NELSPRUIT – South African Breweries (SAB) is continuing its corporate social investment (CSI) in all corners of the country. Last week the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the provincial government to invest in Mpumalanga.
“You cannot have a business, any business, in which a community does not thrive,” explained Dr Vincent Maphai, executive director of corporate affiars and transformation at SAB. “No one falls outside our area of interest. In our CSI, we are guided by the needs of communities.”
The broad understanding is to create awareness of the dangers of alcohol abuse and to invest in education, enterprise and rural development, and the premier’s bulk-water project.
Mr David Mabuza said, “You don’t see life without water. Water is development. You don’t see development without water,” he said during the press conference before the official signing of the MoU.
To date, SAB has made R2 million available for bulk-water infrastructure in the province. The entire project is estimated to cost close to R1 billion. During the press conference, Mr Mauricio Leyva, managing director of SAB, cited three reasons for choosing to spend money in Mpumalanga.
These were the province’s proactiveness in working with private enterprise to make a difference, the professionalism of the officials and the clarity of the plan the region had implemented to improve investments.
According to him, the MoU had been 15 months in the making. “It has been very well planned and well thought out to make sure these are not mere words but become a reality,” he said. “Educating our youth is the key to the future success of our country,” he added.
Investments in education are to include mathematics, science and technology laboratories, but specific plans have not been revealed. According to Maphai, a task team is to present business plans to SAB which will make funding available. “We intend to stay for a minimum of three to five years,” he said. “We don’t intend to disappear.”
Leyva concluded, “This exciting partnership is one I have no doubt will improve the lives of the people in this beautiful province.”
