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HTSA Managing Director, Fritz Fourie, says, “We
have always taken social responsibility to our
employees, their families and the community
to heart because we know that a content family life
and a stable community are pivotal to a happy and
productive employee base. The company has, over the
years, made numerous investments into and donated
time to community and school improvement and
upliftment programmes.”
It is company policy to employ local technicians and
engineers who support HTSA’s range of precision designed
and engineered industrial gearboxes, “a compelling reason
for investing in Ulwazi Express, a registered trust and non-
profit organisation (NPO) aimed at better education in
under-serviced schools,” he adds.
Fritz emphasises that the importance of education is
paramount to progress and that highly skilled teachers
are a prerequisite to producing well-educated learners
who are able to pursue the career of their dreams. “So
many South African schools lack the amenities and
the tools to adequately teach and prepare our young
learners for tertiary education, especially in the fields
of mathematics and science. We, together with our
partners, are working towards creating a pool of young
people with the necessary skills to take us into a solid
future with ample, sustainable job opportunities for every
South African. This programme, which kicked off on 5th
July 2012 at Madiba a Toloane Secondary School in
Jericho, Northwest Province, will ensure that all subjects
are included to give learners a holistic, high quality
education that will ultimately lead to the development of
a pool of skilled young people.”
Education for a brighter future for all
Hansen Transmissions South Africa (Pty) Ltd (HTSA) has been part of the South African industrial and
mining landscape for close on half century with an established reputation for not only exceptional
engineering capabilities and product and service quality, but also for caring for people and the community.
“The South African Government
allows Equity Equivalent as an
alternative to BEE and, in our opinion,
this programme has an extremely
wide impact because it reaches large
numbers of young people at grass
root levels, preparing them for the job
market and a brighter future. That is
why HTSA decided to go this route and
establish a partnership with Ulwazi
Express,” explains Fritz and adds that
they are proud that, by taking this step,
HTSA has moved from a Level 6 to a
Level 4 company.
HTSA and Ulwazi Express are
investing R3.2m for the first phase
of the project and he says that
this Equity Equivalent investment
reaffirms HTSA’s determination
to play a role in developing South
Africa’s future leaders and captains
of industry. “In fact, we are taking
the programme a step further by
taking apprentices on board and,
while they are in training, the company is providing
bursaries of R160 000 towards school and college fees
for their children. It is our sincere hope that the success
of the project will persuade many other South African
companies to become part and parcel of this vital skills
development programme,” Fritz concludes.
Fritz Fourie, HTSA
MD, says that the
importance of
education is paramount
to progress and that
highly skilled teachers
are a prerequisite
to producing well-
educated learners who
are able to pursue the
career of their dreams.
It is company policy to employ local technicians and
engineers who support HTSA’s range of precision
designed and engineered industrial gearboxes.
With access to a digital network, the programme
delivers free access to the educational content such as
maths and science education, to under-resourced and
under-serviced rural and urban schools.
Additional support from some of South Africa’s leading
communication organisations further ensures wide and
sustainable access to the programme. The educational
content includes social studies, engineering concepts,
health and guidance, while career guidance and
workplace readiness are also addressed.
Programme content was sourced through partnerships
with local and international suppliers of digital content
as well as local non-government organisations (NGOs)
and government departments. Ulwazi Express is
already functional on 24 sites, focusing on bridging the
digital divide and enhancing the learning experience
by using stimulating audio visual platforms.