Skills Development

The Siyazisiza Trust is a Level 1 QSE B-BBEE Contributor, and a Public Benefit Organisation in terms of Section 30 of the Income Tax Act. All receipts and accruals are exempt from income tax in terms of Section 10 (cN).

All of Siyazisiza’s beneficiaries are Black South Africans, with 83% being women and 15% youth. We constantly seek to forge partnerships, collaborations and funding opportunities to realize our vision of supporting the emergence of local economies, particularly where previously disadvantaged, marginalized and vulnerable groups are empowered.

Under South Africa’s B-BBEE Codes of Good Practice, companies are encouraged to help previously disadvantaged South African citizens gain sustainable access into the economy, and contribute towards the development of black-owned small businesses and their access to the market. Partnering with the Siyazisiza Trust offers organisations an opportunity to contribute to the development and absorption of small-holder farmers into the economy, while raising their B-BBEE profile

Skills development measures the extent to which companies carry out initiatives designed to develop the competencies of Black people both internally and externally. Companies can increase their Skills Development score by funding Siyazisiza’s skills development programmes for agricultural producers;  or Trusts own Black employees.

On the 16th to 20th September 2019, the Siyazisiza team and Mondi colleagues were trained under the GIZ-NatuReS Programme.

Trainers were taught about business development principles through the Business Model Tool (see below). The game explores a business’ flow of cash, overheads and expenditure, profit/loss, etc. which all contribute to pertinent considerations to be made by small businesses in the management of their enterprise.

With skills gained from the start up business development training, Siyazisiza’s staff conducted their own 3-day training session, on the 15th to 17th October 2019, with small-holder farmers from the Umlalazi Farmers Forum.

On Developing Skills...

Under the GIZ-NatuReS Programme, which forms part of their UWASP (uMhlathuzi Water Stewardship Partnership) contribution as a partnership that focuses on preserving, managing and good utilization of water, Siyazisiza employees received business development training for start-up enterprises.

Training focused on principles of good practice for start-up businesses, with a particular focus on small-holder farmers. From the initial “train the trainer” session, the team learnt to facilitate their own training sessions in order to roll out small business development training for the Trust’s beneficiaries.

The Trust is currently in the process of becoming Agri-Seta accredited with the intention of establishing a training facility  for young, aspiring farmers at its Zululand Agro-processing Centre, where Siyazisiza also intends to establish the main farmhouse as accommodation for volunteers and interns. Ultimately it is hoped that the centre will support experiential application and learning across the agricultural value chain.