Sakhikamva Investments, a broad- based black empowerment (BEE) investment company with shareholders including The Big Issue and the Black Sash Trust, has declared its third dividend of R200 per share to its shareholders.
Sakhikamva was established in 2001 to facilitate broad-based, grassroots participation in the empowerment process. Its targeted beneficiaries are black South Africans who have been, and continue to be, excluded from access to economic opportunities.
Announcing the 2004 dividend on Monday, Sakhikamva chairperson Sipho Puwani said the third dividend distribution is a further milestone in Sakhikamva’s history.
“The payment reflects our core philosophy of distributing surplus as and when it arises within the company. We do not intend to accumulate funds but plough them directly back into the communities we aim to benefit.”
The dividend distribution will be made to shareholders including Ikamva Labantu, a non-profit umbrella organisation functioning as a development catalyst for community-based social service and economic empowerment programmes. Ikamva Labantu assists more than 50Â 000 people per year.
Another shareholder is The Big Issue, a non-profit organisation that publishes a magazine that is exclusively distributed by long-term unemployed people who are provided with various forms of social support.
The Big Issue has provided employment and social support for more than 8Â 000 people since its inception. It will be hosting the Fourth Homeless Soccer World Cup in 2006 in Cape Town, putting social-development issues on the global agenda.
The Black Sash Trust is a third major shareholder, a non-profit human rights organisation that focuses on advice and advocacy work. Through its advice offices, it offers free paralegal assistance to more than 15Â 000 people per year.
Another dividend recipient is the Sakhikamva NGO Incubator Trust, which was established to assist start-up NGOs with funding and provide support to talented social entrepreneurs operating within Sakhikamva’s targeted delivery areas. This trust benefits much smaller organisations than Sakhikamva’s current shareholders.
Finally, the Mothers’ Programmes is also a beneficiary, which provides the support and education that are needed for HIV/Aids treatment efforts to succeed by empowering women living with HIV/Aids to look after themselves, their newborns and each other.
These last two shareholders were introduced in November 2004 and will be benefiting from Sakhikamva’s dividend flows for the first time. — I-Net Bridge