MESSAGES FROM THE GROUP COMPANY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Message from Craig Venter
CEO, AltechAt the heart of Altech is a unique charter for transformation that commits our Group to empowerment through skills enhancement, representative shareholding and widespread development of disadvantaged communities by focusing on areas with the maximum long-term benefit. The transformation Vision 2012 sets the guidelines for developing our people and the communities around us through education, training and skills development, health, social welfare and job creation. The Altech Group has long encouraged opportunity, proving that by diversifying structures we enhance representation and deepen the decisionmaking process. The Altech target for black membership of the board and top management is 40% by 2012.
Altech has also embarked on a talentsearch initiative where skills retention and skills development are a priority within Vision 2012 with the creation of the Altech Academy launched in 2007. The Altech Academy represents a significant investment and demonstrates our commitment to developing our people as well as to the Group’s sustainability strategy. The Altech Academy’s key focus areas include capacity building, leadership development, learnership programmes and talent management, all working together for the purpose of positioning Altech as a preferred employer.
Socio-economic development will be managed at the corporate Altech level where a social economic development fund will be created, utilising the 1% of net profit after tax contribution at head office, which will then be distributed to approved projects that meet the codes and guidelines, enabling a central management to balance the number of projects and associated costs across the Group.
Altech is clearly committed to Vision 2012 and embraces transformation with open arms.
Message from Norbert Claussen
CEO, Powertech
At Powertech, we are fully committed to transformation. We adopted broadbased black economic empowerment as a business imperative, even before the promulgation of the new CoGP. The principles of BBBEE were entrenched within the Powertech ethos and have been adopted as a normal business process driven by line managers with the aim to achieve a competitive edge. All Powertech companies are making good progress towards achieving our strategic objectives in terms of transformation. Aberdare, our largest subsidiary, has been certified as having a level 3 rating by Empowerdex and two of our other companies have achieved a level 4 rating. Preferential Procurement and Enterprise Development are of particular importance to us and our progress is reflected in the high scores achieved in both these areas. 
As a Group that is predominantly engaged in manufacturing, the development of enterprises holds significant beneficial value for our operations and endeavours in this regard have so far been very successful. For example, we have outsourced a number of non-core business activities to former employees who have started their own businesses and are now supplying Group operations with top-quality products and services. But Powertech also places a large emphasis on manpower issues as covered by the codes and we are confident that the targets will be achieved within the allotted time-frame. The majority of the Powertech Group operations score maximum points on corporate social investment.
In the second half of 2007, Empowerdex has audited Powertech operations and we are confident that the majority will achieve a minimum rating as level 4 or 5 contributors.
Message from David Redshaw
CEO, Bytes
Broad-based black economic empowerment that is in line with the dti CoGP is and remains a strong focus in all the business units within the Bytes Technology Group.
Our broad-based black economic partner, Kagiso, owns 27% of Bytes South Africa, and is fully involved at both operational and board level in our transformation activities.
This partnership and the progress made within the Bytes Group prior to the finalisation of the dti Codes of Good Practice were rewarded when Bytes was rated first in the IT sector and 8th overall in the Empowerdex/ Financial Mail’s Top Empowerment Companies survey of 2007.
Transformation forms an important part of our strategic business focus and we continue to make progress within the parameters of the new dti BBBEE scorecard.