While the realities she confronts on an almost daily basis can be overwhelming, the many projects Pearl Sekgobela oversees as socio-economic development manager for listed real estate investment trust Redefine Properties fuel her with passion for more.
Redefine’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy is anchored in its purpose of transforming lives and embraces the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an overarching framework that maps out what the company wants to achieve by 2030.
Redefine sets high-level goals for incorporating ESG into its investment processes, day-to-day operations and stakeholder engagements. The company is a signatory to the UN Global Compact, a voluntary initiative based on CEO commitments to implement universal sustainability principles and support the SDGs. The compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative of its kind, with more than 20 000 corporate participants.
Redefine selected four of the SDGs to concentrate on in its socio-economic development work, says Sekgobela.
There are 17 SDGs that aim to determine “peace and prosperity for people and the planet” by 2030. Redefine conducted an updated materiality analysis for its South African operations across all 17 SDGs to identify the four selected SDGs, which align with its sustainable economic development (SED) strategy – areas of business or society where it can make the most significant impact in the communities in which it operates.
The SDGs the company focuses on were selected because they align with the overall business strategy and are impact driven. They are: good health and wellbeing (SDG 3); quality education (SDG 4); decent work and economic growth (SDG 8); and sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11).
Redefine Properties’ SED strategy is community-centred, focusing on the communities surrounding its buildings. It uses on-site team knowledge, research and relationships with non-profit organisations to identify community priorities and co-create responsive and impactful solutions. Its strategy is implemented through flagship, secondary and ad hoc projects based on the scale and impact of each initiative. Employee participation is essential to develop and embed meaningful relationships between Redefine’s employees and communities. This participation is driven by the company’s Red Thread employee volunteer platform.
Some of the flagship projects Sekgobela is involved in range from an urban rooftop garden on the roof of Cape Town’s Kenilworth Centre and permanent blood donation centres at several of Redefine’s shopping centres to early childhood development centres in Gauteng and community hubs where young people can gain skills and use Wi-Fi and computers to do homework and other research.
Redefine has refined how it executes its strategy to deliver additional impact by shifting from an input- to an outcomes-based vision of sustainable economic development. This means leveraging its ecosystem mindset to enhance collaboration with existing partners, identify opportunities for co-funding or sponsorship to reduce costs, and develop new impact-driven partnerships that will benefit communities. The company’s focus evolved from the more common phrase “corporate social investment” (CSI) to socio-economic development because it views South Africa’s challenges as systemic and requiring deeper engagement than is generally delivered via CSI.
“We want to work with communities to co-create sustainable solutions to a multitude of challenges and move individuals and organisations to a state of independence,” Sekgobela says.
Redefine’s commitment to enhancing water efficiency within its properties has also positively impacted the broader community. The company has implemented low-flush toilets in numerous buildings to significantly reduce water consumption. As part of its ad hoc initiatives, Redefine has donated 70 of these toilets to various organisations in need of improved sanitation facilities. This endeavour not only demonstrates responsible resource management but also supports the well-being of the communities Redefine serves.
Several of Redefine’s projects offer skills development for young people. The Retail Academy at Soweto’s Maponya Mall teaches young people skills and instils attributes they need in the retail sector, such as communication, conflict management, theft and fraud prevention, and self-esteem, says Sekgobela. Since March 2023, the academy has placed 30 of its 223 students in stores. Redefine provides the space, and the Cotton On Group sponsors the training.
The Retail Academy is part of the Maponya Mall Community Hub opened in March 2023 featuring a new state-of-the-art facility and access to capacity-building initiatives, skills programmes, information and partnerships to ensure economic and social inclusion for the Soweto community.
The hub’s youth development programme, run in partnership with non-governmental organisation (NGO) Afrika Tikkun, includes a four-month Youth Accelerator Programme that focuses on developing a keen sense of self, community, goals and skills, and offers courses in computer technology and software development.
Redefine has another education hub at Matlosana Mall, Klerksdorp, in North West province. The Matlosana Mall Learning Centre offers a range of services aimed at high school students, young adults, local entrepreneurs and community members. The aim is for it to be a hub that enables economic activity and participation that breaks down institutional barriers to employment and entrepreneurship and benefits all members of the community. The learning centre offers programmes that include, but are not limited to, ICT, digital skills development, entrepreneurship and business management and work readiness. It offers short masterclasses too.
Redefine is planning to expand its health and wellness programme, piloted in Wadeville on the East Rand and Rosslyn in Pretoria in May 2024. Through mobile clinics, Redefine, working with the nongovernmental organisation Rhiza Babuyile, is addressing a lack of access to health screenings and primary medical care in communities surrounding some of its properties, says Sekgobela.
One of Sekgobela’s most heartwarming stories began in 2017, when Redefine staff discovered that a woman in Primrose, Johannesburg, Agnes Mkhonto, was teaching children on a piece of vacant land that belongs to the company. “The school was in tents and collapsible structures,” says Sekgobela.
Today the school – Hawk Academy – generally achieves a 100% matric pass rate and operates from buildings Redefine and the Abcon Group Foundation erected. And instead of renting a nearby hall for exams and assemblies, the school recently built its own. At the end of 2022, Hawk Academy matriculant Banathi Nkomeli achieved five distinctions. She has gone on to study education at the University of the Witwatersrand, says Sekgobela.
Along with its assistance to Hawk Academy, Redefine has also availed office space to other NGOs such as the Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa (CHOC) and the Reach For A Dream Foundation.
“We’re a property company, so space is our commodity, but people are our business,” says Sekgobela. “Because we offered the NGOs spaces to operate from, they could use the money saved to keep jobs and that has an impact on not only the individuals but their families as well,” says Sekgobela.
Redefine’s secondary initiatives help CHOC in its mission to provide comprehensive support to families dealing with childhood cancer and life-threatening blood disorders, including offering accommodation when a child must undergo hospital-based treatment. Reach For A Dream gives children temporary respite from their life-threatening illness by making their dreams come true, from meeting personal heroes to getting new toys or experiencing new things for the first time.
“Often it’s the little things we take for granted,” says Sekgobela of the experiences Reach For A Dream offers. She tells the story of a young boy who simply wanted to go to a restaurant in the Spur franchise chain.
“He walked in very slowly and touched the restaurant’s signage in disbelief. For children like him, it gives hope that there can be a better tomorrow,” she says.
“If there is one thing I know, I have the privilege of doing what I love. Sometimes it is a lot, but it is my passion. Redefine’s slogan is, ‘We’re not landlords. We’re people.’, and I have a deep passion for connecting with and understanding people.
