Transformation
The group supports the principles and objectives of B-BBEE as outlined in the Department of Trade and Industry’s (“DTI”) Broadbased BEE Codes of Good Practice.
Responsibility and governance
The Transformation Committee oversees the implementation of the transformation strategy for the group. This includes approving the transformation programme and targets in terms of the Codes of Good Practice of the DTI, evaluating the group’s performance against the DTI scorecard and confirming legislative compliance.
Transformation progress
The group has achieved a level 5 B-BBEE contributor status, improving from level 7 in the previous year.
| B-BBEE SCORECARD | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEE elements | 2011 | 2010 | Achievements in 2011 | |
| Equity ownership | 0 | 0 | ||
| Management control | 4.5 | 4.5 | ||
| Employment equity | 8.3 | 7.7 | • | Achieved group targets for black employees |
| • | Black employees promoted into middle and junior management positions | |||
| Skills development | 7.9 | 3.4 | • | The group increased its training expenditure |
| • | 210 students participated in student internship programmes | |||
| • | 84% of the employees trained were black | |||
| Preferential procurement | 18.5 | 14.1 | • | Increased expenditure with existing B-BBEE suppliers |
| • | Improved suppliers focus on B-BBEE | |||
| Enterprise development | 15.0 | 7.7 | • | Financial support of local suppliers to increase production capacity |
| Socio-economic development | 5.0 | 4.5 | • | The group’s investment exceeded 1% of after-tax profits in community initiatives benefiting charitable organisations operating in the fields of education, welfare and health |
| Total score | 59.1 | 41.9 | ||
| B-BBEE contributor | Level 5 | Level 7 | ||
Socio-economic development
The main projects supported by Lewis over the past year focused primarily on the support of children in their education, nutritional and general welfare requirements:
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Project Build provides educational and community facilities for disadvantaged communities in rural KwaZulu-Natal. The project brings together communities, funders, sponsors and local builders to develop these facilities while creating employment and providing classrooms for children. Project Build has agreed to work outside the borders of KZN at the request of Lewis. In partnership with Project Build, Lewis completed two projects in Ugie in the Eastern Cape where classrooms and facilities were built at a cost of R2 million. |
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The Carel du Toit Centre specialises in early identification of the hearing loss of children and the fitting of hearing-aids or a cochlear implant. A hearing environment is created at the centre, where the child with a hearing impediment learns to speak by learning to listen in a natural environment. They believe that with early identification, providing there are no further complications, a large percentage of deaf children are able to acquire sufficient speech and language abilities in order to be able to adapt intellectually, socially and emotionally in a society of hearing people. We have funded a Lewis Group Wing consisting of two classrooms, ablution and storage facilities at a cost of R1 million. |
| • | Community Chest is an active contributor to many welfare organisations. We remain an anchor sponsor for the Annual Twilight Run and funded an amount of R0.8 million towards 23 organisations supported by the Community Chest. |
| • | Peninsula School Feeding Association provides daily meals to children in the Western Cape. Lewis has adopted 12 schools and provides meals for some 1 300 children each school day. |
| • | Children of the Dawn supports rural community initiatives which focus on caring for HIV/AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children. Lewis sponsors 150 children and the funding covers schooling, food, clothing and health care, including HIV/AIDS treatment. |
| • | iThemba Place of Hope has established the iThemba Academy in Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal, to develop future leaders. Lewis has funded 15 bursaries for the children from the impoverished community of Embro to attend the iThemba Academy. |
| • | TSiBA Education provides scholarships to students for tertiary education. Lewis funded scholarships and subsistence allowances for the top 10 students who completed the foundation phase in 2010. |
Refer to Corporate Social Investment website for further details