Last week Sentech was presented with the Black Business Quarterly (BBQ) CSI Award 2005 at an awards ceremony held at the Sandton Convention Centre.
The award recognises Sentech's social responsibility contribution in the areas of education, community development, job creation, housing development and funding for care of the terminally ill.
"It's a wonderful achievement to be recognised for our social investment and we are encouraged to continue with projects of this nature and seek others that contribute meaningfully to the upliftment of all who share this continent," says Thabo Komane, manager, Sentech, office of the CEO.
According to media relations manager Pranill Ramchander, Sentech does not believe in "throwing money" at community development challenges. Rather, the company leverages its skills and resource base towards social responsibility initiatives that are investments into the future of the country, impacting at community and national levels.
Ramchander says Sentech's guiding principle is the belief that its social responsibility initiatives are tantamount to investing in the future. Technology is a tool that the company uses to support vital education and health needs, he says.
The state of giving
The issue of corporate social responsibility and how companies implement it is a topical issue that was also explored by Charities Aid Foundation Southern Africa at a seminar on Friday. The aim of the seminar was to present a report on the "State of Corporate Giving in South Africa".
In his report released by the Centre for Civil Society, researcher Steven Friedman says there is a growing debate on whether social investment should be determined by the whim of a company chief executive or whether it must be made professional in order for it to be effective. He argues that there is no evidence that shows that "professional " corporate investment yielded superior outcomes to the whimsical variety.
Friedman also touched on another report by the Centre for Civil Society on how South Africans give. According to this report, South Africans are a nation of givers, with 54% of respondents giving to charitable causes and 31% giving food or goods, while 17% volunteered time. The report also shows that there is little online giving taking place, with only 1% of those who give using the Internet to do so. It was also noted that a fifth of those who use the Internet to give do so regularly.
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