FLTR Tiisetso Tsotetsi, Kgothatso Ntsie, Sibongile Mtsweni, Qhama Tom & Maria Sorota_thyssenkrupp_at FoodForward SA Mandela Day event
Extending a helping hand to disadvantaged members of society is intrinsic to thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions South Africa’s (tkISSA) DNA. The global engineering and technology pioneer showcased this unwavering commitment to CSI by going the extra mile to support several charitable initiatives throughout 2019.
“We place community upliftment and development as one of our key values and therefore we make every effort to assist as many benevolent projects as possible,” shares Kgothatso Ntsie, Marketing & Communications Manager at thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions South Africa. “By actively participating in CSI initiatives we hope to encourage a pay-it-forward culture within the organisation and communities at large.”
Within the tkISSA office, the unwavering buy-in from employees enables the company to aid various worthy causes such as Cansa Shavathon, Tekkie Tax, Slipper Day and Casual Day. As a long-standing participant of the Cansa Shavathon, employees were highly enthusiastic to show their solidarity for those living with and affected by cancer. Gathering in the company’s courtyard, employees had their hair colour sprayed or shaved to raise money for the Cancer Association of South Africa. “Thanks to our generous tkISSA family we were also able to donate money on Slipper Day for Reach for a Dream,” notes Kgothatso.
Holding its own unique place on tkISSA’s CSI calendar is Mandela Day. On the tenth anniversary celebration of this drive, the company went all out by participating in FoodForward SA’s Mandela Day food drive packing event in partnership with Pick n Pay and by donating non-perishable food and funds to the organisation. A tkISSA team arrived at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg on 18 July 2019 to give their 67 minutes to assist FoodForward SA to pack collected goods for distribution to the needy. On 24 July 2019 the tkISSA team delivered the food collected internally to the FoodForward SA head office in Germiston, Johannesburg.
With children holding a special place in the hearts of tkISSA employees, the company ensures that child-focussed initiatives form a crucial part of its charity drives. The company donated 24 printers to six primary and secondary schools, one in Tembisa and five in Soweto during 2019.
The objective behind this campaign is to assist the disadvantaged schools to alleviate the costs involved in purchasing printers and to help the schools with the smooth running of their
day-to-day functions. tkISSA is also a long-standing supporter of the Refilwe Legae Home in Alexandra which cares for underprivileged children of various ages.
In a bid to further encourage a philanthropic culture amongst the youth, tkISSA stipulated that as part of its CATS (Commercial Advancement Training Scheme) programme, students would be required to do a charity drive. It was truly a moment of pride for the company when these young individuals came to the fore and successfully collected food and toiletries for the Child Welfare in Soweto.
tkISSA rang in the festive season on a positive note with the donation of Santa Shoeboxes, money and two delicious cakes to the SOS Children’s Villages Ennerdale on 29 November 2019. “The delight that these boxes bring to the children is truly heart-warming and that is why we chose to continue supporting this worthy Santa Shoebox initiative,” explains Kgothatso. She adds that in order to help prep the children for the 2020 school year, thyssenkrupp also donated much-needed new schools shoes.
“Twenty nineteen has been a busy year of highly successful pay-it-forward initiatives,” notes Philipp Nellessen, CEO at thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions Sub-Sahara Africa. “We want to make a lasting, positive difference on the African continent and these charitable projects present us with the perfect platform to do so. We look forward to continuing to enrich the lives of those in need by participating in more philanthropic projects in 2020.”
