BIDVEST COMMERCIAL HOLDINGS

Material sustainable development issues

• employment equity, skills attraction and retention
• the HIV/Aids pandemic
• reducing environmental impact of operations

Employment equity, skills attraction and retention

Finding and keeping skilled employees within a relatively small population is a challenge that plagues many companies, especially those operating in the services sector. Following the successful conclusion of the Ovanhu BEE transaction, Bidvest Namibian operations are renewing efforts to attract the best employees and retain them through leading-edge skills programmes, including apprenticeships, academies, bursaries to tertiary institutions and on-the-job mentoring. Bidvest Commercial Holdings submit annual reports to government in accordance with the requirements of the local Employment Equity Act. Various approaches to employment equity are adopted and are subject to periodic self-assessment. Some companies, like Manica, are guided by a policy closely aligned to the South African model. The difficulty we face in applying for and renewing working visas for foreigners is an understandable, but frustrating constraint imposed to encourage local employment. However, we feel that such expertise is necessary to transfer skills into the local economy.

The HIV/Aids pandemic

The HIV/Aids pandemic is of great concern to Bidvest Namibia as it has a profound impact on the lives of all who are affected and on the running of business operations. We target our programmes and campaigns at the transport and stevedoring operations where the problem appears most prevalent. The primary objective is to get everyone to know their status, following which we plan a tailored response. Extensive use is made of peer educators to talk to employees and facilitate access to antiretroviral drugs through a carefully managed programme. So far, we are achieving limited success in establishing prevalence rates. Cultural difficulties are a significant constraint.

No work-related fatalities were reported.

Reducing the environmental impact of operations

Aside from the impact of Bidvest Fisheries Holdings on marine resources, the most significant environmental impacts arising from Bidvest Namibia operations are fuel usage in the transport of products across vast distances, and the management of sulphur and zinc in Lüderitz.

Following sharply increased transport costs, all operations have worked to improve routing efficiencies, increase backhaul loads and reduce the company’s overall fuel bill. Efficiencies are being achieved, but increasing turnover has led to a further increase in the overall consumption of diesel.

In Lüderitz, Manica stores bulk sulphur at its managed warehouse facility until loaded into trucks and transported to the Skorpion zinc mine in Rosh Pinah. Sulphur is used to produce sulphuric acid for extracting zinc from ore. The extracted zinc is then transported to the Manica managed warehouse where it is stacked until ready for shipment. Manica handles approximately 12 000 metric tonnes of imported sulphur every second month while 14 000 metric tonnes of zinc are exported per month. The company is 9001: 2008 compliant. No spills were reported and no fines levied for non-compliance with local or international environmental regulations.