In an effort to show its commitment to the communities in which it operates, the Beefmaster Group invested almost R900,000 in corporate social investment (CSI) initiatives last year. According to Beefmaster Group’s HR Manager, Cindy Nkgoeng, most of these projects are aimed at developing unemployed youth, preschool feeding schemes and helping the homeless.
The Beefmaster Group is well-known in Kimberley as the city’s biggest employer. The family-run beef producer and supplier also operates in the North West and the Free State, provinces which, like the Northern Cape, have high levels of unemployment and poverty.
Cindy Nkgoeng, HR Manager at the Beefmaster Group, explains that the company is involved in a variety of different community projects, making monthly donations to several institutions, including schools, care centres, places of worship, old-age homes and soup kitchens.
Leadership development, ECD and financial literacy
One of the Beefmaster Group’s focus areas is on developing the youth and the unemployed in areas like Christiana, Warrenton, Kimberley and Bloemfontein.
“We select unemployed people and disabled learners from local communities to participate in learnership programmes in a bid to uplift the most disadvantaged people in our region,” says Nkgoeng. These programmes include National Certificates in Fresh Meat Processing, the Food and Beverage Handling learnership, as well as artisan training. “Some of these people then end up being employed by us.”
Another priority is early childhood development. “We provide crèche facilities and feeding programmes for preschool children to ensure the children of our staff are given a good start to life,” she says. Some of the institutions which are supported include the Jannie Brink School in Kimberley, which provides education for learners with severe intellectual disabilities, and CHOC in Bloemfontein, which provides support to families of children suffering from cancer.
Part of the Beefmaster Group’s commitment to CSI includes improving financial literacy. “In collaboration with local financial institutions, we provide ongoing financial literacy training,” she says. “We also regularly join forces with local healthcare service providers to participate in wellness days.”
Commenting on the company’s CSI initiatives for 2025, Nkgoeng says they will follow the same pattern as previous years, continuing the company’s rich tradition of giving back to the communities they serve. “Our continued success is as much thanks to our commitment to investing in our people and community, as it is to our ethical business practices,” she concludes.
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