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South African private healthcare group, Netcare’s dedication to transformation and empowerment was acknowledged when it won the highly coveted Diversity Award at the 13th annual Oliver Empowerment Awards held at Emperor’s Palace recently. Netcare was also recognised as a finalist in the Job Creation and Skills and Development categories.

According to Xolani Qubeka, chief executive officer of the Black Business Council, “the Oliver Empowerment Awards have, over the years, created a legacy of recognising those champions in business who have deliberately and bravely championed the cause of empowerment and transformation, for the betterment of our economic landscape.” Netcare has been recognised at the Oliver Empowerment Awards for the past four years and last year received the award for Socially Responsible Investment.

Netcare’s director of human resources, Peter Warrener, said it was humbling to receive this prestigious award on behalf of the Netcare family who over the years has made a substantial contribution to improving the profile of previously disadvantaged employees as well as employees with disabilities. “The Diversity Award stands as a confirmation that we are on the correct path with regards to normalising the profile of our company and increasing awareness of equality and diversity from both an employment and service provision point of view. We are pleased that Netcare’s various initiatives, policies and practices that actively contribute to a diverse and inclusive workforce are being recognised,” he says.

According to Warrener, Netcare’s transformation strategy is aligned to the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) framework. In 2013, Netcare’s objective was to re-attain a level 2 B-BBEE rating which was achieved with an improved score of 87.82, compared to the previous year’s 82.11.

Warrener also made mention of the number of employees with disabilities within Netcare, which increased from 410 in 2012 to 505 in 2013. “The number of employees with disabilities represents 2.26% of our total workforce and compares favourably with the 2% national Department of Trade and Industry (dti) target,” he asserts.

According to Warrener, Netcare is cognisant of the fact that much still needs to be done in order to create a truly equitable South Africa. “Transformation is most certainly a ‘work in progress’ and Netcare remains committed to this process. We will continue to facilitate the creation of an environment that promotes an inclusive and diverse workforce to normalise the demographic profile of our company and also contribute to the normalisation of broader society,” he concludes.

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Issued by : Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA) on behalf of Netcare
Contact : Martina Nicholson, Sarah Beswick, Graeme Swinney or Jillian Penaluna
Telephone : (011) 469 3016
Email : [email protected], [email protected] , [email protected] or [email protected]