Isuzu Truck Centre (ITC) Cape Town is celebrating a significant milestone with the achievement of a level 1 score on the dealership’s most recent Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) audit.
This audit result follows a number of key strategic initiatives which the dealership has successfully implemented over the last few years. Dealer Principal, Eric Ackerman said there lies opportunity within every business to empower its people, whether it is developing their skills or creating economic prospects for them. “The strategies which we have deployed have benefitted the business as well as those whom we developed for the longer term,” said Ackerman.
He explained that ITC Cape Town, which is situated in Epping, was committed to transformation and to this end was pursuing various initiatives, including the provision of support to level one suppliers and embracing the Youth Employment Service (YES) Programme.
This year Isuzu Motors South Africa created opportunities for 72 candidates to participate in the YES Programme – thereby offering young South Africans paid work experience, while creating a pipeline of talent for the future. Of the 72 learners, 20 have been placed within the dealer network, as in the case of ITC Cape Town who has taken on two YES candidates to gain work experience at the dealership. The YES programme was launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2018 with the aim to offer young South Africans paid work experience.
“In addition, we have supported staff who were employed by ITC Cape Town and presented a strong business plan by awarding them the opportunity to become our suppliers after doing their entrepreneur training with us. We have three former employees to date who are trading very successfully with us,” said Ackerman.
Micheal Ndevu, a former diesel technician at the dealership, is now one of ITC Cape Town’s enterprise development suppliers and the successful owner of the company, Ndevu Car Wash and Valet. Ndevu, who started out as an apprentice at the dealership employs nine staff members through his company, and plans to expand his business into providing cleaning and sanitisation services.
Ackerman said his vision was to retain the level 1 status for the dealership by continuing to grow staff and generating entrepreneurial opportunities, while at the same time supporting social development in the Mother City and giving the disabled opportunities to grow.
“It is very clear that if businesses do not transform, they will miss out on opportunities to add value to their stakeholders and to strengthen their value chains. My advice to fellow dealers is view transformation as a positive. It must be embraced for the new business opportunities it will create, as well as opportunities for the shareholders and staff to be empowered. We embraced this process from the word go and it has delivered very pleasing results,” said Ackerman.
