Johannesburg – Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) has retained its level 1 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) status for following a rigorous verification process. The company attributes this achievement to strategic investments in amongst others, procurement which saw an increased spend with black-owned suppliers from 50% to just over 61% of its total adjusted procurement spend, of which 34% is with black females.
As part of CCBSA’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, the company has increased black female representation in leadership rolesand senior management, from 89% recognition in 2020 to 94% recognition in 2021. This is reflective of CCBSA’s commitment to real transformation in its operations and sustainable economic contribution to the country’s broader development agenda.
CCBSA maintains that the transformation of its organisation, workforce, and supply chain, is about more than the score card. “As leadership, we committed ourselves to building a culture and ethos that is inclusive, diverse, and reflective of the demographics of South Africa to ensure the long-term growth of the organisation. We want to embody the spirit of the country and be a truly proudly South African company that has embedded transformation and economic inclusion in its operations,” said Velaphi Ratshefola, CCBSA Managing Director.
CCBSA scored highly in terms of:
Enterprise and Supplier development
It has invested over R120 million to develop black-owned SMMEs in their value chain and leveraging its distribution network, to include the Local Distribution Partners (LDPs) programmes, which forms part of the company’s route to market strategy.
Procurement
CCBSA has increased spend with black-owned suppliers from 50% to just over 61% of its total adjusted procurement spend, of which 34% is with black females.
Socio-Economic Development
The company also invested R25 million towards economic inclusion of young people in the company’s Bizniz-in-a-Box (BiB) programme. Since inception, BiB has helped establish over 700 young entrepreneurs, with over R100 million spend towards the programme across South Africa.
The company also performed well under its skills development programme for both CCBSA and Appletiser, with the biggest increase in points in the Appletiser scorecard, which increased from 13.43 to 19.83.
Increased black female representation
Management Control has made a significant contribution to the score where they have increased black female representation in senior management, from 89% recognition in 2020 to 94% recognition in 2021.
Equity Ownership
Amongst other notable contributions to the results, is the company’s Ikageng Employee Share Trust, established in 2020, granted every employee equal shares regardless of employment level, race, or years of service. CCBS employees hold 15% shares and direct economic participation in the business and the total black ownership in the business to 20%. .
Ratshefola added: “At CCBSA, our aim is to create shared value for the business and our people. And by value, we mean more than just money but rather, the chance to belong and thrive, no matter one’s race. People matter. They are the foundation on which we grow and prosper.
“Despite the challenging economic climate, we remain true to our regulatory compliance obligations and our commitment to help drive the country’s socio-economic agenda, particularly now as we work harder than before to recover since the start of Covid-19,” said Ratshefola.
“We all have a role to play in creating opportunities for our communities, our customers, our employees, and our shareholders. We believe our industry leadership needs to be part of the solution to achieve positive change and to build a more sustainable future. This includes a strong emphasis on economic inclusion, driven by procurement and enterprise development to develop women and youth owned businesses as we help to correct past imbalances and change the trajectory of our country.”
Ratshefola said that retaining the Level 1 BBBEE status was an important measure of the business’ ongoing transformation drive, but not what ultimately defines CCBSA. “We are committed to building a culture of excellence in which inclusivity, diversity and meaningful socio-economic impact are cornerstones of who we are and where we are going. I would like to thank our shareholders for trusting us with this responsibility and our employees for believing in the journey and making CCBSA the best company to work for and do business with.”
