Everest Strategic Communications, a boutique public relations agency now has a footprint and local presence in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal. The KwaZulu-Natal branch was opened on 6 April 2022. Experienced communications expert, Zama Luthuli, is the founder and CEO of Everest Strategic Communications and she is supported by the equally experienced Natalie Keegan, who is the regional director of the KZN branch. The Sandton based public relations (PR) agency offers innovative, fresh thinking for an integrated approach, focusing on both traditional and the latest innovative trends in communications incorporating technology and digital public relations solutions. “We offer more than just PR, explains Zama. Everest Communications helps clients to shape their narrative and tell impactful stories, curate impactful ownable events that resonate with a wider audience and move people forward,” She added, “Our services range from strategic communications, public relations, sustainability, marketing, brand building, and many other related key areas. We don’t just offer PR services, but we consider how our solutions have an impact within the different departments or units internally and amongst your targeted audience.” Commenting on the launch of the Richards Bay branch Natalie said, “Having a local presence in Richards Bay makes business sense for us as we understand the area very well. “We understand the issues communities face and how best to tailor make our solutions to suit client needs.” She added, “As we work with clients in Richards Bay and broader KZN areas, we hope to be more than just a PR agency but a catalyst for change, empowerment, and entrepreneurship.” “Our vision is to also build and support local skills through providing internships and freelance services to assist youth in communication studies to gain the necessary experience,” explained Zama. Zama is a solid expert in the strategic communications and public relations space with a total of 20 years’ experience under her belt. Her experience may be categorised into two decades of ten years working in various public sector organisations and ten years in various private sector companies. This experience entailed leading teams, developing business strategies, managing issues and reputational risk projects, and contributing to organisations’ strategies through various strategic projects. Following several management roles in the Durban and Richards Bay areas, Zama commenced her executive role in 2013 as vice president corporate affairs & shared services at PetroSA where she was based in Cape Town. In 2015 she moved to Gauteng, to take up the role of divisional executive corporate affairs at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). She held this role for close to five years, before taking the leap to start her own consulting business in 2020. Natalie is an extremely creative and articulate businesswoman and is an experienced communication specialist offering a purposeful approach towards diverse challenges within the corporate, industry and private environment. She has well over 25 years’ relevant experience within South Africa and the United Kingdom. Her extensive experience includes the development and execution of strategies, campaigns, reports, and projects for the benefit of her clients and the larger community. Natalie has a dynamic personality and energetic approach to her work. She is passionate about her profession and offers a commitment to integrity and an aim to leave a positive legacy where possible. “Our solutions and the advisory we provide consider the operating environment, the stakeholders within which you operate, and financial sustainability. By working with us you are supporting a 100% black woman-owned business that is in tune with contributing meaningfully to society,” concluded Zama. For more information contact: C: +27 (0)82 3030 974 E: zama@everestcommunications.co.za W: www.everestcommunications.co.za

We live in a world where adapting to fast-changing markets is no longer an option for companies and business owners. Rethinking employee communication and embracing digital technologies is here to stay and we all need to make the necessary changes to stay current and competitive. Since the start of the pandemic, new employee communications trends have emerged, and business needs to adapt to them to improve workplace communication. What does growing a business in an ever-changing world mean? Basically, it means that you need your employees to have a deep understanding of your business goals, stay on top of industry trends, and come up with strategies that will take your product or business to the next level. In short, you need to help your employees adapt to change and provide them with the right communication technologies. Does Employee Communication Impact Your Business Success? Hang on a minute — What Is Employee Communication? Essentially, employee communication involves the exchange of information, ideas, and feedback with and among employees to achieve the business goals originally set. Employee communication is critical to a business’s success. It’s the glue that holds your business together. This has been particularly true during the COVID-19 pandemic. Having an effective communication strategy in place helps you improve collaboration in the workplace, employee productivity, and employee engagement. It’s also a great way to motivate your employees and enhance innovation in the workplace. It is not surprising as our economy reopens that improving communication in the workplace is a top priority for most businesses. What’s more, employee communication is crucial when it comes to building a strong company culture. The way you communicate the company’s values, vision, and strategy will have a direct impact on how your employees feel about the company. Five employee communication trends that can reshape the workplace today and beyond. 1. Instant access to information The way we communicate has changed; we expect information to find us immediately rather than having to spend time looking for it. So, when communicating with employees ensure you send direct links to the information you want them to take on board to keep them engaged. 2. Adequate content distribution In most companies and organisations, HR and communication teams create material for their employees such as newsletters, campaign material, event planning, and ad-hoc surveys while marketing teams produce educational and engaging content such as videos, infographics, success stories, quizzes, coffee table books or eBooks to reach their target audience and increase brand awareness. Many internal communication professionals have realised that the distinction between internal and external communications is not the best approach to keep employees engaged. Instead of excluding marketing materials from the content they share with employees, they are now merging internal and external communications. In other words, they don’t build their content distribution based on their audiences (internal vs external stakeholders). Instead, they have a holistic approach where they distribute content based on their audiences’ needs. At the end of the day, what matters is not to only share content across the organisation, but to share verified meaningful information with your employees. 3. Mobile-first communication Millennials represent 50% of the workforce worldwide and they are projected to represent 75% of the workforce by 2025. As we all know, millennials are tech-savvy and mobile-oriented. So, if you want them to engage with the content you share with them, you will need to adapt your internal communication to their news consumption habits. In short, you will need to turn your internal communication into mobile-first employee communication. Sending emails across the organisation, or hosting meetings where your audience are not paying attention or are doing other work is not the best way to get your message through to your employees. To improve employee communication, more and more businesses are launching communication apps where employees can find the latest company news and the materials they need in their news feed. That way, they can communicate with their employees in a fast and engaging way. 4. Personalised communications Most employees feel that they are dealing with too much information and information overload has negative impacts on their ability to focus on a task – avoid “spamming” employees as this makes them less engaged. Instead of pushing standardised (and sometimes) irrelevant messages, make sure you share the right content with your employees. After all, employee communication is all about supporting employees in their jobs and keeping them inspired. At the end of the day, it’s a win-win situation: your employees are well-informed and enjoy a great employee experience. At the same time, they can do their job effectively all while feeling more connected and engaged. 5. Visual storytelling Welcome to the visual world! Gone are the old days where you would share company news through your monthly printed newsletter that not everyone would read are over. Most employees are not that interested in reading long emails or detailed activity reports. So, if you think about it; why do people browse their social media feeds several times a day? The answer is simple; they are looking for entertainment! What’s more, they are looking for content that drives the most engagement on social media includes videos, infographics, and pictures. So, if you want your employees to interact with your content, make it fun and engaging. And to do so, you will need to tell stories by including visuals in the material that you share with your employees. With visual storytelling, not only do your employees read your content, but they also interact with it more often. The shift towards visual storytelling has already started; more and more businesses are sharing infographics, videos, interactive newsletters, and quizzes with their employees. (Source: Poppulo.com) For more information contact: C: +27 (0)82 218 5205 E: natalie@everestcommunications.co.za W: www.everestcommunications.co.za

Vote for who you believe is KZN's Leading Brand 2022 A reminder that the Top Brand award is based on a SMS poll only. SMS ‘KZN’ to 33808 and follow the prompts (A cost per SMS is incurred). The current top 20 standing (which changes daily) is 1. Blue Security 2. Hollywoodbets 3. Woodford Car Hire 4. The Sharks 5. Hirsch’s 6. Supertech Group 7. SLG (Pty) Ltd 8. East Coast Radio 9. Cox Yeats Attorneys 10. Tyson Properties 11. Amazulu Football Club 12. LHL Engineering 13. Icebolethu Group 14. Beekman Group 15. Capitol Caterers 16. Plennegy 17. Imperial Armour 18. DRG 19. KZN Oils 20. uShaka Marine Bubbling Under SPAR Kingsgate Magnet MCS Debt Recovery How to Vote SMS the letters KZN to 33808 to vote for the Standard KZN Top Business Brand 2022. You will be prompted to provide your name and surname and then to enter the name of your top brand. Show us how much your business means to you. You may enter as many times as you like (And get your employees, clients, families, friends and other stakeholders to vote. A cost of R1.50 per SMS will be incurred Vote & Subscribe to the KZN TOP BUSINESS CHANNEL and you could win ... one of these three super prizes: · One of two one-night stays for two people at the new Radisson Blu Hotel, Durban Umhlanga A two night stay for two people at the new The Standard KZN Top Business Brand 2022 will be announced on the 27 July. This event will also be live streamed. For more information contact tracy@topbusiness.co.za

Category: Entrepreneur Resilience Nkosithandile Portio Dlamini was born at Stoffelton, Impendle, which is a village located a 100km from Pietermaritzburg. Portio was raised by a single mother of three and spent most of her childhood at the farm with her grandparents while her mother was studying and teaching. After completing her primary school education, Portio went to the nearest boarding school, Pholela High School in Bulwer, where she completed her matric. Portio studied chemical process engineering at Mangosuthu and Durban University of Technology respectively and obtained a BTech in chemical engineering. She then worked for a few companies, for approximately 11 years, including Sappi and Sasol as a process technician, and later moved to Unilever to work as a chemical process engineer and a production unit manager. During this time, she felt unsatisfied with the work that she was doing. “I felt that I should be in an environment where I was empowering or making a difference in people’s lives, rather than working mainly with processes and machinery,” commented Portio. Establishing her own business was not easy and Portio had to face a number of challenges as well as fears. “One of the major challenges that I faced was the lack of understanding and skills in how to run a business. I was from an environment where I was an employee and more technical. When you are starting out, you need to understand every department of your organisation – marketing, financial, HR etc.” “The second challenge was that I had a lot of fears – stepping out of my comfort zone to go into such a risky venture including leaving a secure job was one of them. But I was now choosing to step into something bigger than myself.” Emakheni Cleaning & Industrial Solutions is a Level 1, 100% female owned business that has now been trading for nine years. The company’s focus is on the industrial and commercial sectors providing contract cleaning, hygiene solutions and garden maintenance as well as specialised cleaning – high pressure and high-level cleaning – for factories. https://emakheni.co.za

ETHEKWINI NEWSFLASH FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 1 JULY 2022 CITY RE-OPENS SOME BEACHES TODAY Having received the latest water quality results, eThekwini Municipality has taken a decision to open some of its beaches today. This comes after recent water tests indicated that E-Coli levels were within acceptable standards. The public can now enjoy bathing and other sporting activities in these beaches. The following beaches are open for public use: Amanzimtoti; Warner; uMgababa; uMhlanga Rocks; uMdloti; Addington; Bronze; Bay of Plenty; Wedge; North; Country Club; uShaka; Battery; Southern and Vetch Pier (Point). The City decided to close all beaches in April due to high levels of E-Coli in the water following the floods. Water tests were conducted daily to monitor the E-Coli levels to ensure they reach acceptable standards. The latest test results carried out at all beaches revealed that some beaches are still affected whilst other are at an acceptable standard and are ready for public use. The following beaches remain closed for swimming but are open for religious and spiritual rituals, walking dogs and fishing purposes: uMkomaas; Umhlanga Rocks Lighthouse; Beachwood Mangrove; uMdloti beach tidal area; Casuarina in oThongathi; Granny’s Pool; B eachwood; eThekwini and Suncoast beach. The City will continue to monitor the rest of the beaches and inform the public once levels of E-Coli have decreased to standards that are safe for the public to enjoy it.

Category: Top Brand Now in its 25 years of successful operation, the Durban ICC is clearly delivering on the lofty hopes and dreams that so many held for it from its inception. Since opening in 1997, the Durban ICC has led the way for South Africa’s conventions industry and pioneered the country’s ability to attract international events to its shores. Over the years, the Centre has successfully hosted some of the world’s largest and most prestigious events and has been the platform for the discussion of many global issues. Notable examples include the United Nations Climate Change Conference namely, the Conference of the Parties (COP 17-CMP7), 5th BRICS Summit, XXI International AIDS Conference and the World Economic Forum on Africa. It has built a reputation as a world-class convention facility and has secured a number of impressive international conferences for Durban in the years ahead. These events include the 14th World Forestry Congress and the world’s largest aviation conference, the World Routes Development Forum in 2015. The Centre was also the host venue for the 21st International AIDS Conference which brought together 22000 participants from around the world. In its role as an economic catalyst, the Durban ICC has made an immense contribution to both the provincial and national economies since its foundation.

Entries are flying in for the Standard Bank KZN Top Business Awards 2022. However, we also note that the volume has caused our server to not perform at its optimum speed. If you are having any challenges with uploading your submission, please submit your entry and / or supporting documents by email to gayleadlam@gmail.com We are really excited about both the quantity of entries as well as the quality of the submissions received so far in the various categories. These represent a wide range of businesses across the province of KZN. We look forward to receiving all your entries – we know how hard you have worked on getting the submission together. A reminder that the Top Brand award is based on a SMS poll only. SMS ‘KZN’ to 33808 and follow the prompts (A cost per SMS is incurred). The current top 20 standing (which changes daily) is 1. Hollywoodbets 2. Blue Security 3. Supertech Group 4. The Sharks 5. Woodford Car Hire 6. Hirsch’s 7. SLG (Pty) Ltd 8. Cox Yeats Attorneys 9. East Coast Radio 10. Tyson Properties 11. LHL Engineering 12. Amazulu Football Club 13. uShaka Marine 14. Beekman Group 15. Capitol Caterers 16. Icebolethu Group 17. Plennegy 18. Magnet 19. kingsgate 20. Imperial Armour How to Vote SMS the letters KZN to 33808 to vote for the Standard KZN Top Business Brand 2022. You will be prompted to provide your name and surname and then to enter the name of your top brand. Show us how much your business means to you. You may enter as many times as you like (And get your employees, clients, families, friends and other stakeholders to vote. A cost of R1.50 per SMS will be incurred

Often employees’ personal information is the last thing we think of when wrestling with our Protection of Personal Information (POPI) compliance, but they should not be. Employees do not only play a role in getting and keeping companies compliant with POPI but are also data subjects themselves. This means that we need to be POPI compliant when collecting, using, storing, and deleting our employees’ personal information. This is often easier said than done, as employers often just don’t know how to practically comply with POPI regarding their employees’ personal information. When collecting personal information, we must be aware that we may need consent from our employees to collect and use their personal information depending on what type of personal information it is. If we are collecting or using any personal information concerning an employee’s race, ethnic origin, trade union membership, political persuasion, health i.e. vaccination status, or biometric information, we need to get consent from our employees to collect, use and store the personal information and we also need to keep proof of the consent on file. When using our employees’ personal information, we must be aware that we may only use it for the purpose for which it was collected, and these purposes must be communicated to the employee. When storing our employees’ personal information, whether electronically or in hard copy, we must be aware that we need to have safety measures in place to protect against the loss, damage, or unauthorised access of the personal information. Access to hard copy files should be limited and should be behind lock and key, either in an office or a cabinet. Access to electronic files should also be limited and we need to have adequate information security measures in place. The requirement in this instance is dependent upon the basics already employed within the workplace, but you should have the basics in place, such as, passwords protecting your computers and limiting access to your network or wi-fi. To determine whether you are on track with your POPI compliance regarding your employees’ personal information, you can utilise the below checklist. Not all questions will be applicable to all companies, however if you answer NO to two or more of the questions relevant to your company, you are likely in breach of POPI. Have you registered an information officer for your company? 1. Have you received consent from your employees to collect, use or store their biometric information? 2. Have you received consent from your employees to collect, use or store their trade union membership? 3. Have you received consent from your employees to collect, use or store their vaccination status? 4. Have you received consent from your employees to collect, use or store their race or ethnic origin? 5. Have you received consent from your employees to collect, use or store their personal information outside of South Africa? 6. Are your hardcopy human resource files stored securely in a locked office/cupboard? 7. Are your softcopy human resource files stored securely with the necessary information technology security in place? 8. Do you have a clean desk policy or similar measure to ensure no personal information is left lying around? 9. Do you have a data protection policy or similar measure that governs how you collect, use, store or process your employees’ data? 10. Have you informed your employees about what personal information you have about them? 11. Have you informed your employees about how you use your employees’ personal information? 12. Have you informed your employees about how you protect their personal information? 13. Have you informed your employees about how long you keep their personal information? Contact LabourNet today to assist you with all your POPI needs or to conduct a free risk assessment to check your compliance status! T: +27(0)31 266 6570 C: +27 (0)82 786 7480 E: johanvd@labournet.com W: www.labournet.com

How much money and time would you invest to be given a formula for sales that will guarantee you predictable results? No matter what industry you are in or how many years you have been in business, sales is key to your CashFLOW. No sales coming in = no money coming in! Sales is the lifeblood of every business and if you have limited or no skills in sales or limited or no interest in sales then I guarantee you that your business will have no interest in making money for you to: 1. Take care of you, your family and lifestyle, and 2. Grow your business so you can build a profitable business that works whether you are there or not So, what is this formula I mentioned earlier? There are five ways to ensure that you are guaranteed, yes guaranteed a minimum of a 61% increase in your profit line and a minimum of 46% increase in your sales. And through my more than 13 years of coaching business owners, they have far exceeded these growth figures – again I remind you it does not matter which industry you are in or how many years you have been in business! It is more how open minded you are to learn the right way of sales where sales comes before marketing. (Obviously if you are a brand new business just starting up or you have very few clients then of course marketing is key – see my article on marketing.) I recently coached a client whose sales were coming in, but they were not making profit. We analysed their sales activities over a period of the past 12 months. (It is very important to take a broad spectrum and not look at one month in isolation to ensure you get a trend in your business before making decisions.) We ascertained that although their sales were remaining constant their profits were dropping so we needed to analyse: 1. Which products and services were their most profitable? And then 2. Which clients were bringing in the most profit? It was important to ensure that in the following months we focused on: 1. Their products and services that generated the most amount of profit, for the least amount of effort, in the shortest space of time, then 2. Identify who their ideal target market was that would have a need for their products and services We then identified a strategy that would support outcomes and put dedicated time aside in their default diary (Read my article on time where I expand on this very effective tool) to work the strategy to generate better quality leads that would bring in more profit. We have seen a reduction in turnover (yes, a reduction) but a vast increase in profit and the team are not needing to work as hard due to having a strategic approach to growing a more profitable business. Once you have selected the strategies for your specific business, we will work on implementing them together and testing and measuring the results. Our objective will be to reduce acquisition costs and increase lifetime values of your “A” grade clients to your business. If you are serious about getting your business to have the CashFLOW to give you the lifestyle you so richly deserve and to get your business to run whether you are there or not, then take action and make a call to me and together we WILL find a way – but only if you are ready! Contact me on https://linkshare.co.za/marlenepowell or call 083 479 4471

The digital world has moved drastically from being a small extension of our daily lives to being the central hub upon which most people and companies now build their lives. The security of the myriad of different systems we all utilise on a daily basis from social media and banking to CRM and HR management systems has become of utmost importance. The days of using ‘password 123’ as your go to or merely referencing your favourite dog’s name are long gone as hackers grow ever-more savvy and our lives become much more digitally entrenched. Biometric logins have become standard for most phone users, either using built in fingerprint sensors on their phones or hand scanner to access their estates, but most corporate systems still lag behind with outdated and cumbersome password logins being the norm. Facial recognition has traditionally been reserved for companies installing expensive cameras or vaults as in a James Bond film. Commercial facial recognition projects have been hampered by ethical issues, not least of all, the huge disparity between the accuracy of the systems when used by Caucasian users vs users with darker skin tones and less ‘European’ features. The Custom Group has seen a growing need for a large-scale time management solution for companies to be able to digitally monitor their staff’s time and attendance as well as access control and timesheets without having a cumbersome clock-in and clock-out system. Time Manager utilises state-of-the-art facial recognition technology without the need for high end camera software. By using even rudimentary rear-facing cell phone cameras users can clock in and out. The user’s location data is coupled with their facial login, allowing managers to accurately monitor who is on site at any given time, as well as generate timesheets with ease and confidence. Companies can also use Time Manager to manage access control on site. User management is simple and providing guest access is straightforward and secure. The system can integrate seamlessly with existing access management turnstile and boom gate systems without requiring massive financial investment into high-end hardware. The machine learning technology upon which the facial recognition system is built has been specifically developed using different ethnicities, making this one of the most accurate facial recognition systems available in an African environment. Whether a company is wanting to monitor their remote workers, see when a mobile crew has clocked into a job, or even just record attendance for their local workforce, Time Manager gives users a scalable and no-nonsense solution. For more information T: +27 (0)82 385 9768 E: info@custom-group.tech W: www.custom-group.tech

Legal legend Graham Cox, died peacefully on Friday, 6 May 2022, just days before his 90th birthday. He had been battling pneumonia for the past six weeks. Graham Cox was well recognised in the Durban legal fraternity and the community as a highly respected commercial lawyer. He was, however, a man of many varied talents and interests. Born on 21 May 1932 in Bloemfontein, he went to Diocesan College (Bishops) which was in many ways the making of him. He told his son Ian Cox that it taught him that life was unfair and that if you wanted anything, you had to make it happen yourself. He certainly did that. He was the first person in his family to go to university. He went to UCT where he studied commerce with the intention of being a business lawyer. That was unheard of at the time as business lawyers did not exist in South Africa. In 1964 Graham Cox founded the firm known as Cox Yeats. “I started my own firm because I don’t like being told what to do. I was employed at Unilever after I graduated, and they are a wonderful company to work for, but I wanted to be my own boss,” he recounted in an interview. Together with Jeremy Yeats who joined him in the firm in 1967, Cox Yeats became a formidable team from the outset. They combined their passion for law with their astute business sense, and with the help of exceptional partners, a multi award-winning firm was born. The firm was established on the foundation of ‘care for clients first and foremost and exceptional service together with sound legal advice that is useful to the client’. This legacy lives on in the firm today. Graham Cox represented many of the old, established businesses in KZN. He handled many company acquisitions, takeovers and tax law cases down the years. He had the ability to translate complex legal issues into practical business friendly solutions that served the needs of the particular client. Moreover, he did this with tact, good humour and discretion. He was tough and demanded excellence but was always scrupulously fair and innately kind. He demanded more of himself than others and liked to lead from the front. Cox Yeats senior partner, Michael Jackson, started his career with Graham Cox as an article clerk. He recalls, “Graham was a hard task master but a young lawyer could not ask for a better mentor. I was fortunate to learn from one of the best.” In 2014, Jackson requested Graham Cox to write a foreword for a book written on the firm’s 50th anniversary to capture the values upon which Cox Yeats had been built over the years so that these could be passed on to all those people who will guide the firm into the future. Graham wrote: “From the beginning, we have been set apart by the concern, which we have for our clients, the expertise of our professionals and an excellent support staff. Ultimately, the enduring success of any firm depends upon its people and I have nothing but confidence that Cox Yeats will achieve continuing excellence in the service which it delivers to its clients.” Graham Cox was known for his wicked sense of humour that was often deployed both at work and play, in many instances serving to defuse volatile situations and open the way to workable solutions. Many clients became good friends. He had what his generation called a first-class brain. Lawyers applauded his superb legal ability. He was one of the best lawyers of his generation and worked with the best. Many such as, Judges John Milne, John Didcott, Hillary Squires, and constitutional lawyer Professor Tony Mathews to name just a few, were lifelong friends. He was a lawyer’s lawyer. Graham Cox was: · A past president of the KwaZulu-Natal Law Society and of the Law Society of South Africa, chairing both where he championed the causes of freedom of speech, the rule of law and human rights · A past chairman of the Council of the University of KwaZulu-Natal where he championed academic excellence and freedom · A past council member of the Business Law Section of the International Bar Association · A fellow of the Association of Arbitrators · A member of the board of what was then the Natal Parks Board and the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra · A trustee on various charitable trusts · Recognised in 2012 by the legal profession for his 50 years of outstanding service as a corporate lawyer During his time of active practice, Graham Cox specialised in Business Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estate Planning and Construction Law. While at university he became a nationally rated fencer winning top honours in all three weapons at the South African Universities Championships. He was awarded University full Blues for his achievements in fencing. His love of adventure ignited his passion for rock climbing and mountaineering. As a rock climber he climbed extensively and led an expedition to the Ruwenzori, which successfully summited Mount Speke. He was a member of the Mountain Club of South Africa for nearly 70 years. Yet when asked what his greatest achievement was, he would tell you it was marrying his wife Jillian. She was his soulmate. They met on top of Table Mountain where both had been rock climbing. It was love at first sight. They were engaged in a week. Jillian was better known in Durban’s medical circles as Dr Jillian Key, who worked initially at McCords and then for more than 30 years in Addington’s paediatric unit. She was instrumental in starting the first child abuse unit at Addington. Together, Graham and Jillian were a winning team, supporting each other in their careers and enjoying life to the full travelling the world exploring remote places. Both were also avid conservationists who were committed to making a tangible difference to the world they lived in. Dr George Hugues, past CEO of the Natal Parks Board pays the following tribute, “Some characters loom larger than others and Graham definitely fitted into the larger category. We shared a great deal of our lives together through nature and our endeavours to conserve it. Graham had a tremendous love for nature and spent as much time as possible wandering mountain paths. Graham’s advice and guidance as a board member of the Natal Parks Board never failed and his sense of balance and justice was of immense use in developing not just better politics and efficiencies for nature conservation in the province, but his wisdom also prevented the Board from taking legal action which would have cost us dearly. His contributions were inestimable. More than that he was a joy to work with and his enthusiasm for the goals of the Board were exercised, always, with clarity, humour and understanding. Nature conservation could not have attracted a more valuable asset. Thank you, Graham.” All of the institutions he served on saw an improvement in their finances as a result of his involvement. A disciple of “the Richest Man in Babylon” since his schooldays, he knew how to make money work. His life was dominated by care for others and dedication to service. He cared about things and wanted to make a difference. Graham Cox continued to actively practice law and take care of his clients until 80 years of age where he would leave for work every day as the sun rose. He would spend a full day at the office consulting and helping with training young articled clerks and associates before setting off for home again at 4pm. He could be heard telling young students doing vacation work at the firm, “If you are wanting to do law to make money, you are in the wrong business. To do law, you have to care.” “Above all he had a zest for life. He worked hard and played hard as well. He had a wide range of interests and a large group of good friends. He was a voracious reader with a huge library. He remained interested and interesting until the end of his long life. While not a demonstrative man, he hated fuss, he loved his family and friends and was beloved,” said his son Ian Cox. Graham Cox certainly lived a full life and has left an indelible footprint in the field of law and certainly in the lives of everyone he came into contact with. Always confident in his judgement yet humble, never arrogant, a true gentleman in every manner. His legacy lives on. He leaves behind his son Ian, daughters Helen and Pamela, their spouses Lindsey, John and Ian, and eight grandchildren. For more information about Cox Yeats, visit, www.coxyeats.co.za

New Durban facility, Kerry, will produce sustainable nutrition solutions for consumers across the continent. Kerry, the world’s leading taste and nutrition company, officially opened the largest and most advanced taste manufacturing facility on the African continent on Tuesday, 10 May 2022. The new R650m (€38m) facility is located in Durban, South Africa, and will produce sustainable nutrition solutions that will be consumed across the African continent. The official opening was attended by Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), Nomalungelo Gina; KwaZulu-Natal Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC, Ravi Pillay; and Ambassador of Ireland to the Republic of South Africa, Her Excellency Fionnuala Gilsenan, plus eThekwini Municipality’s Executive Committee Member and Chairperson of the Governance Committee, Councillor Nkosenhle Madlala. Located in Hammarsdale, Durban, the new 10 000 m2 facility is one of the company’s most environmentally efficient manufacturing sites with numerous sustainability features including low energy usage equipment, solar power generation to reduce consumption from the local grid, waste heat capture and efficient water capture, reuse and reduction. Commenting on the opening, Edmond Scanlon, CEO Kerry Group, said: “The opening of the facility in Hammarsdale is a significant step forward in helping to realise our vision of creating a world of sustainable nutrition. For 50 years, Kerry has focused on meeting local consumer needs grounded in great taste – one of the most important criteria in any food or beverage. Our suite of world leading technologies combined with our expertise and now this state-of-the-art manufacturing facility ensures that we can continue to work with our customers to produce great tasting, nutritious products that are respectful of our planet.” The project is recognised as a key strategic investment, in the region of Durban, and within South Africa’s food manufacturing industry. It has been included as part of the South African Presidential investment drive to stimulate sustainable, equitable and inclusive growth as the foundation for socio-economic transformation in the country. “As the DTIC, we are excited about this investment because it aligns very well with our re-imagined industrial strategy. As a department, we undertook to support improved industrial performance, through localisation, dynamism and competitiveness of local companies,” said Gina. “Our economic vision is to lift the rate of inclusive economic growth, and investments such as this will assist us to achieve these objectives.” Invest Durban together with other spheres of Government, and organised business bodies played key roles in positioning the region as an attractive Metro destination for high-value-add, export-oriented production. The eThekwini Municipality is therefore extremely pleased with these efforts for and by a global firm like Kerry Foods. The Kerry Group’s first enquiries involved our teams directly, and we have both been intimately involved in all aspects of building construction, local supplier engagement, local finance arrangements, tax, and customs support, through to the final factory launch this week. Invest Durban will continue to work with Kerry Foods as part of the City’s Key Investor Aftercare Programme. Kerry is also expanding its Development and Application Centre in Nairobi, Kenya to further support customers in East Africa and the development of sustainable food processing for the continent. Paul Hewitt, Vice President, Sub Saharan Africa Kerry Group said: “Kerry has had a presence in South Africa since 2011 and our success has been based on our ability to deliver truly authentic African taste by identifying traditional food and flavours and reimagining it into today’s modern context. More than understanding consumer taste, we are committed to predicting global and regional trends and innovating with our customers to lead the industry towards the next generation of sustainable African food and nutrition. South Africa is in a unique position to service East, Central as well as West Africa and we look forward to working with food and beverage companies to create products that will be enjoyed across the continent.” With Kerry’s innovation expertise, solutions portfolio and sustainability commitments, Kerry ultimately aims to decrease the environmental and social impacts of the food industry value chain so that consumers everywhere can make better, healthier choices and leave a better world for future generations. www.invest.durban