Rand Water | Integrated Annual Report 2025

STRATEGIC PROGRAMMES IN FINANCE

STRATEGIC PROGRAMMES IN FINANCE

Professional Finance and Culture Transition

In alignment with the National Framework towards the Professionalisation of the Public Sector, the Finance Business Unit launched a dedicated strategic programme focused on Culture Transition and the professionalisation of the Finance function. This initiative directly addresses the imperative to elevate the skill set and professional standards of our employees. Key achievements include - Upskilling and Empowerment: Placing dedicated emphasis on employee empowerment through targeted, high-impact training and development programmes designed to close critical skill gaps, cultural augmentation: successfully augmenting the departmental culture to one that is distinctly professional, highly skilled, and performance-driven, setting a new benchmark for public sector financial management and National Alignment: Ensuring the function's capabilities are fully aligned with, and contributing to, the national objective of a professionalised public service. This strategic focus ensures that Finance is not only compliant with national standards but is also a proactive, highly skilled, and influential partner in achieving the organisation's strategic goals.

Advancing Financial Agility and Strategic Partnership In pursuit of greater operational excellence and forward- looking capabilities, the Finance function successfully executed a comprehensive strategic programme focused on systems modernisation. These critical system upgrades were implemented, in collaboration with our Digital Technology and Information Management team, to enhance the agility, robustness, and relevance of our financial infrastructure, moving us beyond transactional processing. Looking ahead, Finance is actively exploring key transformational opportunities to solidify our evolution into a true strategic partner across the organisation. This shift is foundational to ensuring that Finance provides indispensable, high-level insight, drives value creation, and directly supports the organisation's long-term growth objectives.

Finance Digital Transformation and Reporting Agility

A significant milestone was achieved in digital transformation this year with the successful integration of advanced Business Intelligence (BI) tools and a comprehensive reporting platform upgrade. This strategic investment has fundamentally shifted how we manage and interpret financial data, enabling a crucial move from static, periodic reviews to dynamic, real-time insights. The new capabilities deliver superior data visualisation and support sophisticated drill-down analysis, empowering executive leadership and business partners to make faster, more informed decisions across the organisation. Furthermore, the initiative has driven substantial operational efficiency by automating routine reporting tasks, allowing our finance professionals to reallocate their time towards strategic aspects of the business.

BENEFIT FUNDS Rand Water Group Life Scheme The Rand Water Group Life Scheme, underwritten by Old Mutual, offers comprehensive benefits to all permanent employees and fixed-term contract employees with at least three (3) years of continuous service. Key features include:

Death and disability benefits set at four (4) times the employees’ annual earnings. Disability benefits capped at R8.5 million

R8.5 million

Lump-Sum Benefits

Employees can convert their coverage upon leaving Rand Water

Conversion Option

R16 million

Set at R16 million, enhancing coverage without medical underwriting

Medical Free Cover Limit

Provides support for employees, spouses, and dependent children at no extra cost

Funeral Support Service

Available based on a predetermined formula, potentially offering financial returns

Premium Refund Option

102

Rand Water | Integrated Annual Report 2025