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Minimising our impact on the
environment
MultiChoice is classified as having a low
impact on the environment. While we do
have manufacturing operations, these
are largely for electronic devices such as
decoders, and these processes generate
fewer emissions and less waste overall. Most
of our office buildings were either designed
as environmentally friendly or retrofitted for
energy and water efficiency where possible.
Our primary impact on our natural capital
stems from our use of coal-fired electricity or
other fuels such as diesel to power generators
during electricity outages. A sizeable
workforce also uses water and generates
waste. Water scarcity is a particular issue in
some regions, such as the Western Cape.
Our facilities department continually monitors
the use of natural resources, as well as trends
and environmental impact.
To mitigate the risk of rising tariffs for water
and electricity, we have implemented a
number of initiatives to reduce, reuse or
recycle. These include:
h
Energy-efficiency and energy-saving
measures for electricity, air-conditioning,
heating and ventilation or investing in ‘green’
infrastructure.
h
Waste reduction includes recycling paper,
cans, plastic and ewaste (electronic
components), reusing or refurbishing
equipment (such as decoders and modems)
and responsibly disposing of ewaste.
h
Reducing water use and recycling, especially
in water-scarce areas such as Cape Town.
This is being achieved through green-
accredited buildings, low-water-use taps,
dual-flush toilets and pressure reducers, as
well as educating employees and guests on
minimising water use.
Socio-economic transformation
Our transformation initiatives are outlined below:
h
Ownership:
Via a combination of shareholding
in Naspers and the Phuthuma Nathi share
schemes, black South Africans have a
60,46% (2017: 55,75%) economic interest
in the group.
h
Preferential procurement:
Suppliers’ BBBEE
performance is evaluated against specific
criteria and they are expected to boost their
annual BBBEE ratings. Our preferential
procurement spend was R8,4bn in the
period, equating to 76% local procurement
with BBBEE-compliant suppliers. Some 22%
of the local procurement was directed at
small, medium and microenterprises or
SMMEs (2017: 31%) and 12% went to
suppliers with at least 30% black female
ownership.
h
MultiChoice
has a network of
1 183 accredited installers across South
Africa, employing 5 371 trained technicians.
h
Enterprise development:
Our enterprise
and supplier development programme offers
various forms of support, from improving the
cash flow of these beneficiaries by paying
them early, to business development support
as well as legal and accounting assistance,
granting funding for startups and access to
the DStv platform as a marketing tool.
Recognising the impact small businesses
have on their communities.
h
Through the MultiChoice Enterprise
Development Trust,
established in 2012 as
our investment vehicle for growing the local
media and production industry, we provided
training to 40 businesses and approved
funding for 16 businesses, and a further
6 startups received grant funding. We also
provided over R39m in airtime to assist
SMMEs in marketing themselves and their
businesses. The MultiChoice Enterprise
Development Trust has committed over
R130m in loans, grants and business
development expenses to assist beneficiaries
in acquiring skills, assets and equipment.
Corporate social responsibility
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MultiChoice South Africa Holdings Proprietary Limited
Integrated annual report 2018
Our material matters
(continued)