CCI is committed to becoming a leader in upliftment and empowerment in the IT industry and becoming the business partner of choice to Government organs, public companies and private enterprises that wish to promote the transformation of South African business and society.

1. Background

Recognizing the economic, political and, above all, moral imperative to eradicate traditional disparities within both the Information Technology (IT) industry and its own ranks, CCI has formulated and implemented a Previously Disadvantaged Individual (PDI) empowerment and upliftment strategy. During the time that this economically sustainable structure has been in place, dramatic results have been achieved to the extent that the company can now lay claim to be a leader in its particular sector of the IT industry.

2. Current Status

Whilst transformation of the organisation is on-going, CCI is very proud of its attainments to date, not just as regards pure numbers and percentages of PDI staff, but more importantly in terms of conferring actual decision-making and supervisory power to PDIs, developing top-drawer technical skills and, where feasible, reaching beyond the bounds of organisation into the community.

These are some of the achievements to date:

• Of the total workforce of some 90, today fully 80% are PDI’s, compared to 45% in 1994.
• Over 50% of current middle managers are PDIs, compared to about 40% in 1994.
• At production level, some 99% are PDIs, versus just over 80% five years ago.
• The profile of upper management is changing dramatically too: in 1994 there were no PDIs in top decision-making posts. Today 50% of senior executives are PDIs

3. Equity Empowerment

CCI has taken cognizance of the fact that equity empowerment is of vital importance to the transformation of the company and South Africa as a whole. In the early days of empowerment, companies set up elaborate schemes utilizing specialized companies and structures to try and address the Empowerment criteria’s that were required to meet the minimum requirements to qualify for tenders. These structures have been shown up for what they are “Window Dressing” They did nothing for the people that really needed the upliftment.

At CCI we have made a strategic decision to empower from within. This will take the form of a CCI Share Trust holding 15% equity as well as other BEE Share holders owning 36% equity in CCI Technology Holdings Ltd. This will give effective ownership of 51% by BEE members. This entire process will be completed by 1st June 2003 and is fully endorsed by our Trade Union SAEWA.

4. Support For Affirmative Business Enterprises

CCI seeks to continuously partner with, and outsource to, ABE enterprises. Services are outsourced to PDI-owned sub-contractors and suppliers wherever possible, thereby not only creating revenue streams for emerging companies but also transferring some of CCI’s vast expertise and knowledge to ABEs. In most cases CCI utilizes ex operations staff who have left our employ and have started their own companies. This ensures that we have continuity in respect to quality and work ethic as most of these people have worked for CCI for a number of years. In addition, preference is given to suppliers who demonstrate progress towards empowerment/upliftment objectives. It is worth noting, too, that CCI retains the services of a PDI-empowered firm of attorneys.

5. Skills Development and Training

CCI acknowledges that strategic business advantage – total commitment to service excellence – can only be delivered via its staff. The company has accordingly, since its inception 17 years ago, pursued an aggressive, often-innovative, staff training and scholarship policy that incorporates the following aspects.

• In this regard, it must be noted that the overwhelming majority of production staff is initially recruited with little or no technical expertise. They are thereafter trained up at the company’s own expense, according to recognised stringent international standards of competence.
• Training takes a myriad of forms, including informal apprenticeship (an industry first), internal training seminars, technikon and industry courses, to name a few.
• More than 70% of the Companies annual training budget is dedicated to external courses aimed at transferring skills to PDI staff.

Other important aspects of the Company’s Empowerment strategy include:

• CCI is an equal-opportunity employer. The preliminary draft of the Company’s Equity Employment plan has been submitted to Government.
• The number of staff-levels and grades within the group has been dramatically reduced to enable and encourage personnel to rise through the ranks
• CCI supports and encourages community-based and/or community-orientated projects such as Business Against Crime
• CCI supports IT industry empowerment/upliftment initiatives such as the ITTA (Information Technology Training Act).

CCI’s empowerment achievements are the result of an unambiguous policy that has been developed and implemented successfully and – most importantly – is enforced on a day-to-day basis by the companies executive. CCI is committed to continue its various empowerment-initiatives and programs with the aim of being the business partner of choice to Government organs, public companies and private enterprises that wish to promote the transformation of South African business and society.