A partnership rooted in true empowerment

Safika Holdings is honoured to be part of Ditikeni’s story

Safika Holdings, our shareholders, board, subsidiaries and all our employees, are proud to have partnered with Ditikeni from the very early days when challenges in the non profit organisation (NPO) sector seemed insurmountable.

In the euphoria of the dawn of democracy, many of us were oblivious to the threat our great struggle organisations were facing. They were being denuded of their most talented people as the new state built its civil service and policy capacity.

The foreign funding that many of these organisations had come to rely on was drying up.

It was not being replaced by the new progressive state in financial or service terms.

The consequence was that thousands of beneficiaries of these programmes and projects were abandoned at the very time many of their compatriots were enjoying the democratic dividend.

How could this dangerous situation be arrested and resources redirected at the NPOS that had been the backbone of service delivery to these people?

A bright spark lit the firmament when someone identified that the struggle NPOS could get together and create a company and a trust that would provide the broadbased element of empowerment in transformation dealmaking.

The idea is so simple and yet so effective that had many dealmakers of those heady days of empowerment deals embraced Ditikeni, the empowerment story could have been different both in substance and narrative.

We are grateful that Ditikeni saw in Safika Holdings a company that believes in true empowerment.

Our first substantial deal that we did with Ditikeni was the Stanlib deal with Standard Bank and Liberty about two decades ago.

The capacity to distribute resources in an accountable and sustainable way is what attracted us to Ditikeni.

Unlike many so-called broadbased structures that go to war among themselves as soon as the first cent flows in, working with Ditikeni has been a pleasure.

We at Safika salute Ditikeni, a steady and supportive business partner over the two decades of its service to the NPO sector.

We look forward to working with Ditikeni to build new businesses, create new commercial opportunities and employment prospects while its constituent organisations do what they are great at … providing service to our people when society and the state fails them.

Safika Holdings has announced important changes to its top management structure.

Marc Ber, Safika’s former chief financial officer has become chief executive of Safika International Holdings, which owns and manages the company’s substantial offshore portfolio. He will remain an executive director and of Safika Holdings.

Goodness Luphako becomes chief financial officer and has been appointed to the board of directors. Goodness is a chartered accountant who joined Safika in January 2018 after an 18-year career with the global auditing firm KPMG.

Moss Ngoasheng, Safika Holdings chief executive, said that the move strengthens the board and recognises the growing importance of Safika’s offshore investments.

SAFIKA RESOURCES DIVERSIFIES INTO ZINC AND COPPER

Safika Resources has announced that it has acquired nine percent of Australia’s Orion Minerals’ R4-billion (AUD408-million) project to reopen the Prieska copper and zinc mine in South Africa’s Northern Cape.

Safika Resources’ chairman Saki Macozoma said the acquisition is in line with the company’s policy of diversifying into copper and zinc in the near term. Safika Resources is already the leading exporter of manganese ore in South Africa through its Tshipi Borwa mine in the Northern Cape. “With Prieska, we look forward to replicating our success in manganese,” he said.

The Prieska mine was closed 28 years ago due to low commodity prices, but improved market conditions and improved modern mining methods now make its reopening an attractive option for investors. A recent bankable feasibility study showed that the R4-bn project will be paid back within three years from the start of production, with a post-tax IRR of 33%.

Justin Pitt, Safika Resources’ chief executive says that with planned all-in sustaining costs of US$3,773/t copper equivalent and market consensus long term copper and zinc prices of US$6,575/tonne and US$2,338/tonne respectively, the all-in-sustaining margin is expected to be in the order of 44%.

Pitt said that Safika’s nine per cent stake was acquired through it taking a 44,72% stake in BEE Holdco (Prieska), a BEE Entrepreneur owned company which owns 20% of the project. “Safika’s impeccable credentials made it an ideal partner for Orion when it sought to restructure its BEE ownership to comply with the requirements of the 2018 Mining Charter,” Pitt explained.

Pitt added that Safika Resources has considerable mining and exploration rights in the Northern Cape, and the Prieska transaction is part of the company’s expansion strategy in the region.

The Prieska mine will be restarted in what Australia’s Orion calls its “foundation phase”, a period lasting 10 years and delivering zinc and copper in concentrate, generating nearly R33bn of revenue.

Not only does the foundation phase exploit only 20,8Mt of the 30,5Mt of the known reserves and resources, but Orion says there is potential for extensions to the deposit and fresh discoveries around the mine.

The 2.4-million tonnes a year underground and opencast mining operation and processing plant will deliver 189,000 tonnes of copper and 580,000 tonnes of zinc in separate concentrate streams during the first 10 years.

The funding for the project, which peaks at around R3,8Bn (AUD3,78Bn), will be raised in part equity from its primary listing in Sydney and its secondary listing in Johannesburg, along with debt.

Big birds catalyst for new quail processing facility in Queensland

By Cassandra Hough | Source

The cooked chook might be a staple in the Australian diet, but Brisbane Valley poultry farmer Duncan Brown is looking to the more exotic quail to tempt consumers’ tastebuds and overseas markets.

When Mr Brown sat down to a quail dish a couple of years ago, he was taken aback by the size of the bird.

“I’ve always liked quail, but always found it a bit fiddly and difficult to eat,” he said.

“I had a memorable meal at a Sydney restaurant and the quail was twice as big as what I was accustomed to, served as a main meal, and I traced that back to a farmer in the Hunter Valley.

“After two years’ discussion we agreed to be in partnership, so growing these quail that are, instead of your typical 180 to 200 grams, they’re 300 to 450 grams and that’s purely because over many years this farmer has been selecting bigger birds.

“So I guess in a sense it’s a unique breed of quail that chefs like in Asia and here because they can put it on the menu as a main meal instead of an entree.”

As a result, Mr Brown and his sister, Selena Gomersell, have built a $2 million quail processing plant at Coominya in south-east Queensland.

The plant has been Safe Food accredited and they have now applied for export certification to Singapore and Hong Kong.

Brisbane Valley Protein Precinct quail manager Vassie Govender holds a quail. (Supplied: Agi Davis Photography)

The quail processing plant employs an additional 10 people with hopes that 20 to 30 people would eventually be employed.

But Mr Brown estimated that number could grow to 200 jobs if the protein precinct was approved.

Full production will start in early August but it is the tip of the iceberg for the siblings.

The grand plan is to build a dedicated ‘protein precinct’ on their land, which would incorporate other meat processing and food tourism.

Mr Brown said he hoped the precinct would put the region on the world’s gourmet food map and the quail processing was just the beginning.

“We have a Section 242 application before the State and the local Somerset Council to have a masterplan for our 1,011 hectares to effectively turn it into a protein precinct that will cater for future development in terms of training around food, meat processing, and food-based tourism,” he said.

“Our vision is to turn that parcel of land into a hub that produces protein for the global market, particularly Asia.

“Not just employment. We’ve had some great conversations with the local high schools, there’s a big emphasis on work-based training, and we really want to tap into that and help young people in the area see there’s a good future in food.”