Oliver Empowerment Awards recognise companies that are actively embracing black economic empowerment

Ten of South Africa’s top captains of industry are currently scrutinising those organisations that are best integrating empowering business practice and delivering positive impacts in the marketplace, in the workplace and in the community.

This is under the auspices of the prestigious Oliver Empowerment Awards which is hosted by Topco Media’s annual empowerment publication Impumelelo, which documents BEE success stories.

From an impressive list of 60 finalists, winners in 16 categories will be selected and announced at a black tie event on Thursday 3 May at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg.

Now in its 11th year, The Oliver Empowerment Awards are aimed at acknowledging, congratulating and celebrating the efforts made by local companies towards the development of BEE and transformation. Entries are rigorously judged according to eight criteria, which are in line with the Minister of Economic Development’s new growth path plan, which focuses on job creation and creating an economy that meets the needs of all economic citizens in a sustainable manner.

CEO for Topco Media, Ralf Fletcher, says a key challenge will be that of implementation.

“Action is vital to the success of any plan. It is for this reason that we are looking at what our finalists have achieved and are currently doing to enable South Africa to grow in a more equitable and inclusive manner. It is about more than plans on paper, but what is being done,” says Fletcher.

Is this philosophy that has inspired the addition of new awards categories such as the Empowerment Funding Award and the Community Builder Award, individual awards such as the Top Black Leader of the Year Award, the Top Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the Top Black Public Sector Executive Award and Headline Awards such as the Top Black-owned Business of the Year Award, the Black Empowered Multinational Award and the Top Black-owned SMME of the Year Award.

The judges include Salukazi Dakile-Hlongwane, CEO of Nozala Investments; Kganki Matabane, Executive Director of Business Unity South Africa; Thami Mtshali, CEO of iBurst; Anitha Soni of the ASA Tourism Services Group; Tyrone Naidoo of BEE Online; and Nathan Nadasan of the National Empowerment Fund.

The eight judging criteria include:

• Annual revenue generated must be above R35-million unless otherwise specified;
• Only companies with a valid B-BBEE Certificate will be considered for entry;
• The B-BBEE certificate is SANAS approved;
• Implementation of strategic B-BBEE policies;
• Implementation of effective internal B-BBEE measurement mechanisms;
• Status with regards to the seven pillars of empowerment as per the B-BBEE scorecard;
• Strong financial performance;
• Quality of entry

THE FINALISTS BIDDING FOR THE 2012 AWARDS ARE:

ORGANISATIONAL AWARDS

Empowerment Funding Award

• Absa Group Limited

• Adams & Adams

• Bravura Equity Services (Pty) Ltd

• DDP Valuers (Pty) Ltd

• Investec Limited

• Lebone Engineerring (Pty) Ltd

• Lion of Africa Insurance Company Limited

• The Bester Burke Slingers Group

• Tsogo Sun Gaming

Education & Training Award

• Absa Group Limited

• Adams & Adams

• Ampaglas Plastics Group (Pty) Ltd

• Dormac (Pty) Ltd

• EOH Holdings Limited

• Multichoice Operations (Pty) Ltd

• PC Training & Business College (Pty) Ltd

• The South African Breweries Limited

• Southern Sun Hotel Interests (Pty) Ltd

• Tsogo Sun Gaming

Supply Chain Management Award

• Dimension Data (Pty) Ltd

• Esquire Technologies

• Microsoft South Africa (Pty) Ltd

• Netcare Limited

• Southern Sun Hotel Interests (Pty) Ltd

• Steinmuller Africa (Pty) Ltd

Corporate Leadership Award

• Adams & Adams

• Bravura Equity Services (Pty) Ltd

• Mercedes-Benz South Africa (Pty) Ltd

• Netcare Limited

• New Integrated Credit Solutions (Pty) Ltd

• SAMSA

• South African National Roads Agency Limited

• Southern Sun Hotel Interests (Pty) Ltd

• Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority (Pty) Ltd

• Travel with Flair (Pty) Ltd

• SizweNtsalubaGobodo Inc.

Community Development Award

• Absa Group Limited

• Adams & Adams

• Dimension Data (Pty) Ltd

• Investec Limited

• Mercedes-Benz South Africa (Pty) Ltd

• Microsoft South Africa (Pty) Ltd

• Nedbank Limited

• Netcare Limited

• Optimum Coal Mine (Pty) Ltd

• Sanofi-Aventis South Africa (Pty) Ltd

• Southern Sun Hotel Interests (Pty) Ltd

• The Bester Burke Slinger Group

New Business Development Award

• FirstRand Limited

• Microsoft South Africa (Pty) Ltd

• Netcare Limited

• RoyalServe Cleaning (Pty) Ltd

• The South African Breweries Limited

• Small Enterprise Development Agency

• Southern Sun Hotel Interests (Pty) Ltd

• Tsogo Sun Gaming

Diversity Award

• Adams & Adams

• KPMG

• Lion of Africa Insurance Company Limited

• Mercedes-Benz South Africa (Pty) Ltd

• Netcare Limited

• SA National Roads Agency Limited

• South African Post Office Limited

• Tsogo Sun Gaming

• Ulwazi Protection Services (Pty) Ltd

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Top Entrepreneur of the Year Award

• My Personal Trainer Wellness (Pty) Ltd– Mr Ronald Abvajee

• Sonke Pharmaceutical (Pty) Ltd – Mrs Sotse Segoneco

• WOA Fuels & Oil cc – Ms Pria Hassan

• Esquire Technologies – Mr Asgar Mahomed

• Lectrozone Electric cc T/A Electrozone Electric  - Ms Shamima Ahmed

• Lion of Africa Insurance Company Limited - Mr Adam Samie

• Bongi-M Construction cc - Ms Sibongile Maseko

• Malcom-Ezindaleni Hydraulics & Engineering (Pty) Ltd – Mr Ebrahim Patel

• Ulwazi Protection Service (Pty) Ltd – Mr BB Mabizela

• New Integrated Credit Solutions (Pty) Ltd – Mr Baker Maseko

Top Black Business Leader of the Year Award

• Adams & Adams - Mr Dario Tanziani

• Sizwe Ntsaluba Gobodo Inc.–Ms Nonkululeko Gobodo

• Lion of Africa Insurance Company Limited- Mr Adam Samie

• SAMSA - Commander Tsietsi Mokhele

• Steinmuller Africa (Pty) Ltd - Mr Himmat Nagar

• Travel with Flair (Pty) Ltd – Ms Johanna Mukoki

Top Black Public Sector Executive Award

• Johannesburg Roads Agency – Ms Duduzile Maseko

• SAMSA- Commander Tsietsi Mokhele

• Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority (Pty) Ltd- Mr James Ndlovu

HEADLINE AWARDS

Top Black-Owned Business of the Year Award

• Esquire Technologies

• Lebone Engineerring (Pty) Ltd

• New Integrated Credit Solutions (Pty) Ltd

• Transglobal Cargo (Pty) Ltd

• Travel with Flair (Pty) Ltd

• Trencon Construction (Pty) Ltd

• Tsogo Sun Gaming

• Ulwazi Protection Services (Pty) Ltd

• WOA Fuels & Oils cc

Top Empowered Business of the Year Award

• Absa Group Limited

• Bytes Document Solution

• Dimension Data (Pty) Ltd

• FirstRand Limited

• Netcare Limited

• Optimum Coal Mine (Pty) Ltd

• RoyalServe Cleaning (Pty) Ltd

• The South African Breweries Limited

• Southern Sun Hotel Interests (Pty) Ltd

• Steinmuller Africa (Pty) Ltd

• Total South Africa (Pty) Ltd

• Tsogo Sun Gaming

• SizweNtsalubaGobodo Inc.

Top Black-Owned SMME Award

• Bongi-M Construction cc

• Lectrozone Electrical cc T/A Electrozone Electrical

• Enablis Entrepreneurial Network South Africa

• Magnavolt Trading 864 cc T/A Makoloi Construction

• Molobeng Mining Labour hire and Projects

• My Personal Trainer Wellness (Pty) Ltd

Top Public Service Award

• Johannesburg Roads Agency

• PAN South African Language Board

• SA National Roads Agency Limited

• SAMSA

Most Black Empowered Multinational Award

• Microsoft South Africa (Pty) Ltd

• The South African Breweries Limited

• Southern Sun Hotel Interests (Pty) Ltd

• Steinmuller Africa (Pty) Ltd

NGO of the Year Award

• Chaine Des Rotisseurs Foundation Trust

• Middelburg Chamber of Commerce & Industry

• Nurturing Orphans of Aids for Humanity

• Olivers House

• One Voice South Africa

• Phakamani Foundation

• Social Change Assistance Trust

• Zenzele Training