‘Homeless’ S African CEOs raise R25m on icy streets of Joburg

25th June 2015

By: Creamer Media Reporter

  

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From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is the Real Economy Report. Over 250 CEOs from South Africa’s largest corporates last week traded in boardroom suits for cardboard boxes, spending 12 hours on the streets of Johannesburg as part of an initiative to raise some R25-million for charity Girls and Boys Town and bring awareness to the plight of the homeless in Africa’s most financially dominant metropole. Creamer Media’s Natalie Greve braved the highveld winter temperatures to find out more about this unique fundraising event.

Natalie Greve:
The inaugural 702 Sun International CEO Sleepout, which took place in Sandton between 18:00 last Thursday and 06:00 last Friday morning, challenged Gauteng’s business elite and political leadership to remain exposed to the elements on one of the coldest and longest nights of the year, equipped only with a sleeping bag, basic toiletry bag, warm clothing and individual cardboard street shelter.

Each participant was required to raise a minimum of R100 000, but was encouraged to raise further funding through additional challenges that involved removing items of clothing or remaining barefoot throughout the 12-hour challenge, which saw temperatures dropping to 3°C. 

Participants, including Johannesburg Mayor Parks Tau and Gauteng Premier David Makhura, were barred from bringing “luxury” bedding items or food and were only provided with soup and coffee.

Speaking to Engineering News Online at the event on Thursday evening, Tau lauded the number of CEOs that had taken it upon themselves to contribute towards the cause of combating homelessness, particularly given the degree of inequality in South Africa.

Johannesburg Mayor Parks Tau

Natalie Greve:
According to Tau, South Africa’s largest metropole attracted over 10 000 migrants every month, many of whom were unable to find adequate work and accommodation and were rendered destitute.

He estimated there to be around 6 000 people sleeping on the streets of Johannesburg every night.

Also adding his support, Makhura said partnership between the private sector and government – as engendered by the CEO Sleepout – was the most effective way to deal with the country’s fundamental social and economic challenges.

Gauteng Premier David Makhura

Natalie Greve: 
Among the CEO Sleepout’s private sector representatives, Gold Fields CEO Nick Holland lamented the apparent misconception that CEOs remained removed from the economic struggles facing many South Africans.

Gold Fields CEO Nick Holland

Natalie Greve: 
Mining sector counterpart and Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) CEO Chris Griffith said his attendance was an extension of Amplats’ broad corporate social investment programme, which had seen the company establishing youth and care centres in areas surrounding its North West-based platinum operations.

Amplats CEO Chris Griffith

Natalie Greve:
Lonmin CEO Ben Magara described the event as an opportunity for those in positions of leadership to give back to the less privileged.

Lonmin CEO Ben Magara

Natalie Greve: 
Nissan CEO Mike Whitfield, who raised some R250 000 for the CEO Sleepout, said that, while he regarded his presence at the event as “a small gesture”, he hoped it would raise awareness for an important cause.

Nissan CEO Mike Whitfield

Natalie Greve:
Thursday’s CEO Sleepout coincided with sleepout events held across Australia and would be followed by future sleepouts in Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth in 2016.

Shannon de Ryhove:
Other news making headlines this week: Engineering and electronics company Bosch brought out its new range of cordless power tools and has launched a free mobile app that uses data from its measuring devices. Schalk Burger has the story.

Schalk Burger:
Bosch South Africa training manager Peter du Bruyn demonstrated a few of the functions of the company's 36 Volt cordless hammer, GCM8 circular saw, detection device, measuring devices and the new mobile app to Engineering News.

Bosch South Africa training manager Peter du Bruyn:
When you’re drilling into walls, specially where you have reinforcing, there is that possibility that you could jam. So what we’ve done is we have put some protection in and it’s called anti-rotation. Electronically, it feels that resistance, and it cuts the machine.

It’s a combination of having the right machine plus also the right quality blade. The machine that we are looking at here is a sliding compound, so it does a wider area, but also it’s a slow start, so it does not jerk in your hands and then with the blade having tungsten carbide tips, we can make them very sharp and also we balance them really well so you get very little vibration and that gives you those really accurate cuts.

These machines pick up rebar. It picks up copper water pipes, it can pick up electricity and, for the first time, plastic water pipes as well.

They’ve become really intuitive. It shows you step for step in a tutorial on how to take these measurements.
And we have also put some nice functions where the machine automatically calculates square metres for you, it calculates cubic metres and it even has built-in spirit levels.

Industrial, there they have a lot more applications they need to do.

We make from 30 m right up to 250 m and we have put in a lot more functions a lot easier to use.
All you need is your phone or iPad and your actual device. And, if you come to the customer’s house, you can take photos or, if you the floorplan, you can take your measurements there and the time saving is that you don’t have to go back to the office any more.

That’s Creamer Media’s Real Economy Report. Join us again next week for more news and insight into South Africa’s real economy.

Edited by Shannon de Ryhove
Contributing Editor

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