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Long service awards are a means to express gratitude to the most dedicated employees. They are a way of acknowledging significant years of service to the company. These are especially important as employees tend to be moving from one job to another at a faster rate!

Merebank took the time to recognise its employees' impressive service in a ceremony held on Tuesday, 26 October 2021, honouring their dedication and loyalty of staff commemorating 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of continuous service to the company.

Several employees from various departments were recognised for their lengthy service, while Nkosinathi Gigaba who retired on 31 October celebrated an incredible 35 years of service with a standing ovation.

Merebank general manager, Rodney Rogan and LACSA department manager, Warren Wessels addressed the ceremony's attendees. They highlighted how proud Merebank is to have such dedicated and devoted employees. They also emphasised that the long service awardees should serve as an inspiration to other colleagues as well as the younger generation who are new to the business, encouraging them to honour our company's values and culture, which are what bind people together and demonstrate Illovo's long-term commitment to its people.

Rodney and Warren were not only presenting awards to their teammates but were also recognised for their long service commitment; Mr Rogan was recognised for his 20-years of service to the company, while Mr Wessels was recognised for his 10 years of service. Their awards were presented by ISSA managing director, Ricky Govender.

All the awardees dedication, innovation, and hard work was recognised, and this was a chance to offer a sincere and heartfelt "Thank You" to them. Line managers focused on employees who excel while recognising their longevity. During the event other milestones that these individuals have reached since joining the company were noted. Ultimately their long tenure, saved the company both time and money by not having to find new talent, it also ensures continual learning and company wisdom remains in our knowledge!

Celebrating 35 years and retiring with Illovo- Mr Nkosinathi Gigaba.

Mr Nkosinathi Gigaba's career at Illovo concluded on October 31 2021, when he retired early after an incredible 35 years of service. He began working at Illovo in 1984 as a security officer, and then moved to the LACSA department in 1995, where he remained for the next 26 years as a supervisor. For many years before that, Mr Gigaba worked as a mechanic fixing vehicles for a living, learning the trade on the job.

Mr Gigaba lives life to the fullest and made sure every memory is worth cherishing and recounting as a fun narrative to his children and grandchildren. Illovo's history fills him with pride, and he relishes every moment of the here and now. He's made a lot of friends and has absolutely no regrets.

He looks back on his time at Illovo Sugar fondly and says it was a rewarding experience that opened doors for him. He says the information he learned from his time there has been ingrained in his daily routine, even outside of work. "There are many training possibilities that the firm gave me to better equip myself for the future. It saddens me that I am leaving my second home but it is time for me to give young people an opportunity," he says to those employees at Illovo who wish to develop at the company.

With his retirement, Mr Gigaba will be free to start his own welding business. He is currently teaching young men how to weld and has the necessary equipment to get started. He is currently working on his own, taking on jobs from the neighbourhood, but his goal is to become well-known in the community so that he can gain more customers and eventually supply large hardware stores.

We wish Mr Gigaba the very best of luck with his future endeavours.

Mr Gigaba shares a message to everyone who joined Illovo, more especially Merebank, recently: “To those who have recently joined at Merebank mill, you must be willing to commit yourself to your respective areas, specifically to Merebank as they have many great opportunities for you to empower yourself and develop, whether you want to further your studies or anything else. Merebank offers a lot of occasions for development within the business or even at a personal capacity. I wish Merebank great prosperity in the coming years and hope that the employees continue to keep it operational for the next 100 years to come”.