Industrial automation and information company Rockwell Automation has expanded its presence in South Africa with the opening of its new offices in Randburg, in Johannesburg, on June 8.
The reopening event also coincides with the company partnering with two broad-based black economic-empowerment shareholders, the Ma Afrika Tikkun Endowment Trust and Simanye Trust.
This partnership represents an opportunity to pursue a focused strategy based on education, employment and enterprise opportunities. Rockwell Automation sub-Saharan Africa MD Barry Elliott says the collaboration aims to result in a “genuine contribution” because Rockwell Automation has as a responsibility to uplift underprivileged communities.
He adds that the partnership is not just corporate social responsibility (CSR), but rather a “social licence to operate”.
“We looked for a strategic shareholder through whom we could make sure our social development objectives could achieve maximum impact in the communities and for the people that need it most. This is a long-term investment in our country, with substantial shareholders that have an excellent record,” says Elliott.
Afrika Tikkun, with its cradle-to-career development model that supports children from infancy to adulthood, has helped about 20 000 beneficiaries a year for the past 21 years to become employed, productive and responsible, thereby enhancing their self-efficacy.
Afrika Tikkun service CEO Errol Pillay says it is Afrika Tikkun’s methodology to pursue synergies of complementary skill sets that leverage maximum effectiveness in social-development initiatives.
“On the one hand, we are channelling the development mandates of Rockwell Automation into focused projects and programmes that are developing young people,” he says, adding that such corporate backing means Afrika Tikkun can enhance the reach of these initiatives.
However, Pillay points out that such corporate backing can also bring new skill sets and intellectual property to an organisation like Afrika Tikkun, while it can use its own skilling initiatives to remain relevant in a constantly changing business world.
Simanye Trust brings its own expertise in ensuring developmental campaigns achieve a level of self-sufficiency that is rare in an empowerment climate largely defined by donations and sponsorships.