HENRY AND DANIËL HOST BREAKFAST SERIES AND TOWN HALL TALK

Henry and Daniël recently spent time with employees as part of their quarterly breakfast events.

The breakfast meetings encourage employees to think about topics that currently affect the Group and then to discuss these with the leadership team. It is also an opportunity for Henry, Daniël and employees to get to know each other better.

The question for October 2017 was “Why did Murray & Roberts decide to strategically focus its business platforms on servicing the global natural resources markets of Oil & Gas, Metals & Minerals (Underground Mining) and Power & Water?” The following entries were selected:

In January the question was, “What are the OTHER four segments (apart from construction) of the project life cycle that the Group is diversifying its services across?” The following entries were selected:


The correct answer was: Development, Engineering, Operations, Services.

“Daniël and I look forward to reading each entry submitted and enjoy getting to know our colleagues better” says Henry.

Thank you to all the participants and congratulations to the employees whose entries were selected.

Henry also hosted his second Town Hall Talk in November to a packed venue in the Baobab Learning Centre. Henry spoke aboutthe Group’s New Strategic Future as a multinational specialised engineering and construction group, and the services we offer across the project life cycle and touched on the potential risks, as well as opportunities for the business platforms. Questions from employees covered a variety of topics including future pipeline work for the business platforms, transformation within the Group and Murray & Roberts as an employer of choice.

“The Town Hall Talk is a platform for employees to engage with the leadership team on any number of issues, whether in person at the talk or anonymously through the various channels we have available” says Henry. “We covered a wide selection of topics and enjoyed a robust discussion and I encourage all employees to continue their participation to make these events meaningful” concludes Henry.

OLYMPIANS WRESTLING CLUB AND JUDO INSTITUTE FOR PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS TOOK TOP HONOURS AT
THE 2017 JACK CHEETHAM AND LETSEMA AWARDS

Olympians Wrestling Club and Judo Institute for People with Special Needs, were each awarded first place at the 36th Jack Cheetham and Letsema Sports Development Awards, hosted by Murray & Roberts in association with SASCOC.

Olympians Wrestling Club were the winners of the Jack Cheetham Award, which recognises sports development projects that transform the lives of able-bodied young South Africans. The club has a school and community outreach programme that promotes Olympic sports to disadvantaged youth in an effort to counter the effects of gang violence, substance abuse and crime.

The Letsema Award went to the Judo Institute for People with Special Needs. The institute uses judo to instil confidence, selfesteem and discipline into players with disabilities, amongst disadvantaged communities in the Eastern Cape. The Letsema Award is in recognition of sports development projects for people with disabilities and was inspired by Hilton Langenhoven and his performance at the 2008 Paralympics.

Golden Lions Gymnastics Club was the first runner up in the Jack Cheetham Award. The club is a community upliftment project for children in the Westbury community in Johannesburg and is consistently among the top performers in international competition,

despite their lack of funding. The second runner up was the Rock the Boat Canoeing Programme, part of the Grootbos Foundation. The development programme provides
canoeing skills and basic water safety to youngsters from the rural Overberg region in the Western Cape.

The Letsema Award first runner up was Mustang Wheelchair Rugby. The club aims to develop wheelchair rugby as a sport in South Africa to improve the well-being of people living with disabilities. Beneficiaries include children with physical disabilities from rural areas in the Free State and Northern Cape. The second runner up was
South African Transplant Sports Association. The association’s vision is to optimise the quality of life of organ transplant recipients through sport.

“These awards recognise excellence in sports development and are a highlight in the year for Murray & Roberts. Every year we are impressed by the determination and commitment shown by these organisations and their athletes” says Henry Laas, Murray & Roberts Group Chief Executive.

The adjudication committee had a challenge before them in settling on the six finalists and choosing a winner in each category. Says Thokozani Mdluli, Health, Safety and Environment Executive and chairman of the adjudication committee, “The finalist presentations are always inspirational and it is a rewarding and humbling experience to see the impact that these organisations have on their communities. We look forward to supporting the world champions that develop from these projects.”

JACK CHEETHAM AWARD FINALISTS

OLYMPIANS WRESTLING CLUB
The schools and community outreach programme, a project of the Olympians Wrestling Club, was established in 2006. The club is based in the Western Cape and promotes Olympic sports to disadvantaged youth to counter gangsterism, substance abuse and crime.

There are five clubs operating, some headed by coaches who began as beneficiaries of the club, and they reach approximately 200 high-risk youth twice a week. Twenty wrestlers have been identified for training at the High Performance Centre, all of whom have provincial colours and have represented South Africa at National and International level. Olympians Wrestling Club was a runner-up in the 2014 Jack Cheetham Award.

GOLDEN LIONS GYMNASTICS CLUB
Established in 1988, Golden Lions Gymnastics is a community upliftment project for children from Westbury, Newclare, Claremont and Newlands in Johannesburg, with the aim to produce South African and World Acro Gymnastics champions. The club takes children off the streets of rough neighbourhoods and gives them an opportunity to excel and perform, while also educating them of the dangers of drug use, HIV and teenage pregnancy. Over the past five years the club has produced 149 gold medals, 10 silver and bronze medals at the South African National Championships. In 2004, the club caused an upset at the World Acro Gymnastics Age Group Games, by beating the Russian favourites to win the gold medal in their age group category. They are consistently amongst the top performers in international competition, despite their humble beginnings and lack of funding.

 

GROOTBOS FOUNDATION – ROCK THE BOAT CANOEING PROGRAMME
Rock the Boat Canoeing Programme was established in 2016 by the Stanford Canoe Club, part of the Grootbos Foundation, as a development programme to attract youngsters from the local communities in the rural Overberg region in the Western Cape to the sport of canoeing.

The programme offers recreational paddling, competitive sprint canoeing, marathon canoeing, ski paddling and canoe polo, as well as basic water safety. In addition to sports, the programme teaches valuable social skills and keeps vulnerable children away from potentially risky and anti-social behaviour. While still in its development stages, the programme has already produced inspiring paddlers and recently sent a team to the South African Championships in Swellendam.

LETSEMA AWARD FINALISTS

JUDO INSTITUTE FOR PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
Judo Institute for People with Special Needs was established in 2009 and aims to inspire blind, visually impaired, physically disabled, and deaf and intellectually impaired children from underprivileged communities in the Eastern Cape. The institute uses judo to restore confidence and self-esteem, instil discipline, as well as provide mentorship and life skills. At the Commonwealth Championships in 2016, 34 children participated and brought back 19 medals. Since 2010, the institute has won 108 medals from local, provincial and national levels and hopes to send 10 players to the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan.

 

MUSTANG WHEELCHAIR RUGBY
Mustang Wheelchair Rugby was formed in June 2011 and aims to develop wheelchair rugby as a sport in South Africa and to demonstrate how it can impact on and improve the well-being of people living with disabilities.

The club provides an environment where people with disabilities feel welcome and safe and motivates those who have suffered a traumatic event to participate in a sporting activity. Patients from rehabilitation centres, care centres and local hospitals are encouraged to visit the practice sessions.

Beneficiaries also include children with physical disabilities from schools and rural areas in the Free State and Northern Cape.

The Mustangs won the South African Wheelchair Rugby League in 2016 and represented South Africa at two international events.

 

 

SOUTH AFRICAN TRANSPLANT SPORTS ASSOCIATION
The South African Transplant Sports Association was established in 1994 as a centre for transplant athletes. Its vision is to optimise the quality of life of organ transplant recipients, and through sports and other physical activities, promote organ donation and transplantation.

Athletes with high potential are given the opportunity for additional coaching and South African transplant athletes currently hold six world records and the association is working to host the World Transplant Games in South Africa. At the 2015 games, South Africa finished third and took home 89 medals.

Visit www.jclawards.co.za for more information on the awards and how to nominate deserving projects.

 

NEW APPOINTMENTS TO THE MURRAY & ROBERTS HOLDINGS BOARD

Diane Radley, Alex Maditsi and Emma Mashilwane were appointed to the Murray & Roberts Holdings Board in August 2017 following the retirement of Mahlape Sello and Dave Barber.

Diane is a Chartered Accountant and began her career at PwC. She has been the Chief Financial Officer at Altron and later Old Mutual South Africa. She became Chief Executive Officer of Old Mutual Investment Group in 2011, where she remained until October 2016. She was a finalist in the 2001 Businesswomen’s Association, Business Woman of the Year awards and was voted Africa’s Leading Woman in Business in 2015 by African Investor (New York).

Alex is a lawyer and is the Managing Director of Copper Moon Trading (Pty) Ltd. Previously, he was employed by Coca-Cola South Africa as a Franchise Director for South Africa. Prior to joining Coca-Cola, Alex was the Legal Director for Global Business Connections in Detroit, Michigan. He also spent time at Lewis, White and Clay, The Ford Motor Company and Schering-Plough in the USA, practising as an attorney. Alex was a Fulbright Scholar and is a member of the Harvard LLM Association.

Emma is a Chartered Accountant and is currently the Head of Risk Advisory Services at Nkonki Incorporated. She completed her articles and worked at KPMG, before taking up Chief Financial Officer positions at Carl Zeiss Optronics and subsequently at Masana Technologies.

 

MURRAY & ROBERTS POWER & ENERGY HELPING LEARNERS SHINE IN BOTSWANA

Murray & Roberts, through its Community Development Programme, prioritises education and skills development, with a particular focus on supporting the socio-economic development of its host communities. Effective partnerships and continuing engagement with these communities and our employees has ensured that the programme responds directly to the needs and expectations of the beneficiaries.

Murray & Roberts Power & Energy was awarded a contract for the replacement and refurbishment of ageing equipment at the Morupule A Power Station near Palapye, Botswana.

The local primary school, located 40 kilometres from the project, was in need of a few items. What started as a small request to Steve Harrison, Murray & Roberts Power & Water CEO, transformed into a project of significant impact for the learners and surrounding community.

In a remarkable team effort from employees, a small computer lab was established at the school, using computer equipment from a discontinued training centre at the head office. Donations included tables and chairs, desktop computers and screens, a projector and 55 school cases containing basic stationery items for the top performing learners.

Says Antoinette Nainar, Human Resources, Murray & Roberts Power & Energy, “It was truly astonishing to see how grateful and appreciative the community was. The
unveiling of the lab was an event expressing appreciation and hope for the future with eager, young minds ready to embark on a journey of learning.”

 

 

MURRAY & ROBERTS POWER & ENERGY HELPING LEARNERS SHINE IN BOTSWANA

The Clough Foundation is a charitable trust overseen by a semi-independent board, that provides support to organisations and communities that provide sustainable benefits to society and the communities in which the business works.

All investment decisions align with Clough’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, which is underpinned by six pillars: Children & Youth, Arts, Indigenous, Empowering Women, Education and Healthy Communities.

The Clough Foundation is proud to be partnering with Starlight Children’s Foundation in their mission to “brighten the lives of seriously ill children and their families” through
supporting Starlight’s Healthier Futures Initiative in collaboration with Earbus Foundation. This collaboration creates positive healthcare experiences for children across The Pilbara, Western Australia.

Says Peter Bennett, Murray & Roberts Oil & Gas CEO, “I’ve always been inspired by the work that Starlight Children’s Foundation does, and see them as innovators in their sphere. I look forward to supporting them in improving health clinic attendance and enhancing the community’s relationship with the healthcare system throughout Aboriginal communities in Western Australia.”

The Clough Foundation has also renewed its partnership with Youth Focus in Western Australia and international development organisation ChildFund Australia. Youth Focus works with young people to help them overcome issues associated with depression, anxiety and self-harm. A key driver behind this programme is research which demonstrates that when people better understand mental health, they are more likely to seek help for themselves or encourage friends who are dealing with their own mental health issues.

ChildFund Australia works at grassroots level in Papua New Guinea and trains frontline village health workers to provide basic care to children and mothers, and provides referrals to district healthcare services for additional medical interventions. Despite its proximity to Australia, Papua New Guinea continues to record some of the worlds lowest human development indicators with high infant and maternal mortality rates.

Nigel Spence, CEO of ChildFund Australia says, “Working with the Clough Foundation means that more children and mothers benefit from life-saving health programmes and allows us to reach more underserved communities in PNG.”