Professional Documents
Culture Documents
FRONT COVER
WIPHOLD
Corporate Profile
Straplines:
Transformation in Action
New Models for Changing Times
Old Mutual Ad
PAGE 3
Transformation in Action
The group believes in adding value as much as being a successful business, and
in the fundamental goal of transformation. Again, its approach to this is broad-
based, and it focuses on delivering added value within the business, as well as to
investors, stakeholders and the country as a whole.
“Most start-ups take a very traditional approach,” says Serobe, “and set
out to make a profit as quickly as possible.
“At WIPHOLD we took a different approach right from the outset, and
aimed not only to become profitable, but to be a meaningful force for change.”
A pioneering enterprise in every way, the group took this approach even
before the national Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy framework was
put into place, beginning with grassroots consultation and carrying this spirit
through to such empowerment initiatives as Project Imbizo (see [Insert final
page number]).
Facilitating Empowerment
Investment Focus
WIPHOLD has a two-pronged approach to its business, on the one hand focusing
on building the companies in which it has an operational stake, and on the other,
growing a portfolio of strategic and value investments.
In the first instance, its investments are concentrated in the financial,
infrastructure and resources sectors, with financial services comprising the bulk
of the portfolio. Strategic and value investments are more widely diversified,
something the group is now also aiming for with its operational investments.
“WIPHOLD’s investment approach is to acquire strategic or controlling
stakes in companies that are well-managed, have good corporate governance
records, a track record of achievement, strong cash flow and attractive growth
prospects,” says Tryphosa Ramano, chief financial officer, “and which
demonstrate synergy with Wiphold's values and business ethos.
“WIPHOLD’s investment strategy is based on enhancing the overall value
of the companies we invest in, on identifying new BEE business opportunities,
and on enhancing synergies between investee companies.”
Strategic Partnerships
As far as strategic and value investments are concerned, the group has stakes in
Telkom, the Distell Group, Afrisun Leisure and MCG Industries. WIPHOLD also
has significant shareholding in human capital development provider, Adcorp, and
USB-Ed, the executive education arm of the University of Stellenbosch Business
School.
“Our vision for WIPHOLD was to create a business owned and managed
by black women that would benefit black women,” says Louisa Mojela, “and that
goal defines everything we do.
Word count: 1 025 (Allows for graphics, photographs and a half-page ad)
DPS Ad
Beyond Philanthropy
The proof of any initiative lies in its outcome, and WIPHOLD measures the
success of Project Imbizo primarily through the impact it has on the lives of
participants. Taking a long-term view supported by a humanitarian approach, the
group’s objective is to empower women in their communities through the
implementation of a new African-inspired consultative economic model, and to
develop new markets as a corollary of this process.
Project Imbizo was launched at a pilot site in the Mnquma district in the
Eastern Cape in 2006. The deeply rural district, which encompasses the three
small towns of Centani, Ngqamakwe and Butterworth and their surroundings, has
a population of just over 300 000 people. Many live in villages scattered
throughout the district, and survive by means of subsistence farming and micro
enterprise.
Word count: 1 298 (Allows for photographs, one half-page ad and one quarter-
page ad)
DPS Ad
The first imbizo in the Mnquma district in the Eastern Cape revealed many issues
not previously taken into account or addressed by financial institutions.
Nolineth Qangoani was one of many women at this first two-day event to
raise issues about the financial needs of the community, and about how these
were not being met.
“To get a loan from these banks, you need a salary slip,” said Qangoani,
“but many of us here are not employed, and can’t give them this. Also, the banks
do not accept our cattle as surety, so our applications are rejected.
“We also do not have access to the banks themselves,” she said, “with
most of them being in main centres.” As a result, she added, many residents
took to keeping their money under their mattresses and, unable to save in this
manner, ended up spending it.
Says Debra Marsden, “Access to financial services in rural areas has
always been limited, and the economic status of its residents meant that the
large financial institutions have previously ignored this market.
In traditional societies, the size of cattle herds is an indicator of wealth
and social position, and the fact that they could not be used as collateral on a
loan implied that this form of wealth was being discounted by established
financial services providers.”
Pumla Njengele, a teacher by profession, raised another issue,
demonstrating that it was not just banking services that were required.
“Lightening is a big problem here, and a number of houses have been burnt
down because of it. If that happens to us, we would not be able to afford to
rebuild,” she said.
“It was input of this nature that gave us an indication of the extent of the
financial services required in areas like Mnquma,” says Gloria Serobe, “and
following that, we had the first opportunity to develop a new kind of business
model with these issues in mind. Here build in that process led to development of
innovative new products including livestock insurance (a first in SA) and rural
home insurance. These products were developed in direct response to
community requests.
Cross-cultural Lessons
Valuable cross-cultural lessons were learnt at the first and subsequent imbizo’s in
Mnquma. One of these was that people in the area, in keeping with their culture,
prefer to engage financial service providers face-to-face in a warm and friendly
environment.
WIPHOLD and its partners responded by building a Greenshop in Centani,
which is now used to deliver the services of Old Mutual, Nedbank and Mutual and
Federal – all characterised by corporate logos using the colour green – to the
community.
“This is not a traditional branch,” says Rob Shuter MD of Nedbank Retail,
“but rather a new concept in the distribution of financial services that has been
tailored to meet the needs of the community. Not only is it an outlet for the three
institutions, but, because the people were so involved in its creation, it is also a
source of pride and a symbol of social development.”
The Greenshop provides access to financial services and professional
advice that has never been available before. It is also used as a district business
and social centre, providing a place for the community and local leadership to
meet, a site from which small businesses can operate, and a venue from which
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) can run their programmes.
“Through WIPHOLD, we have been exposed to the ‘luxuries’ of urban life
that we, as a rural community, were never aware of,” says Pumla Njengele,
teacher and founder of the Nxolo Women’s Co-operative, which specialises in
catering services.
“WIPHOLD and the Old Mutual companies have bridged the gap in terms of
the first and second economy and have opened a new world to us. They have
Traditional leaders in the area, who were involved in the initial consultation
process as well as in this first phase of development, are very pleased with the
outcomes.
“WIPHOLD and its partners have greatly contributed to village
development here,” says Chief Mcothama, speaking on behalf of the traditional
leaders in the district.
“They have pledged to assist in eradicating poverty by creating job
opportunities and introducing initiatives with the Department of Agriculture
(DOA) such as the Siyazondla groups that are participating in a district food
security project.
“These groups have ploughed the land set aside for this development, and
have planted a variety of vegetable seedlings supplied by the DOA, which also
supplied tanks for water, wheelbarrows and garden tools.”
He and his fellow traditional leaders are particularly pleased with the
development of the Greenshop.
Financial Literacy
The financial literacy aspect of the programmes, which is supported by the Old
Mutual Masisizane Fund, has been as well received as the financial services
delivery mechanisms and permaculture training.
“We have had tremendous success with our financial literacy workshops,”
says Pinky, “which use understandable concepts like the ‘Big Five’ as an analogy
for the principles of financial management. We sometimes have up to 160 people
attending these workshops at a time.”
“When we do training in these areas, which is done both at the Greenshop
and by mobile teams that travel out to the villages, the people feel empowered.
Word count: 1 419 (Allows for photographs, one half-page ad and one quarter-
page ad)
Just over a year ago, WIPHOLD and Sasol Mining announced a new partnership
that saw thousands of rural and peri-urban women being able to participate in a
BEE transaction for the first time. The deal, valued at almost R1.9 billion, saw
WIPHOLD become Sasol Mining’s BEE Partner through a new entity called
WipCoal Investments.
WipCoal Investments, in turn, is the majority shareholder in a newly
created coal mining company called Ixia Coal, which is controlled by black
women, and has a 20% share in Sasol Mining.
“With this deal we are not only extending our operational business into a
new sector,” says Jannie Stockenström, “but are moving to create a strong
presence in the large industries of the formal economy, which will be of long-
term value to our shareholders and indirect beneficiaries.”
Nowhere is this more evident than in the shareholder structure of WipCoal, which
is jointly owned by WIPHOLD and a new investment entity created by the group
called Mining Women Investments. This comprises thousands of women, drawn
from the areas in which Sasol Mining has operations and coal reserves, who have
previously not had access to the market economy.
“In the spirit of our corporate vision and our Imbizo Project, Mining
Women Investments was formed following a series of WIPHOLD workshops with
women in the provinces of the Free State, Mpumalanga and Limpopo,” says Gugu
Duda, asset and infrastructure finance executive at WIPHOLD. “During these
Sasol Mining
Sasol Mining supplies coal to Sasol’s synthetic fuels and chemical plants, selling
close to 50 million tons a year. The bulk of this output is used locally by Sasol,
but in the last financial year, 3.6 million tons were exported, earning valuable
foreign exchange. With growing international demand putting pressure on the
price of coal, exports alone contributed R235 million to profits last year – and
this is set to increase.
The company has two operating divisions: Sigma Colliery near Sasolburg,
and Secunda Collieries, which consists of five underground operations around
Secunda, as well as both underground and strip-mining operations near
Trichardt.
Like WIPHOLD, Sasol Mining enters a new era with this deal, and feels it
could not have found a better empowerment partner.
“It was an important challenge for us to get black shareholders and equity
into the coal mining industry,” says Hermann Wenhold, Managing Director of
Sasol Mining. “We had also made a commitment to the Department of Minerals
and Energy (DME) that we would be instrumental in mobilising and facilitating a
larger role for women in the mining industry.”
The challenge then took on a wider scope: to establish a coal mining
company owned and managed by black women.
“WIPHOLD has astute business sense in this regard, and they were looking
to invest in coal mining in South Africa. It was then that we decided to enter into
a joint venture.”
The new challenge for the partners now lies in enabling Ixia Coal to
establish its own operations, which involves identifying and developing new
mines, a process that is already well underway.
Sasol Mining brings its expertise and experience to the venture, while
WIPHOLD brings added value in the form of its financial expertise, its broad-
Women in Mining
“Although mining is dominated by men, the Mining Charter states that industry
should aim to have women make up 10% of its staffing complement,” says
Wenhold. “We are already appointing female operators in our coal mines, and
developing women in managerial positions.”
Significantly, part of the R30 million WIPHOLD brought to the deal has
been earmarked for facilitating the entry of women into the coal mining industry.
These women are drawn from the areas where Sasol Mining has its operations
and reserves.
“For the first time, following on the WIPHOLD workshops, women have
fashioned a vision and set themselves goals. These goals include rising up to the
challenges, and standing up and taking our rightful place in community
structures, schools and businesses, as well as in our homes,” says Thembekile
Shlangu, Chair of Sekhukhune Basadi Holdings and a WIPHOLD shareholder.
“And the sky, as the saying goes, is the limit.”
This is a sentiment echoed by Cynthia Makgetha of the Mining Women’s
Investment Trust.
“The mining charter has made it possible for women who were previously
disadvantaged to participate in the mining industry.
“Against this backdrop, WIPHOLD took the initiative to involve rural, peri-
urban and urban women in the transformation process in the mining sector
through its BEE investment deals. These women see their future as being bright
because they are now able to develop goals for themselves, create jobs for
themselves and unleash their previously dormant potential.”
Louisa Mojela feels this is a giant leap forward for both WIPHOLD and for
South African women.
“WIPHOLD has a strong operational focus in financial services, and
strategic investments in a range of other sectors. It has always been part of our
strategy to be in mining, and we have now seen the fulfilment of that objective.”
Word count: 1 039 (Allows for photographs, one three quarter-page ad and a
half-page ad)
Adcorp also shares the same goals and values as WIPHOLD, focusing on
transformation and empowerment from the inside out. Women make up 74% of
its staff complement, and, amongst other awards, it has received the Deloitte’s
‘Best Company to Work For’ Award.
“We regard transformation as a business imperative and a social
responsibility, not as a luxury,” says Nelis Swart, Adcorp’s chief operational
officer. “Adcorp takes it very seriously and, as a result, we were ranked as the
most transformed company on the JSE last year. We do not just pay lip-service to
BEE; for us it is part of what we do.
“On an operational level, not only do we offer recruitment services for
people right through from labourers to professionals, we also facilitate a large
number of in-service learnerships, and place the most learners into first-time
jobs of any recruitment group in the country.”
There is no doubt that, as business partners, WIPHOLD and Adcorp
complement each other on a strategic level as well as on an operational level.
“WIPHOLD is an ideal BEE partner for Adcorp,” says Swart. “They
understand and support our vision, and what we feel we need to do. They have
also opened up new markets for us, and it is a group we feel proud to be
associated with.”
Richard Pike agrees.
“Our partnership with WIPHOLD, although only established in early 2007,
has assisted us to reach markets and opportunities that we would not otherwise
The partners agree that one of the greatest challenges facing South Africa is the
shortage of skills, which only serves to entrench high levels of unemployment
and the ever-widening gap between rich and poor. The only solution, of course, is
training and, as Richard Pike says, Adcorp does not have a shortage of funds for
training.
The group is, of course, active in the private sector in this regard, but also
assists government, institutions of learning and SETAs with training. The aim of
this aspect of its business is to transfer new skills, upgrade existing skills, and
create a culture of lifelong learning and development.
“This focus on training, skills transfer and ongoing mentoring is something
we look for in all our investment partners,” says Louisa Mojela, and Hans
Merensky Timber is another example.
This well-established timber and forestry company, which has an
exclusively rural operational base, has a similar focus on training that extends
into the communities from which it draws its labour.
“Our link with local communities is why we looked for a BEE partner that could
relate to rural communities, and which has a track record of interacting with
them,” says managing director of Hans Merensky Timber, Chris Pienaar.
“When we went into partnership with WIPHOLD, we had already
established a trust structure for staff and local communities. WIPHOLD has
assisted us in extending its reach by organising banking services and financial
literacy programmes for the beneficiaries.
Intra-partnership Mentoring
Word count: 1 162 (Allows for photographs, one three-quarter page ad and a
half-page Adcorp ad)
PAGE 18
Ad
Page 19
PAGE 20
Redressing Imbalances
PAGE 21
Board of Directors
Makole did her articles at Investec Bank, where she specialised in private equity.
She joined OMIGSA in 2003 as an equity research analyst, and before that
worked at Nations Capital as a corporate finance executive, where she advised
government on the privatisation of Rosherville Vehicle Services and Rosherville
Properties, both subsidiaries of Eskom Enterprises. Makole has been closely
involved in the development of the Hluma initiative (a joint venture between
OMLACSA and the DBSA), of which she is the deputy chairperson. She serves on
various boards on behalf of the Ideas Fund and OMLACSA.
Debra was general manager of corporate affairs and transformation at Old Mutual
from 1997 to 2004. Prior to that, she was economic affairs director for the
Consultative Business Movement, secretariat head of the National Economic
Forum, and deputy director of the National Economic Development and Labour
Council (Nedlac). She designed and implemented Old Mutual’s transformation
programme and formed part of the 10-person negotiating team which developed
the Financial Sector Charter.
Gugu joined WipCapital in 2001, where she has been engaged in corporate
finance and investment activities. She is a non-executive board member of
Gugu joined WipCapital in 2005 as part of the infrastructure finance team. Prior
to joining WipCapital, she was the chief financial officer for the internet and
telephone banking division at FNB. Her prior experience includes positions in
finance, credit and risk management at RMB and FirstRand Bank. She is a non-
executive alternate board member of ABB SA and ABB Powertech.
Yulandi joined WipCapital in October 2002, where she is group financial manager,
and where she has recently become engaged in investment activities. She is a
non-executive alternate board member of ABB SA, and she has previously held
the positions of financial manager at Accenture, and audit manager at Ferreira,
Venter, Laws & Nel.
Old Mutual Ad
BACK COVER
WIPHOLD Ad