I have been as disgruntled as the rest of us when it comes to the poor results of BEE and transformation in South Africa.  It has felt like a horrible tick-boxing excercise to become compliant and make sure we still have access to the opportunities that exist in SA.  At the same time, though, anyone who works with us will know we are a company that holds building South Africa very close to our hearts. 

It hasn’t been until recently that I have realised that the two ideas are compatible….. But I have seen the light!  I suddenly got that the BBBEE framework is an incredible tool for transformation that most of us have not really understood. 

So now I am on the team that helps South Africa understand!

We have joined forces with a company called Africa Empowered (CEO Vuyo Jack), who is wading into the middle of the BEE debate with a vision of becoming the catalyst of real transformation within SA.  Vuyo and his team are focussing on working with strategic partners from South Africa’s key stakeholder communities, (Government, Corporate, Labour and civil society) to address key issues of alignment and integration.  They will deliver ‘on the ground’ solutions that provide insights, skills and access to beneficiary communities, whilst at the same time surfacing local issues and communicating them into the right places.

We’re part of the ‘On the ground’ solutions: we’ll be delivering BEE insights and awareness workshops across the country in true Footprint fashion!  I’m hoping we can reach at least 10 000 folk before the BEE summit in September this year!

Where we’ll focus: The Eyethu Sonke project will be targeting South Africans in 3 different stakeholder communities:

• BEE opportunity beneficiaries: grassroots communities across South Africa in both urban and rural contexts, including potential SME entrepreneurs
• BEE opportunity beneficiaries: corporate workers who could benefit from BEE through skills development and BEE share ownership initiatives, and SME suppliers to corporate and government institutions
• BEE opportunity providers government and corporate management and staff who influence how BEE policy is executed through application of the BBBEE codes (Procurement, Senior Management, Recruitment, CSI and Enterprise Development teams)

The work delivered as part of the Eyethu Sonke initiative is classified as Enterprise Development as it is helping South Africans all along the BEE spectrum to understand the framework and opportunities that exist for Empowerment and Transformation, and then provides opportunities to fulfill skills gaps with appropriate enterprise development training. In this spirit, all funds ceded to Africa Empowered for the purposes of this project will automatically accrue BEE points on the provider’s scorecard. In this way, AE provides a convenient and powerful option for channeling funds in a way that achieves the spirit of BEE at a scale large enough to make a significant impact on the Empowerment landscape, whilst achieving maximum compliance on the BBBEE codes for Enterprise Development.

To our corporate customers who read this blog - connect with me if you feel you are able to participate or contribute in some way - let’s work together to build South Africa, one person at a time.

Its the weirdest thing - every person I have spoken to this year has felt as if they’re dragging themselves back to work, almost as if the holiday wasn’t long enough for us. The first few days back have felt a bit like walking in a haze of lethargy.  I’ve never seen it quite like this before, or felt it myself so much….weird!

But I have also felt an awakening of the old energies as I start going through the reconnections with my Avo and Footprint teams, and am now just feeling really energised by the opportunities we are being presented with for this year!

Some Avos didn’t even leave Joburg, and have had their heads in our exciting ‘Project Fresh’ game-lifting initiative - we’re currently uplifting, recrafting, refreshing, greening and energising all of our offerings to meet a new world that’s shaking off the dust from last year’s carnage!  I’m really looking forward to seeing the finished product in March this year.

We’ve also done some overdue restructuring of the business, and realigned it to be leaner and more effective than before: Footprint will definitely be pulling its own weight in 2010, and we had to make sure we had the company structure set up to support the increased volume of work.

We had 4 Avo babies last year, and our 5th is imminent: most of the moms are back in the saddle for now - I’m tempted to put a moratorium on procreation for at least one year so we can catch up…… but I suppose we wouldn’t be Avo if we did that, now would we…..?

Avo’s, clients, friends…. there are so many unknowns for us all this year, but I’m confident we’ve got what it takes to make it a successful year where we reap the rewards of the serious graft we put in last year. 

Here’s to the year we deserve!

We are delighted to announce that all of our Avo matrics made it through thier final exams with sparkling results!!  Nqobi Malinga passed with a university entrance, Jono van Rensburg with 3 distinctions, and Kayla Roux with an incredible result of 8 distinctions!!!!!

We are so proud of all of you , and can only attribute your magnificent performance to the exceptionally good genes of your parents……!!!

Yesterday I had the privilege of visiting the Eastern Cape where one of our clients is training HIV mobilisers in Aliwal North. I happened to sit in on the section they were training on Prevention of mother to child transmission. It was an eye-opener for me to learn that a child is not necessarily born HIV positive if the mother is HIV positive, but that the infection only spreads if there is some kind of abrasion or tearing. This was one of many things I have learned working on this project.  I am continually reminded on how uninformed we, who sit our comfortable “white suburbia”  are, as to the extent of the epidemic and the realities of the disease.

I share this because just this morning, on my way to KZN, I read an article in today’s STAR newspaper “Aids Drugs not reaching enough people”,  a report on an ‘epidemic update’ held in Shanghai by the The World Health Organisation and UNaids. The director of UNaids said that “The major problem we are facing today is inequity. It is very important we don’t continue to have 400 000 babies born with HIV in Africa every year. That is why we are calling for virtual elimination of transmission from mother to child by 2015.”   As I sat in that room, watching a group of people, who are not being paid to go into the communities but are volunteers who give up their time to help others, I was proud to know that we are part of a project that is having a positive effect on the lives of millions who are suffering in our country. Just this last week in the E Cape the mobilisers who have already been trained took to the streets to target 400 house-holds, using their new “Red Bags”.

We have played an integral role in creating a platform for the training to take place efficiently enabling these volunteers to be more effective in their work. I hope you will take a moment to be proud of the work we are achieving on this project, that something you have done could be saving a life and the way HIV/AIDS counseling is conducted in South Africa.

Last month I wanted to write Trevor Manuel a letter.  I wanted to tell him how much he’d hurt my feelings by joining the gravy train and buying himself the most expensive car possible for the execution of his new duties.  I, myself, I wanted to tell him, have chosen a much less expensive car: I still seem very capable of performing my duties, but it means I can earn a lower salary so that I can use the spare cash to employ more people within the Avo family and actually try to make a difference in this world.

He pre-empted my sad letter with a half-apology about an error in judgement, which I understand.  Who hasn’t, as a leader, sometimes been seduced by delusions of one’s own grandeur and the intoxicating trappings of power?

But this month, I am moved to write to him again.  This time, I think he’s the only one who can look holistically at my challenge.  In one word, my challenge is compliance.  Not personal compliance (before all my friends pack out laughing and remind me that my lack of compliance was not created by Trevor, but rather a stray gene gone wrong..), but company compliance.

We’re doing our damndest to meet all the compliance requirements that are heaped upon small business: our 3 main focusses are SARS, SETA, and BEE compliance.  I don’t want to tell you the long drama and saga of each of these journeys, suffice to say that, after spending many very frustrating and stressful months, absolutely unreasonable chunks of my own and my team’s time, and far too many thousands of rands, I am still at a total loss as to how we can actually get a tax clearance certificate out of SARS (we are now at the point where the departments are accusing each other of lying to us, and nobody is picking up our issue), we have been advised by our SETA consultant to lie about our assessment activities in order to be accredited there (after a 5 year litany of incompetence from their side), and we have slipped down 2 levels on our BEE accreditation because the burden of proof has become so cumbersome that we just no longer have the time or resources to gather it together!

I know all the issues about ill equipped civil servants - I know for sure that government is very committed to upping the game in service delivery.  But the impact on our small business is that working with incompetent, unporfessional people is eroding our energy, time and profits - all of which could be used so much more constructively in the conducting of our normal business of training South Africa.

Trevor.  Please!  I am a small business owner trying my best to create employment and education for the people of South Africa. As a company, we do more than our fair share of contributing to the upliftment of the community.  All I ask is that you call off your pit bulls who are ripping our sustainability to shreds and let us get on with the job of building South Africa, one person at a time.

…or in this case, 250 people at a time!

I am delighted to be able to announce that, at this very minute, our Footprint team has 10 ‘Money fo’ Sho’ ‘ sessions running across Gauteng!  Even as we speak, almost 250 people are engaging in very important financial literacy conversations that will empower them to make critical personal financial decisions for many years to come!  By Friday, we will have trained just under 500 people, and hopefully have tested all our processes, given our trainers some live practice, and also fed 500 people.

This is one of our pilot days to give each of the trainers we engaged to help us run training sessions as part of the FEF project we are rolling out, a chance to practice, be mentored and coached, and build the confidence they need to go out there and bring the message to the people!  By the time we’re done, in about April next year, we will have trained over 10 000 people!!!

Part of the empowerment plan is to encourage grass roots entrepreneurs to supply us with catering for the training days, train the actual training programme, and get involved in sourcing learners to fill the training sessions.  Today, the Boikamosa Boys excelled in their learner sourcing project - we had crowds of people lining up to be trained (even turning some away, as we can only cater for 25 people per classroom: will revisit there again tomorrow).  Lele Direko, our grassroots caterer, has been bustling all over Soweto ensuring that everyone is well fed.

I am so proud of the Avo and Footprint team that has stood together to make the empowerment dream a reality - all of you have worked your beanies off to get to this point.  Take a bow.  You are all just awesome!!!

I’m so delighted to be able to be the one to blog the welcome to little Sadie-Lee Barry!  Dad Clint is one of our longest-serving Avos, and Mom Carla has been a key person in the Avo family for many years. 

I’m trying to decide whether I feel like a doting grannie, or indulgent auntie…..?  But most of all, I’m just thrilled to congratulate the Barry family on their new baby!

Many blessings and love to you all!

It was just one of those things.  My friend Grace, from Actuate, was going to help me help Jeppe Boys exec team set up their internal communication strategy as a kind pro bono gift.  But she’s a really busy lady, so we scheduled the whole event around a spare spot in her diary.  And after poor Soz had spent an entire week moving everyone’s diaries to fit in with that spare spot, we found out the day before that Grace had managed to double-book the spot in a moment of unthinkingness (which happens to all of us, especially when we get to Grace and my age…). And so the session went ahead, minus Grace the Guru, but with a flamboyant fly-in rescue from Hanli, who has done this sort of thing with Grace before…(thanks Hun!).

Grace emailed an apology, voice-mailed an apology, and in the normal world, that would have been it.

But not for Grace.

I came into work on Monday morning to find a sweetly wrapped black box on my desk, and when I opened it, this beautiful mini-cake was inside, from Grace.

She reminded me about how important it is to fix things properly.  So many of us make little mistakes that can have big impact on others, apologise profusely, and move on with those busy lives we all lead. But Grace has the class to slow things down, and use the opportunity not just to mend the moment, but remind her friend how really precious she is to her - and build a bridge of trust and love that is just that much stronger than before.

Nice touch Grace!  The Avos loved the cake.  Thanks mate!

I got to spend an inspiring morning with my team who are working on a lovely project.

Our endeavour is to address HIV and Aids in our country.  In our current project, we have a training and counselling programme on HIV that will roll across South Africa in waves.  It starts with some Avo trainers who are training 30 master trainers from many AIDS organisations across the country.

Once we’ve taken them through the content, process and activities; they will, in turn, train 600 people in South Africa on how to deliver the content. These 600 will then train and counsel thousands, and eventually millions of South Africans!

The numbers are mind boggling, and it makes me think of the classic metaphor of the pebble dropping into a still pond, and then the rings growing wider and wider as the impact spreads.

So whilst on the one hand, Jacqui and team are having to get their minds around training content that involves a lot of condoms, vibrators and bananas, on the other, there is a roomful of incredible human beings who have chosen to use their life journey to bring messages to people that can so easily save lives!

This felt so connected to the philosophy and name of Avocado Vision: we plant trees in whose shade we may never sit, and whose fruit we may never eat!  I am so proud that we have had the opportunity to contribute in this way!  Well done to the Avo team in this journey!

Raelene and I share a hero role model.  We have both pored over her articles, hung on every word in her radio interviews, and fantisised about what we would actually say to her if we ever met her.  When I heard our team was booking her to speak at our annual SAB MDP dinner, I was over the moon.  And even though Grant was going overseas that day, and all my sons were sick as anything, I just had to go to the dinner to hear her speak in person. 

When I got to the dinner, I decided to pick a random table to sit at, and see who would join me.  And beyond my wildest dreams, no sooner had I sat in my chair than Mamphela Ramphele herself came and sat down next to me!  I had to pinch myself, although I did have enough presence of mind to sms Raelene with the inevitable ‘you will not believe who I am sitting next to….!!’ message.

It was so inspiring to watch a powerful leader woman in action, both on the stage, and as she interacted with us all at the table. She has the courage to continually challenge people to step up.  She has strong clarity of thought and intent, and is just not afraid to engage with people around her, demanding they share their light with the world.

Of course, with the Universe conspiring so to put us together, there is no way I could not take her through a brief synopsis of our Footprint dream and what we want to create in this country.  I asked for her help.  She said she would not help me, but rather, this would be something we could work on together!

Thanks, Mamphela, for challenging me on my own insignificance.  I do hope we will be able to find the opportunity together to create a strong vehicle for growth, empowerment and education in South Africa! I,  too, am challenged to step up!