Exxaro welcomes the launch of the South Africa Scenarios 2030 Indlulamithi project in Johannesburg yesterday (EDS: 21 June 2018).

Exxaro, South Africa’s largest coal producer, is sponsoring the project which is intended to create a socially-cohesive South Africa by 2030.

Indlulamithi – the Nguni word for giraffe which can be translated as “to look above the trees” – brings together some of the country’s top business leaders, academics, thought leaders and experts from diverse fields in the public, private and non-profit sectors to look at how South Africa can create a people-centred state which prioritises the economic and social wellbeing of its citizens.

“Exxaro is proud to do its part to reinvigorate our search, as a nation, for ways to create a society where all people experience a sense of belonging and solidarity, says Mzila Mthenjane, Exxaro’s Executive Head of Stakeholder Affairs. “The purpose of Scenarios is to provide the citizens of South Africa with a vision of the possibilities of our future, and what a fully transformed South Africa will look like. As a business leader and in line with our mission to power better lives in South Africa and Africa, we are committed to setting the example and playing our part in shaping this transformation.”

Mthenjane says Exxaro is sponsoring the project because it hopes to set an example to South African corporates when it comes to transformation.

Exxaro believes that skills development is the key to the country South Africa will be in 2030.

These skills – which are informed by the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) concept which is considered critical for the 4th Industrial revolution ­– will be vital for creating new industries and entrepreneurial opportunities for the holistic development of the country.

Mthenjane says Exxaro has already invested significantly in skills development. From 2013 to 2017, Exxaro spent R110-million on whole school development education initiatives, which included infrastructure and principal, teacher and learner programmes across communities where Exxaro operates. Of this, R28.3-million was spent in Mpumalanga, R31.27-million in Limpopo and R50.36-million in Gauteng,

Concludes Mthenjane: “The continued growth of our coal business will be essential to providing not only essential energy, but also employment opportunities, education and funding to help achieve the 2030 vision. But we also have to look beyond coal, as both the country and the world respond to the challenge of climate change, and doing so is a primary focus of our strategy – one that will enable the transition to a low-carbon future.”