RAND WATER ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Enterprise Supplier Development Programme Reflective of Rand Water’s commitment to supporting the government’s development agenda of greater socio-economic transformation and the development of enterprises, the Rand Water Academy in collaboration with the Supply Chain Management Division, launched the Enterprise Supplier Development (ESD) Project for Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) in May 2023. The Programme was conducted across the Gauteng Province, in four (4) different clusters according to the SMMEs’ geographic locations, with a target of 100 delegates. The ESD Programme typically involved rolling out a range of course offerings which included Business Management Acumen, Communication Skills, Report Writing, and other industry-related training. Wetskills Challenge Participation Rand Water Academy participated in the Wetskills Challenge in Cape Town (February 2023) and Durban (May 2023). The challenge targeted water related issues and tasked multidisciplinary, international teams, to come up with innovative solutions to these issues - the participants were challenged to think out-of-the-box and develop realistic concepts. The following cases were submitted for each challenge: (1) Sustainable Sludge Management at Rand Water Panfontein Sludge Treatment Plant and (2) Rand Water’s capacity to supply sufficient quantity and quality of potable water to customers. Engineering Council of South Africa Accreditation The Academy initiated a process of securing accreditation for Rand Water with the ECSA in June 2023. Rand Water received certification for criteria 1 and is awaiting results for the full certification. MoUs with International Partners In addition to the above achievements, the Rand Water Academy continued to expand on its strategic partnerships and networks with key role players in the water and sanitation sector, both locally and internationally. The Academy facilitated the undersigning of MoUs with the IHE-Delft Institute for Water Education, Wetskills Foundation, and the World Water Academy. The Academy remains committed to addressing critical resource challenges faced by the organisation and the water sector locally and abroad. It further remains committed to support the reduction of socio-economic challenges such as unemployment and poverty and has encouraged the economic participation of marginalised groups e.g., youth and females, through its projects and programmes. WELLBEING OF OUR PEOPLE The main driver behind the Rand Water Wellness Programme is to ensure that employees perform at their best and achieve their optimum levels of productivity. Mental and physical health issues can often impede employees and they struggle to function effectively both in their personal and work arenas. The aftermath of COVID-19 has left its scars on many of our employees, and most are still grappling with relationship, financial, and work-life balance. The country at large was faced with the re-adjustment of a back to a “normal” work-life situation and this did not happen without the anxiety, depression, stress and addiction problems that resulted from the COVID-19-related loss of lives, social isolation, fear and rebuilding of lives and the economy. Rand Water employees were also affected by the disastrous flood that hit KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in April 2022, which was the most catastrophic natural disaster yet recorded in KZN. Whilst employees were not geographically impacted directly, many of them have families who live in KZN who were affected to some degree. The culmination of these psychosocial issues manifests in the organisation in the form of absenteeism, presenteeism, “quiet quitting”, grievances, accidents etc. If these challenges are not mitigated, it will result in high employee turnover, sickness absenteeism, high stress levels, low performance, interpersonal conflicts at work, etc. The Employee Wellness programme in Rand Water has been in existence over an extended period, using core technologies and functions to enhance employee and workplace effectiveness through prevention, identification and resolution of personal problems and productivity. Employee Wellness Programmes are part of the organisational non-monetary rewards system. In the 2022-23 Financial Year, the following activities took place:

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