TRANSFORMATION

Transformation activities are informed by the Transformation Plan which is managed by a Transformation Committee. Oversight is exercised by the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) and the Western Cape Department of Agriculture.

Application for support should be directed to the SA Olive manager, Wendy Petersen.

ABUNDANT

HARVEST

Women at Work with Reni Hildenbrand published by the Western Cape Government

“I just feel I need to spend more of my time helping to build the olive oil industry in South Africa.”

Read the full article here

MENTORSHIP

PROGRAMME

SA Olive initiated its mentorship program in 2008 with the aim of nurturing talented youth for careers in the olive industry. The participants in the program are workers employed by SA Olive’s member producers. To date over 200 mentees have passed through the system and over 40 mentors have been trained.

Joyce Mchoyiya is a mentee in the SA Olive mentorship programme and she works at Waverley Hills.  She is a Xhosa speaking person, who also understands Afrikaans.

She uses her Free to Grow: Life Skills book stories to teach herself to start reading Afrikaans.  The same book she also uses to learn to write Afrikaans, by copying out of the book. What makes this achievement more extraordinary is that she is illiterate in reading and writing Xhosa.

Ivan Geduld, also a mentee in the SA Olive Mentorship programme and working at Waverley Hills started to manage his money in a better way.  He uses the form in the Money Sense book where he lists his expenses.  He also collected all his slips of things that he has bought.  This he is going to paste into a book to keep a record of his expenses.  His municipality account that is in arrear, he has also taken control over and has nearly settled the account.  A loan at Capitec Bank he is going to settle in October 2017 and is then going to start saving.

Leana Stevens is an irrefutable example of the far-reaching influence the SA Olive Mentorship Programme has on its participants. She quotes the Free to Grow module of the mentorship programme as having had a life-changing effect on her. It set her on a journey of self-discovery, shifted how she viewed herself, and along with the more business-orientated modules, gave her confidence in all parts of her life. Leana was the 2011 winner of the mentorship programme. She started as an assistant at the farm’s crèche in 2005 and was promoted two years later to handle admin and orders, as well as work directly with Olyfberg’s clients. She has her eye on the farm manager position and with the skills she obtained through the mentorship programme and the support of everyone around her, she is positive that she is well on her way to reaching her dream.

Martha Klaas got a special mention at the 2019 SA Olive Awards during the announcement of the 2019 mentorship programme winner. And it is easy to see why. Martha is a strong woman with a big dream, and she does not hesitate to share her knowledge and time with others. She embodies the meaning of Ubuntu – something she learned at the feet of her mother whilst growing up in Sterkspruit, Eastern Cape. Besides being a general worker at Waverley Hills Farm, she also assists in bridging language barriers at work and in her community by acting as an interpreter.

When asked about the effect the mentorship programme had on her life, Martha said it helped her make better decisions in both her work and private life. It also gave her tools to solve problems. She said she still wants to go far and her ultimate dream is to be a social worker.

Martha came to the Western Cape as a young woman working in temporary positions. Twelve years ago she was taken into the fold at Waverley Hills Farm and with their support, she has gone from strength to strength and is keeping her dreams very much alive.

WOMEN