We support Black Economic Empowerment

BLACK ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

At SiM, we are focused on bringing people previously disadvantaged by apartheid, colonisation and third world economics into the mainstream of Africa's technology and communications economy. Due to the fact that we do business, and have operations throughout the continent, we cannot afford to take the "island" mentality that empowerment is a solely South African Problem. It is truly a problem of every developing nation in the world, and therefore is especially prevalent throughout our continent.

We believe that the establishment of viable wealth creating Joint Ventures, with effective executive and staff participation in management and equity, is the only option in ensuring that the current workplace generation have the opportunity to better their home and community environments. This, together with our voluntary community development projects, is the best way to ensure that the current pre-workplace generation will be well equipped to cope and perform in an ever more competitive and internationally focused market place.

Our Black Economic Empowerment Plan also addresses a need to effectively develop Technical skills in our sector. With the current shortage of these skills throughout Sub Saharan Africa, this is of utmost importance, if we are to support technology's role in underpinning economic and political modernisation.

Specifically in South Africa, through a process of workforce analysis and consultation, we have developed and are currently implementing a five year employment equity plan in compliance with the requirements of the legislation. This plan envisages the workforce of SiM in South Africa reflecting the national demographics by 2005 across all levels and occupational categories.

SKILLS TRANSFER

Technical skills in particular are the lifeblood of the IT and Telecomms sector. In order to ensure that the skills of our workforce match the requirements of our business and in order to derive maximum benefit from the government skills levy, SiM is currently implementing a skills development plan. This will ensure that all our employees are equipped to meet the challenges of our industry. To this end a structured commitment to expenditure is in place, controlled by an independent audit team.

Technical staff also get the opportunity to work in different teams, on different projects and in different countries, which greatly expands their horizons, both culturally and technically.

EMPOWERMENT OF SMME'S

SiM is extremely selective in our choice of sub-contractors. The procedure we follow in assessing a potential sub-contractor is as follows;

Screen contractor to ascertain relevant background

QA assessment

Decide on package of assistance (if required)

Contract

OUTSIDE PURCHASES

SiM recognise that it can make a meaningful contribution to the development of businesses owned by people from designated groups. A committed attempt will therefore be made by all functions within the company to source outside purchases from competitive companies owned by people from designated groups. These purchases will be in accordance with numerical targets set in its Strategy document.

TOP MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT

Employment Equity needs Top Management support to succeed. It is important for Top Management to ensure that implementation of Employment Equity does not depart from the broad direction of the business. Therefore all members of the SiM Top Management HAVE committed themselves to the Employment Equity process.