An impactful, mutually beneficial and outcomes-based engagement platform has been established by Impala Rustenburg and 14 mine host community business forums, with the objective of strengthening relationships between Impala and the local business community.
The Impala Mine Host Community Business Forum Engagement Platform is a legitimate and recognised structure that will enable business forums to build trust and improve stakeholder relations, which in turn will sustain operational stability.
The engagement platform will provide the local business forums with information on inclusive preferential procurement opportunities, enterprise and supplier development (ESD) initiatives, and social and labour plan procurement (LED) opportunities. The engagement platform will also facilitate Impala’s updates and progress reports on procurement spent to the business forums, and provides a structure for Impala to receive feedback from mine host community business forums.
Comments Neo Kgaje from Mine Host Community Business Forum (MHCBF) representing the collective of 14 business forums, “We believe that this is a promising opportunity for our business forums to build a positive relationship with Impala, and an opportunity to change the narrative on the relationship between mining companies and local business forums. We look forward to building a two-way engagement platform where recommendations and proposals are put forward to enable positive outcomes that will impact the local economy in a manner that is inclusive, transformative and progressive in nature.
Mark Munroe, Chief Executive at Impala Rustenburg, said: “Impala Rustenburg’s commitment to the development of SMMEs in our mine communities is demonstrated through our investment in numerous impactful initiatives that form part of our socio-economic development plan, which assists mine-community small, medium, and micro business owners to formalise their businesses. We provide a five-day training programme and an intensive 12-month ESD training programme, which has benefitted 400 SMMEs since our ESD initiatives launched in 2021. This year, we also launched an Economic Inclusion Centre that is open to SMMEs across all our mine communities and is designed to provide a place for mine community SMMEs to gain assistance with formalising their businesses, access short courses and use the various business facilities available at the centre.”
Munroe continues: “The Mine Host Community Business Forum Engagement Platform is aimed at fostering a spirit of collaboration and ensuring the socio-economic well-being of Impala mine-community SMMEs. Two-way communication is the cornerstone of good stakeholder relations and is essential to ensure that all parties derive the benefits of procurement opportunities, ESD programmes and other initiatives. We are excited to further open the channels of communication with the SMMEs in our mine communities - and to work together to improve the future of Rustenburg.”
