Sasol is a major buyer of goods and services with an extensive supply chain in South Africa that spans multiple sectors. We are maximising our procurement spend by driving inclusive business practices as a lever in creating social value and advancing transformation. Sasol’s procurement spend from black-owned businesses was R12,7 billion in the 2018 financial year.
Small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) are an essential component to driving economic growth. Sasol has a number of initiatives to assist fledgling businesses to participate not only in Sasol’s supply chain, but in the formal regional economy and beyond.
Sasol Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) oversees our preferential procurement spend and is responsible growing our SMME loan book, which currently stands at R 302 million for the 2018 financial year.
Sasol’s ESD programme recruits SMMEs though existing Sasol channels, those who have enquired about doing business with us and those who respond to tenders that we issue.
Phelelani Mbhele, an enterprise development specialist at Sasol, interacts with various companies that range from Emerging Micro Enterprise to Qualifying Small Enterprises with turnover of R5 million and less, to generic empowered suppliers with turnover of R50 million.
Mbhele says companies are offered general business support such as marketing tools, project management training, as well as safety and quality training. Companies that require technical training are also offered support. Companies are then offered hardware and software support through tools, such as Pastel for bookkeeping, payroll, human resources and administration.
Companies that do business with Sasol in the Sasolburg area can benefit from fully-fledged incubation services. Here, they have access to a fully equipped office and other support services. Secunda is the process of establishing its own business incubation hub.
