At a ceremony held at Phokeng, North West Province, AfriSam and New Business Consulting, a 100% Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Bafokeng-owned company, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), cementing a partnership aimed at facilitating enterprise development and creating job opportunities for the Royal Bafokeng Nation.

As the leading black-controlled construction materials group in southern Africa and the only established cement manufacturer with a Level 4 B-BBEE rating, AfriSam is committed to enabling economic development on the African continent. It believes in contributing in a sustainable and meaningful manner to communities surrounding its operations.

New Business Consulting, comprising a number of entities including local entrepreneurs, a women-owned company as well as the B-BBEE Makgotla Trust representing clans exceeding 2 000 members, strives to empower mining communities through its economic development model. As part of the MoU, a number of enterprise development opportunities within the Bafokeng area have been identified and are currently being investigated. Amongst these is the establishment of containers as cement sales outlets as well as a premix bagged product manufacturing facility. The goal is to establish sustainable local enterprise development businesses that will directly benefit the Bafokeng people.

“All the projects we have identified strongly align with, and support, the strategic objectives and enterprise development goals of the Royal Bafokeng Group and should create shared value for all parties involved, including the local community”, says Roshni Lawrence, Strategic Growth Executive at AfriSam.

Cement and construction related products are a fundamental requirement for infrastructure development and broader economic growth. It is for this reason that AfriSam is proud of the positive contribution it can make to society through the products it manufactures.

In addition to its products, AfriSam’s geographical footprint also enables the company to create value for local communities through its community upliftment initiatives and by providing employment opportunities. AfriSam has an extensive network of cement, aggregate and readymix operations, which enables the company to play an active role in the growth and development of most regions in southern Africa. It is this very network that gives the company access to some of most remote locations in regions around the country and allows it opportunities to build relationships with communities surrounding its operations. In fact, because of its expansive footprint, AfriSam is the only concrete materials business that is positioned to partner meaningfully with small businesses to create possibilities for local communities.

“We welcome AfriSam in the land of the Bafokeng. Our journey is on course to claim the Royal Bafokeng Nation’s Vision 2035 as our own. We are on track to offer commercially sound services and quality products at competitive prices to the mines that we, as the Royal Bafokeng Nation, own and those operating in our land through land leases. We aim to further assist our neighbours from other mining communities and local municipalities to set up enterprise development projects with them.

We invite Provincial Government, the National Youth Development Agency, private equity partners and construction companies to leverage our model to empower women and people living with disability through setting up of cooperatives and CSR initiatives that can benefit from this initiative. This is a beneficial model to initiate Public-Private Partnerships and create value for our people. We want to bring real change through B-BBEE empowerment to all previously disadvantaged South Africans by offering them a tool to empower themselves”, says Ernest Mogopodi, the Chairperson of New Business Consulting.

“We are extremely proud of our association with the Royal Bafokeng Nation. We look forward to contributing towards the continued growth and development of the Bafokeng region and its people,” concludes Lawrence.