"Sometimes, when I consider what tremendous consequences come from
little things...
I am tempted to think... There are no little things"
Bruce Barton is quoted thus by one of Sapia's members, reporting on the hundreds of millions of rand it has spent in the past two decades alone on community projects. Together, Sapia members spend nearly R100 million a year on social investment programmes. That is no little thing.
But the oil companies do not measure these projects in terms of money - or charity. Direct company involvement with community structures and local communities working towards a successful conclusion of a project is all that matters. One company says: "No matter how small or how big we believe our contribution to the communities of South Africa to be, it is only the community who can comment on what value it has held for them."
Another company gauges the success of its social responsibilities programmes in terms of human development. The chief executive of that company, says: "We have always preferred to measure success in human terms, specifically by the successful empowerment of ordinary South Africans to take charge of their lives, and to help others."
And so Sapia members create projects after discussing ideas with disadvantaged communities. They support local and national efforts already existing - literally hundreds of projects that together keep the nation's spirit alive. A single company will support as many as 200 organisations, ranging from the Red Cross to the Inanda Creche; from a sea rescue unit to a township choir; from a hospice to a computer-training centre; from Trees for Africa to the Thabisong Youth Club. Another company has a history of 40 years of social investment programmes. It started by consulting the disenfranchised communities on their needs for a better life. With the limited resources available they jointly worked out the best form of assistance. This all happened in a by-gone era of apartheid when corporate involvement in grassroots black affairs was frowned upon or openly discouraged.
The funds spent by the oil companies on social investment are enormous - but never, ever enough. All members of Sapia devote much care and attention to the utilisation of the funds to ensure optimum benefit to the community.
One member of Sapia links its social investment spending directly to profits, making its commitment as important as its business.
One of the smaller oil companies has created a Foundation. The Foundation, into which until recently all the non-retained income was channelled, invests its funds in "human resource development". In 1996, R14m from the Foundation was invested in the training and development of under-privileged communities. The recent developments affecting the oil company will increase the Foundation's capacity to make these investments in human development.
None of this is widely known. None of Sapia's members are interested in "making a noise about the amount of money spent on social investment."
"A project with a small budget can at times be as important in the life of a community as one with a major budget . . ."
Those who care see that there are no little things.
Promoting Education
Educational assistance ranges from sponsorship of pre-school teacher training to donations in support of specific programmes at tertiary level. Sapia members donate to school-building initiatives, support revolutionary technologies such as distance learning through satellite TV, and assist under-qualified teachers to higher levels of competence.
The oil companies are major providers of bursaries and scholarship support to disadvantaged communities. A number of talented people would not have been academic achievers without this help. They now hold responsible positions in companies and Government or are successful entrepreneurs.
The weakness in maths and science teaching - recently identified at official national level - has been a cause for concern for many years among Sapia members; hence the targeted support of programmes to improve the quality of maths and science education.
Caring for Health
The support of health programmes by Sapia members is reflected in donations to hospitals and clinics, in direct involvement in primary health care projects; in educational and training assistance for the disabled, and in specific initiatives such as care for AIDS babies.
At rural community level, assistance ranges from support for vegetable garden projects to the encouragement of medicinal plant farming on a commercial basis; from skills-training for agricultural workers, to support of projects which bring fresh drinking water to undeveloped areas.
In the informal settlements and townships, Sapia members focus on self-help, education and development of local capacity for health care.
Sports Advancement
Sapia members recognise that sports and recreation play an important role in the lives of people, be it at a participant or non participant level. Sport has always played an important role in unifying nations. South Africa is no exception.
Oil companies in their own way have supported various codes in the underprivileged communities for many years. This started when any involvement in support of black sport was actively discouraged by the apartheid authorities.
One Sapia member has been involved in soccer at a national level since the early 1970s. Until recently it was the sponsor of a leading premier soccer tournament. Another member now sponsors a premier soccer team. The oil companies have been sponsoring sporting events at school level and local tournaments as well as supplying much needed sporting equipment.
Since the lifting of the sports boycott, the oil companies have been involved at national level. One of the companies has been involved in the sponsorship of the Olympic team while another was involved with the National team to the Paraplegic Olympic Games in Atlanta. A Sapia member is involved in the Cape Town 2004 Olympic bid.
The lack of facilities in the underprivileged areas remains a problem. Sapia members will continue to assist in building recreational areas and communal multi-purpose complexes. They see it as part of their role as corporate citizens contributing to democracy.
Economic Empowerment
Sapia members invest their efforts, not only within their own industry, but on small business. The oil companies recognise that nearly half the employment opportunities in the South African economy are fostered by an estimated 700,000 small businesses and micro enterprises.
Empowerment by Sapia members of a new cadre of entrepreneurs takes many forms.
Assistance can be highly specific. For instance: the transfer of negotiation and dispute resolution skills to people within the taxi industry.
It can be very general. For example: encouragement of support for emerging business in the procurement policy of an oil company, and a requirement among established suppliers that they also show a commitment to black economic empowerment in their own business practice.
The oil companies have over a long period of time created a vast national grid of small enterprises through a retail network of service stations. A significant number of these service stations are owned or leased by black entrepreneurs in various townships and were created in a period where such development was discouraged by the previous apartheid government.
Affirmative Action
Oil companies have led the field in South Africa for many years. Programmes to speed the human resources development of all sections of the population were in place even when the law discouraged it. Today, formally disfranchised people are well represented in supervisory and management grades within the ranks of Sapia members. These people hold their positions on merit and skill not on tokenism. Their training was based not on patronage but on the highest international standards of technical development.
The focus of the industry is on accelerated training in support of affirmative action programmes, economic empowerment of black stakeholders, skill transfer, and the development of a new generation of managers. Many millions of rands are spent annually by Sapia members on staff training in areas from literacy to engineering; from computer science to extra-mural school lessons - for families as well as staff.
In all the activities mentioned above, each Sapia member in its own way and in competition with other members, has anticipated the government's RDP concept, and has done so within its own business operations as well as in the public sphere.
The experience in upliftment and empowerment of Sapia members is not only of benefit to South Africans, it also equips the SA-based oil companies to play a similar supportive role in communities within the South African region and further north. Future 'export' of this expertise into the sub-Saharan economy is being implemented or examined by several Sapia Members.
One of the guidelines for Sapia members is that their support of community projects is investment not welfare; that projects should grow and equalise opportunities; contribute towards sustainable economic growth and be constantly accountable for the manner in which funds are utilised. It is the development of people and not things which is central to social investment.
"It is imperative that all stakeholders and decision-makers in our country come to realise what a massive social contribution we really are making towards a successful future in South Africa", says the Corporate Affairs Manager of one of Sapia's members.