The Impact Catalyst and partners strike balance between championing SDGs and uplifting South Africa’s underserved communities
The Impact Catalyst, an initiative founded in 2019 by Anglo American, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Exxaro, and World Vision South Africa, is at the helm of facilitating public-private partnerships in South Africa. This effort aims to contribute towards the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through large-scale initiatives that equip communities with skills and resources to be self-sufficient and stimulate their local economy.?
“As an organisation, a very crucial aspect of our mandate is to co-create with the public and private sector on initiatives that are not only going to translate into positive outcomes for our host communities but, are also designed to address SDGs and Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG). Therefore, using our expertise, we always strive to design projects that are relevant for our host communities, meet the needs of our partners while addressing multiple elements of ESG while also contributing to SDG” said Impact Catalyst CEO, Charl Harding.?
Guided by the SDGs, the Impact Catalyst’s key focus areas have been on unlocking local economic activities to encourage the participation of communities, driving formal and informal education in host communities, contributing to sustainability and climate change by empowering its partners and local communities with solutions that align to best practices on ESGs, social empowerment and spatial planning and government capability support.?
Since inception, the Impact Catalyst’s commitment to collaborating with partners to achieve socio-economic impact in communities has been evident in the following initiatives and milestones achieved to date:?
Social Employment Fund (SEF) ?
The Social Employment Fund (SEF) managed by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) is a programme designed to address the unemployment crisis in South Africa. The initiative by design, enters partnerships with diverse social actors and addresses eight sustainable goals such as: zero hunger, decent work and economic growth as well as, gender equality to name a few.?
The programme since inception in July 2022, has created 4,143 temporary jobs. 67% unemployed youth and 57% women benefitted from the jobs created. Furthermore, the work and training exposure received by participants resulted in 600 participants securing permanent jobs.???
Through a dedicated focus on greening and environment, food security and education, the SEF programme collaborates with community members to drive projects like alien vegetation removal, which has resulted in increased water availability in areas of operation by 25% and improved biodiversity preservation by 5%.?
In an effort to ensure the absorption of its participants into the local economy, the SEF provided accredited and non-accredited courses in first-aid, risk assessment and health and safety to 651 individuals. These training courses makes each participant more marketable when taking on social development related work, which often requires a level of proficiency in risk assessment and health and safety. 35 small, medium enterprises were also identified for training and mentorship.??
Currently, the Impact Catalyst’s SEF programme has a footprint in Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Northern Cape, North West, Free-State and Gauteng.??
Fresh Produce Market??
The Impact Catalyst and Freshlinq established a Fresh Produce Market in Rustenburg, an initiative funded by Anglo American worth an investment amount of R19,4-million. The 5,000 sqm facility which opened for trade on 14 August 2023, is designed to empower small-scale farmers, foster seamless trade between producers, distributors, and retailers, as well as address two SDGs, namely, zero hunger and decent work and economic growth.??
This collaborative initiative is a response to challenges facing agricultural-based communities where there is a lack of physical markets in municipal areas. The absence of fresh produce markets in these areas, has resulted in a lack of market access for small-scale farmers and buyers thus, limiting their ability to actively participate in their local agricultural economy. Furthermore, it has affected the bottom line of small-scale farmers and buyers due to the expense that comes with travelling long distances to purchase or sell produce.???
Therefore, the opening of the Rustenburg Fresh Produce Market will now provide local street vendors and small-scale retailers with access to fresh produce at a relatively low cost. Additionally, the establishment of the market creates a channel for producers and buyers to trade their fresh produce.??
Presently, it is expected that 10 direct jobs will be created in the current phase with 1,000 indirect employment opportunities for people across the value chain.??
?Limpopo Road Safety Programme??
?The Limpopo Road Safety Programme, an initiative funded by Anglo American and implemented in collaboration with CSIR and the Limpopo Provincial Government, aims to reduce road pedestrian accidents and fatalities in the province, an objective that strives to address the SDG on good health and well-being.?
Using the safe systems approach, 13 projects will be rolled-out to support the Limpopo Government and build capacity for a sustainable road safety programme beyond 2025.?
As part of project 9 (Community Education and Behaviour Change initiatives), the LRSP in collaboration with De Beers Venetia Mine, Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety, local radio stations and Blouberg and Musina Local Municipalities have rolled out “Safety Starts with Me” community events, reaching over 350 community members.?
According to Mr Mohlali, a Blouberg community representative who attended the Safety Starts with Me community event in Musina, said the initiative really made him self-introspect. He further mentioned that, through this community focused campaign and the Limpopo Road Safety Programme, he foresees a reduced number of accidents in the coming months due to the effectiveness of these initiatives in educating and encouraging the community to be actively involved.??
“A big part of our business model rests on working together with our founding and implementing partners, community stakeholders and the provincial government in Limpopo, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga, to provide host communities with the tools and resources to address socio-economic challenges. Each programme co-created with our partners and community members aims to cultivate communities that are self-sustaining and not dependent on mining activity as the sole-economic driver” added Harding.?