Lafarge South Africa contributes to local communities

"We have a responsibility to help turn them into sustainable, healthy societies. In keeping with a world-wide group volunteering programme, all our employees are encouraged to contribute time to bettering the circumstances of less fortunate communities," comments Unathi Batyashe-Fillis, Lafarge South Africa's country communications manager.

In the company's drive to give meaning to 'Building Better Cities', it continuously responds to the challenges presented by the global trend to urbanisation and commits to using its technical strength to contribute solutions for constructing more sustainable and beautiful environments for all people to live in. In South Africa, the emphasis is on building better communities, which are the heart of our cities, rural towns and villages.

Mandela Day

Illustrating the strong volunteering spirit, over 120 Lafarge South Africa employees and their families took part in the 702 Walk the Talk event on Sunday, 26 July as part of the company's Mandela Day celebrations. The cause for the walking team was the company's local brand statement of building better communities, with a portion of each entry going towards a community legacy project.

Another Mandela Day initiative by a group of employees was volunteering 67 minutes of their time to 'Pamper a Pooch' at the Wet Nose animal shelter in Bronkhorstspruit, where the volunteers walked and groomed the animals.

The company's Youth Day celebration in June saw 23 employees volunteering their time to host a group of Grades 10-12 learners from the Fons Luminis Secondary School in Diepkloof, Soweto. Lafarge South Africa had previously renovated and equipped two science laboratories for the school.

Training facility

The learners were given a valuable insight into the work of the company's Quality Department Southern Africa, one of the country's most highly regarded cement and concrete laboratories. It is also a sought after training facility for a limited number of science students each year, providing them with unparalleled opportunities for experiential training in various disciplines, enabling them to obtain their qualifications and gain work experience.

The learners also visited the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, decked out in its new Lafarge branding, reflecting the company's recent sponsorship agreement with the stadium. In terms of this agreement, Lafarge South Africa is in the process of establishing a skills development centre at the stadium, to give back to the local community by training emerging building entrepreneurs and contractors.