Socio-Economic Development
Socio-economic development (SED) forms an integral part of our business strategy, creating shared value and ensuring we maintain our operating and social licences to operate. SED is a requirement of our gaming conditions and also forms part of our B-BBEE and corporate governance processes.
Our social capital is accumulated through the contributions of our units and group initiatives that are close to the hearts of our communities. SED and Corporate Social Investment (CSI) ensure our long-term business sustainability by maximising shared value in the communities in which we operate. Return on investment is measured by the lasting positive impact and self-sustaining structure of all projects. Our employees invest their personal time in the social investment projects that resonate with them, from volunteering and mentoring to providing business advice and training.
Highlights
- Invested R27.6 million in SED projects, most of which contributed to Sun International's prioritised SDGs
- Over 25 schools are being supported through our "Adopt a School" group project nationwide
- The pass rate in hospitality and consumer studies programmes at our partner schools continues to increase each year
- Recorded our CSI (in kind donations) spend for 2024 - R4 million invested.
Strategy
As a responsible corporate citizen, Sun International understands the necessity of empowering communities in the areas in which we operate. Therefore, SED forms a key component of the group’s sustainable business strategy. We not only create economic value, but also aim to maximise the social impact we have on the communities as well as on our business by creating shared value.
Creating Shared Value:
- 60% of the SED spend is allocated to group projects.
- 40% is allocated to property-specific projects.
- SED initiatives are focused on education, sports, and arts and culture initiatives.
- Effective stakeholder engagement is critical to the group and continues to receive focus.
Corporate Social Investment (CSI)
CSI is a unit-specific operational expense allocated to projects of interest. Generally, CSI initiatives are funded by business units and donations received from guests and partners. The donations are not part of the NPAT for calculating the group’s SED spend per the B-BBEE Codes but are additional to the yearly SED spend.
Sun International invests in various initiatives and has contributed to CSI spend since inception with no tracking system. A formal system was implemented in 2019 to track all donations with and without monetary value.
Community Engagement Approach
Sun International values community stakeholder engagement to build and maintain transparent relationships in the communities in which we operate. Our stakeholders include communities and traditional leaders, provincial and national government, NGOs, NPOs, PBOs, foundations, and labour organisations. The group SED and stakeholder engagement specialist, along with SED professionals at the various units, are responsible for engaging with stakeholders to ensure mutual shared value and sustainable SED.
The group’s community engagement approach is regularly updated and refreshed to ensure that all engagement and interventions align with the sustainability strategy, the provincial and national growth and development plans.
Watch our case studies
SED Programme Focus Areas
Sun International has been involved in numerous projects focused on the upgrading of schools in communities that are directly and indirectly affected by its operations.
Digital Hospitality Curriculum Programme
Sun International has been involved in numerous projects focused on the upgrading of schools in communities that are directly and indirectly affected by its operations. The natural progression from renovating and providing Hospitality Classrooms with new appliances has been to ensure that every Hospitality Studies learner in grade 10, 11 and 12 has access to a hospitality curriculum online. The project (referred to as the Digital Hospitality Curriculum Programme) was developed in partnership with the Department of Basic Education and is now available to every teacher and learner via mobile devices and in the Sun International-sponsored Hospitality classrooms.
The Maslow Time Square
The Mamelodi East Pre-Vocational School was established to provide vocational studies to leaners of Mamelodi who have learning deficiencies. This school has achieved remarkable success with limited resources and has the following centres: hospitality/consumer, sewing, hairdressing, metal/welding and motor mechanics. Started in 2018, The Maslow Time Square invested R537 070 to refurbish each of these centres in three phases.
GrandWest
In 2018, GrandWest supported the African Institute for Mathematical Science Schools Enrichment Centre (AIMSSEC) with a tutoring project for Kulani High School in Langa, Cape Town. The project enabled learners from grades 10 to 12 to receive extra tutorage by AIMSSEC masters’ students, resulting in an increased matric pass rate of 87%. AIMSSEC trained the masters’ students, provided training material for each mathematical session, arranged for transport for the learners and evaluated and provided project feedback.
Carnival City
The Sci-Com Foundation is an organisation that runs the Saturday School and Holiday Project to help disadvantaged learners improve their grade 10 to 12 results and go on to register at a tertiary institution. The foundation’s objective is to give the learners a solid grounding in maths and natural sciences at an early stage. About 89% of the learners who participated in the programme attained university entrance, and the number of distinctions averaged at four per learner.
Sun Interational endeavours to provide children from all sectors of the community with programmes that allow them to develop and participate in sports at the highest level. Sport offers children a healthy alternative to the conditions many live in, helps with their development, social integration, cultural understanding and improved life skills.
Sun City: PGM Golf Academy
Sun International hosts the iconic Nedbank Golf Challenge (NGC) each year, which impacts the local community beyond the event week. Sun City’s caddie, Peter Mazibuko, has always had a passion for golf and helping local children in the North West. Peter arranges for the aspiring golfers to attend the Nedbank Golf Challenge and his dream is to get some of the children competing in the under-12 and under-15 age group amateur tournaments at Sun City.
Sun International is a founding trustee of ACT – South Africa’s premier independent arts and culture funding and development agency. Cofounded by Sun International and Nedbank in 1994, ACT supports, nurtures and promotes artists by providing bursaries for tertiary education and mentorship programmes. Over the past 20 years, ACT has disbursed more than R20-million to arts and culture projects across South Africa.
Sibaya
The FLATFOOT Dance Company has an established track record of dance education and development in KwaZulu-Natal. About 1 000 youth participate at the organisation. Previous financial resources from Sibaya enabled FLATFOOT to establish a Waterloo Dance programme that has been active for four year with over 40 participants, as well as an ADD programme with 15 participants, catering for youth aged between 17 and 21 years. In 2018, Sibaya provided further funding in support of FLATFOOT’s new Junior ADD pilot programme, which aims to promote the development of township female children towards a sustainable arts career.
Arts and Culture Trust
Sun International is a founding trustee of ACT – South Africa’s premier independent arts and culture funding and development agency. Cofounded by Sun International and Nedbank in 1994, ACT supports, nurtures and promotes artists by providing bursaries for tertiary education and mentorship programmes. Over the past 20 years, ACT has disbursed more than R20-million to arts and culture projects across South Africa.
Inspired Stages Trust
Sun International is playing an active role in supporting youth development programs in Cape Town.
SED Applicants
The following criteria applies when registering for any socio-economic development assistance:
- Must be a registered non-profit organisation (NPO) and/or be a section 21 (not for gain) company and /or a registered charitable trust.
- Must have been in existence for more than two years; and
- Have audited financial statements.
Exclusions
Sun International’s socio-economic development programme does not provide assistance for:
- Religious groups and their activities.
- Political parties and their activities.
- Travel.
