As the leading employment provider and economic driver on the West Coast of the Western Cape, Sea Harvest invests in initiatives that broaden economic participation in Saldanha Bay, the home of the company’s fishing operations.
Local entrepreneurial support for the small and medium-size enterprises
The company provides ongoing support to the rural entrepreneurs in addition to SMMEs from the Saldanha Bay region. This is done through the establishment and nurturing of partnerships with the Western Cape Business Development Council.
With the company’s help, Adjiet Transport in Saldanha Bay, which started with a single taxi, developed into a thriving business with a fleet of taxis in addition to several trucks, which now operate nationally.
In another instance, Tabakbaai, once a small laundromat, has been fitted with world-class machines. With the investment and support of Sea Harvest, Tabakbaai is now a multi-million-rand operation that serves the laundry needs of large corporate clients, including Sea Harvest itself.
The company actively invests in small companies that show potential, thereby helping to grow the job market, and improve the life quality of community members. Another example is MCK, which started out as a business that completed small projects on vessels. Today, MCK handles multi-million-rand vessel maintenance and repair projects and has taken up the challenge to improve the skills of unemployed people, youth and women by opening their own academy.
Sea Harvest invests in communities to assist in giving them control over their own destinies. One example is the establishment of the Buffeljags Community Forum in 2019 whereby 70 marginalised households of the Buffeljags community in the Overberg region of the Western Cape participate in income-generating and improvement initiatives, putting them in control of their own economic wellbeing.
Broader spectrum engagement initiatives
Sea Harvest also invests time, resources and money in initiatives focusing on community development, improving food security and healthcare, and early childhood development. This is facilitated by the Sea Harvest Foundation, which is a non-profit company with its own board of directors.
Along with Brimstone, which is the Group’s black-owned shareholder, the Sea Harvest initiated the R100 million SA Fisheries Development Fund to support small-scale fishing initiatives from local SMMEs.
Steps to support and promote job creation
Sea Harvest invests in local infrastructure development and job creation in Saldanha Bay whereby 3600 people are directly or indirectly employed by or due to Sea Harvest’s operations. It’s the broad infrastructure created by the company, which has made it possible to provide quality jobs and income-generating opportunities for communities on the West Coast.
Final thoughts
Sea Harvest invests substantially in local communities to ensure broader economic participation and wealth sharing, improvement of skills, job creation and bettering of life quality. For the company, it’s not just about economic success, but also about helping communities drive their own initiatives.