Page 15 - JCCI Business Focus 2.3

CustoMer-CentrICItY Is slG’s CoMPetItIve

dIfferentIAtor

THOKO MBATHA companies in KwaZulu-Natal customers in their respective and the abundance of coal, which
is the Group Chief (KZN), the Free State and sectors. It is imperative that we is cheaper than gas. However, coal
MExecutive Officer of Gauteng via its pipeline network understand what matters to them will soon be subject to carbon
SLG (Pty) Ltd, the second largest as well as on a portable basis so that we create value for them,” tax legislation, which will levy
natural gas trading business using Compressed Natural Gas says Mbatha. R120 per ton of CO2 equivalent
in South Africa. He has served (CNG) technology. For example, Mbatha attributes SLG’s success on emission. This makes the
the company as an executive in it supplies CNG to a JSE listed to its customer-centric approach conversion from combustion
various capacities for 14 years and company which is situated a to business and describes it equipment to natural gas
has used his vast experience in distance away from the pipeline as committed to providing economically feasible and could
the ever-changing gas industry network. innovative, reliable and accessible trigger the growth needed to
to spearhead its phenomenal services to them. He adds that achieve the 2030 target.
growth. Mbatha has a solid The majority of SLG’s customers the company also continues to SLG spends consistently on
business acumen and employs in KZN are manufacturing strive to ensure that sufficient corporate social investment
a collaborative leadership style, companies that understand the natural gas become is available programmes, primarily by
which he uses to build robust benefits of transitioning from to meet additional gas demand. supporting the advancement
relations with regulatory bodies high carbon fuels to lower carbon “As a significant trader in the of science and maths skills at
such as the National Energy natural gas. They know that gas market playing at the tail-end historically underprivileged Mthoko Mbatha
Regulator of South Africa produces only 50% of the carbon of the gas supply value chain, community schools, donating
(NERSA), the Department of footprint of energy sources such SLG will continue to unearth resources such as science Development (ECD) teachers,
Energy (DoE), SLG’s suppliers as coal. They also benefit from and aggregate new markets for and computer hardware and community speech impediment
and most importantly, its the fact that natural gas is cost upstream investment. This will sponsoring laboratories for STEM projects, and the East Coast Radio
customers. He is excited about efficient. Natural gas/Methane certainly ensure that the 3% (Science, Technology, Engineering toy story by supporting their
growing the business further, Rich Gas is 35% cheaper than market share of natural gas in the and Maths) programmes. SLG annual AmaLunchbox drives at
contributing to the development Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), country’s primary energy mix also improves its surrounding schools. 
of the local natural gas industry approximately 165% cheaper than increases to at least 7% by 2030 communities by funding various
and helping to shape its future. diesel on an energy per unit basis. in line with the ambitions of the projects such as uplifting hearing T: 031 812 0555
The company he directs, SLG, Collectively, these companies DoE,” says Mbatha. impaired Early Childhood Smart Access Number: 0800 075 427
www.slgas.co.za
is an award winning 100% black employ thousands of people and The current 3% figure, which is
owned and managed company, contribute approximately 17.1% low compared to the global norm
which commenced operations to the province’s Gross Domestic of 25% is primarily due to lack of
in July 2002. It supplies natural Product (GDP). “SLG’s future is supply, inadequate infrastructure,
gas to industrial and commercial contingent on the success of our

south AfrICA hAs A lot thAt Is rIGht

ife in South Africa: Reasons particularly in the era to 2007, …but the numbers (in the needs to be done to resume the ‘Too often, these entrepreneurs
for Hope, the latest report provided the government with report) are so great that they path of progress, especially evident and the middle classes are
Lfrom the Institute of Race the revenues to bring about vast speak to a profoundly important between 1994 and 2007.’ hounded as an uncaring and
Relations (IRR), seeks to remind improvements in living standards raising of the living-standards selfish elite who have done
South Africans of the significant via its service delivery efforts. floor in our country.’ The report states: ‘Our sense is nothing to bring about a better
progress the country has made As much as it courts that far more has been achieved future. They have done a great deal
in South Africa over the past
under democracy, and the scope controversy, we stand on the Among the positives highlighted two decades than many people and deserve great credit.’
for resuming an upward trajectory point that service delivery was in the report are that: understand. There is a lot to be However, the report cautions that
towards growth and optimism. ■ Inflation dropped from 9% in
one of the key successes of the 1994 to 5,3% in 2017 proud of and in no way is it true ‘there must be no doubt that the
The report highlights progress in African National Congress ■ Ten formal houses were built for to say that “South Africa is no radical inflection of government
areas ranging from the economy in government. This is not to better than it was in 1994”, or policy after 2007 did great harm
to living conditions, health, overlook the many and varied every shack newly erected that “South Africans have refused to the South African economy and
education and crime. failures both in the extent ■ The number of black people to work together to bring about stalled much of the progress that
and in the quality of services with a job increased from change”. This is a substantively was being made to that point’.
It notes: ‘The effects of higher delivered. Nor is it to suggest 4.9 million in 1994 to over better society to live in than it
levels of investment-driven 12 million last year The IRR is particularly worried
growth, and sensible policy, that State-driven delivery is a ■ The middle class has doubled was in 1994. We think that, as that the policy of expropriation
sustainable path out of poverty a result of that progress, social
in size and other relations remain without compensation or EWC
■ The number of students predominantly sound.’ could do such damage as to erode
enrolled at universities has much of the progress made over the
increased almost threefold since A key element of the report is its past two decades and completely
1985 acknowledgement of the role of change South Africa’s living
■ The murder rate has been halved South Africans across the board standards trajectory for the worse.
through the democratic era in contributing to the country’s
progress. The report concludes,
IRR media and public affairs however: ‘If policy makers can
officer Kelebogile Leepile notes: Noting that the IRR has adopt sensible ideas that draw
“The importance of this report ‘given the government and investment, create new wealth and
is that it reminds us of the good the ruling party much credit’ jobs, and grow the economy, then
story to tell, which is often lost in for progress made, the report there is no reason to believe that
the doom-and-gloom narrative adds: ‘But more credit must the trajectory our country was on
about the problems we still go to the entrepreneurs, into 2007 cannot be resumed.’
face. We hope to restore some investors, employers, and *The Hope Reports are series
balance to the debate about life employees, whose hard work of reports produced by the IRR
in South Africa, and to dispel the and risk-taking generated the to highlight the extent to which
impression that democracy has tax revenue that funded the South Africans have built a better
failed to deliver a better life. This free and subsidised houses and country and better lives since the
is also a way of focusing on what services, and social welfare. end of apartheid. 

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