Reserve. Without philanthropic donors and CSR contributions from larger organisations, it is difficult to move forward at the pace needed to purchase farms, build fences, roads, lodges, etc. However, and as in all successful sustainability endeavours, the general public wants to be involved. We have therefore created a unique offering where people can pledge R2 500 towards one acre of Loziba rewilded land. People and companies may of course pledge funds towards many more than one acre. Land does not transfer in ownership to each individual but will be forever recognised as that person’s contribution to this magnificent project. Each contributor will receive an autographed Rewilding Africa book written by Grant Fowlds, a personalised thank you letter from the Human Elephant Foundation, a satellite link to their purchased land, and ongoing communication and reward structures. History will forever recognise these value creating contributors to Rewilding Africa and making it possible for elephants and other wildlife to thrive in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and in Africa at large. Please join our campaign, and even if you are not a philanthropic donor, a corporate sponsor, or individual contributor, please support and encourage this initiative and the important work being done by people all over the world. There are many people desperately working to reverse the damage done in wildlife areas over the past decades. The intention is to restore the health and beauty of natural areas, so that animals can thrive in their preferred habitats, communities can prosper, and future generations may enjoy the splendour and wonder of our animal and vegetation kingdoms. Please contact, John Charter ( john@blackegret.co.za ), David White ( david@drg.co.za ) or www.humanelephant.org to hear more about how to become involved in Loziba Wildlife Reserve and other Human Elephant Foundation initiatives

Glenn Delve, the national commercial director of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), South Africa died peacefully on the 26 June 2022. At school his aptitude tests predicted him becoming a chartered accountant or a chemical engineer, but he wanted something different. Delve’s professional journey began in 1978, when he accepted a post as a management trainee in a shipping company. His natural aptitude for learning saw him complete several training courses in the field of shipping, which he said, “gave his career a good grounding”. Delve’s journey with MSC has ensured that his career has had many highlights, not the least was his appointment as a director of MSC in 2006. He commented, “Being able to conclude a commercial agreement is a highlight on every occasion; each circumstance is different and has different requirements. Over the years, we have had to negotiate complex multinational contracts. Each takes a lot of time and it is very rewarding to see the conclusion.” In a past interview Delve commented that he was old school and was proud to have worked for so many years for the same company, which is a different mindset to young employees nowadays. He also said that he had enjoyed his long working relationship with the Chief Executive Officer Captain Salvatore Sarno and MSC founder Chairman Gianluigi Aponte. He said, “The company has always treated its employees not only as assets but as family members.” For young people embarking on a shipping career, Delve had this advice, “Work hard and the rewards will be there”. However, he said, “It is not an industry for the faint hearted.” He added that it is also important to work your way up from the bottom so that you have a good understanding of the different aspects of the shipping industry. Glenn Delve’s advice to anyone wanting to follow in his footsteps is “Not to lose focus and don’t lose sight of other people”. Delve said life today is challenging as there is a lot to keep on top of and it’s more difficult now to find time for the things you used to do in the past. However, out of office hours, he participated in varied activities, and said that “if it involves water even better”. Delve enjoyed going to gym and played squash as well. He also often found time to be outdoors and especially to be in the bush. His closing words much reflect his life and are an ethos for which he will be fondly remembered, “Just love life, work hard and play hard!”

Having just hosted two successful major events–Africa’s Travel Indaba and the Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour – the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (Durban ICC) is in pole position to clinch the crown as Africa’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination. Nominations has opened for the 29th World Travel Awards™ (WTA) which rewards and celebrates excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. The WTA brand - also known as the “Oscars of the travel industry” – is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of industry excellence. Voting has opened in the various categories for the Africa region. Winners in the regions (Europe, Asia, Oceania, Middle East, South America, Central America, North America, Africa, Indian Ocean & Caribbean) will go head-to-head for the world awards. Travel industry professionals, the media and consumers are invited to cast their votes for travel brands – such as Durban ICC - that they consider to be the very best in Africa. The nominee gaining the most votes in a category will be named as the winner. Durban ICC has been nominated as Africa’s Leading Meetings and Conference Destination 20 times and has been voted the winner in this category no fewer than 17 times. The state-of-the-art venue has also been nominated the World’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination for the past 10 years. Lindiwe Rakharebe, Chief Executive Officer, Durban ICC, said the convention centre will be going all out to bring the trophy home, yet again. “Despite the lockdowns forcing the Durban ICC to mothball itself, when restrictions were eased, we worked diligently to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and maintain business continuity as far as was possible under the dire circumstances. We have just completed two major back-to-back events which tested all our systems, and the verdict is that the Durban ICC is ticking over like a well-oiled machine.” She said the Durban ICC met all its performance targets and exceeded targets in many instances. “Competing and winning – be it for events or awards – is in the DNA of the Durban ICC. We are thrilled to have been nominated in the Africa round and hope to also vie for the global award as it will raise Durban’s destination profile for business tourism and will help the Durban ICC to attract more international events to the city. “This will create more jobs and generate positive economic impact for KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa. Winning awards is a visible demonstration of all the behind-the-scenes hard work from the Durban ICC teams and people whose principal focus is to continuously provide world-class customer service to clients, both local and international. It is for this reason that the close-knit team strives to maintain the Durban ICC strong inherent culture of warmth and hospitality that we are known for and strives to ensure that each guest leaves the Durban ICC happy and satisfied with the service received,” said Rakharebe. Cast your vote now for the Durban ICC by clicking on this link: https://bit.ly/39bnkbS

A social initiative born from the ashes of last year’s devastating rioting and looting, which plagued KwaZulu[1]Natal and Gauteng, has started to show encouraging green shoots. After Isipingo’s iconic trader’s market was looted and burnt to the ground, destroying the livelihoods of the most vulnerable on the south coast of KZN, several local activists decided to do something about rebuilding hope in the region. Consequently, a broad-based initiative harnessing the diverse skill sets of several Muslim NGOs, business bodies and experts was founded. Called Rebuilding for Hope and Prosperity (REHOP) the coalition consisted of Awqaf SA, the Minara Business Chamber, the Association of Muslim Accountants and Lawyers (AMAL), AlBaraka Bank, the United Ulama Council of SA (UUCSA), the SA Muslim Charitable Trust, Muslims for Humanity and Growing Hands. Working in conjunction with the eThekweni Municipality, REHOP went ahead with a project to not only rehabilitate the market, but also to upskill and empower the traders. To this effect, a special Micro Enterprise Development Programme (MEDP) was set up by University of KZN academic expert, Prof Shahida Cassim, which endeavoured to build, enhance and uplift the business skills of the traders. Recently, REHOP – together with the eThekwini Municipality - hosted a special showcase event in which the top three adjudicated traders, who attended a series of MEDP workshops coordinated by Prof Cassim, were recognised and awarded sponsored prizes from local businesses, Al-Baraka, the Iqraa Trust and Vodacom SA. The first prize was awarded to, Ntombifuthi Ngcobo, the second prize went to, Silindile Ndawonde and the third prize was awarded to Samkelo Mbuyazi. Vodacom also came on board by offering five traders their Kwika package, one that enables them to sell data and airtime to their customers, thus providing them with an additional vending outlet and source of income. Councillor Busi Ndlovu, from the Economic Development and Planning Committee of eThekweni, expressed her appreciation of the programme and its exciting potential to help local small businesses. REHOP executive head, Shabir Chohan, said the showcase was the result of teamwork and dedication. “Our intervention with REHOP occurred at a time when the country, especially KZN, was under siege. We wanted to play a role in rebuilding the economy. We feel our commitment to this small initiative was important to ensure that micro business continued functioning, and more importantly, to operate on a sustainable basis. After a year I can confidently say that we have achieved our objective together with our affiliated organisations. What an honour it has been to play this humble role,” he said. Prof Shahida Cassim said it had been a challenging, but hugely rewarding experience, working with the MEDP programme and the traders at grassroots level. “We have, in fact, been working on a prototype with an eye on being able to roll it out nationwide. Small business owners and entrepreneurs in South Africa need to be given accessibility to upskilling opportunities,” she said. T: +27 (0)79 5071196 E: hasanain@awqafsa.org.za W: www.linkedin.com/company/rehop

KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) yellowfish, or scaly yellowfish as they are affectionately known by anglers, are being re-introduced to the Baynespruit as part of an ongoing environmental rehabilitation project by leading edible oil producer, Willowton Group. Dr Abie Khan, Quality and Food Safety Manager for Willowton Group, explained that this fish, which goes by the scientific name, labeobarbus natalensis, is a freshwater fish that is common throughout eastern South Africa and is commonly found in most rivers in the province. Although not threatened, its numbers have decreased due to various anthropogenic pressures such as increased water usage by growing settlements along the banks of rivers in KZN, deteriorating water quality and the establishment of barriers and dams that stop migration. It has been chosen as the species is an ideal indicator species for general river health. The re-introduction – or inoculation programme – is a strategic part of a broader commitment by Willowton Group to help improve the Baynespruit which is one of South Africa’s six most polluted rivers. The company has committed to monthly clean-ups of a 1-kilometre-long stretch of the Baynespruit River between the bridge at New Greytown Road (Bambatha Road) and Manning venue bridge in Pietermaritzburg. To date, six clean-ups which include the removal of refuse and invasive vegetation from the river and its banks, have been conducted. Willowton Group has been working with stakeholders including DUCT (Dusi Umgeni Conservation Trust) as a fellow founder of the Baynespruit Conservancy in 2020 to clean the river and make environmental improvement efforts. Dr Khan confirmed that the KZN yellowfish inoculation programme had commenced with the translocation of KZN Yellowfish. “It is coupled with a monitoring programme being undertaken under the independent supervision and guidance of Dr Mark Graham of Groundtruth as well as studies undertaken by the University of Kwa-Zulu-Natal. The re-inoculation programme and associated independent academic research is being funded by the Willowton Group,” he explained. The inoculation strategy has two components – a translocation (re-inoculation) activity where KZN yellowfish numbers will be increased at strategic impacted areas, coupled with a monitoring component assessing the success of the re-inoculation process as well as real-time water quality monitoring and biomonitoring through the deployment of water quality sensors or probes. According to Yusuf Raja, Environmental Specialist and Project Manager at Global Consulting firm Arup, “the project will assist in improving the overall aquatic system and benefit water users. It also demonstrates the commitment of the Willowton Group to make a meaningful and sustainable difference within the environment in which they operate”.

Business sense may be defined as keenness and quickness in understanding and dealing with a business situation (risks and opportunities) in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome. As the challenges of the past few years have shown, we always need to be ready for the next test. The dynamic world we live in waits for no one. The front page and page 3 article feature Portio Dlamini, founder and CEO of Emakheni Cleaning & Industrial Solutions. Portio’s career path has shown much good business sense, in addition to being driven by the need to empower other people. Through the articles in KZN Business Sense, we and our featured editorial partners, hope to provide news, insights and information to enable business people to be better informed on a variety of topics. These partners include: · Marlene Powell (ActionCoach), Page 5 · Monique Labat (Monique Labat Consulting), Page 4 · Invest Durban, Page 6 · Cox Yeats Attorneys, Page 7 · Everest Strategic Communications, Page 10 · Dr Fareed Amod (Crown Dental Studio), Page 14 · David White (DRG & BusinessFit (Pty) Ltd), Page 16 In addition to the tabloid, we offer the KZN Top Business Masterclass series which provide great opportunities to learn directly from some of the business gurus in their respective industries. Andy Gywnn’s masterclasses on LinkedIn are very insightful and offer much practical advice on how to use LinkedIn more effectively. Read his latest article on page five and follow the links to watch or rewatch his webinar. Johan van Deventer provides much insight into compliance through his article on the Consumer Protection Act on page 2 . Don’t miss the LabourNet webinar on the Protection of Personal Information – see page 15 . We congratulate Vivian Reddy, chairman of the Radisson Blu Hotel Durban Umhlanga, on the opening of this new hotel – see pages 8 and 9. A unique opportunity to help contribute to the protection of wildlife in KwaZulu[1]Natal exists through the establishment of a new game reserve – see pages 12 and 13. The business leaders in KwaZulu-Natal continues to amaze by their innovation, commitment, resilience and by their sense of responsibility to helping others who are undergoing adversity. The Standard Bank KZN Top Business Awards recognise these achievements and the shortlisted nominees are featured on page 11 of this edition. We look forward to sharing the details of the winners in the next edition of Business Sense. If you wish to watch the streamed event visit www.kzntopbusiness.com