By Sizwe Dlamini
The Royal Eswatini Sugar Corporation (RES) Human Capital (HC) Division has made history in Eswatini. It has achieved certification from the South African Board for People Practices (SABPP) on its first attempt.
This achievement not only positions RES as a leader in human capital management but also earned the corporation the prestigious “Overall Best Performing Organization 2024” title at the SABPP Annual People Factor Conference Gala, held in Johannesburg on September 5, 2024.
SABPP is renowned for its dedication to promoting best practices in human resource management across Southern Africa. Their rigorous certification process evaluates an organization’s adherence to international standards across multiple human resource domains, including workforce planning, talent management, and learning and development (L&D). Earning this certification underscores RES’s commitment to aligning its human capital strategies with global best practices.
Nick Jackson, Managing Director of RES, expressed immense pride in the company’s Human Capital (HC) division for this groundbreaking accomplishment.
“Our HC division has displayed unparalleled dedication, professionalism, and innovation, solidifying RES’s position as an industry leader. We are also proud to share that RES was honored as the “Overall Best Performing Organization 2024” at the SABPP 2024 Annual People Factor Conference Gala Dinner Awards held on September 5, 2024, in Johannesburg. This prestigious award highlights our unwavering commitment to fostering a culture of excellence and empowerment within our workforce,“ he said.
Speaking about the evaluation and certification processes, Kgomotso Mopalami, Executive HR, noted that there are 13 standards involved in the certification process.
“There are 13 standards that we adhere to, and while I can’t list all of them, I will highlight three key areas: workforce training and planning, talent management, and learning and development (L&D). We’ve provided our recommendations, and while the organization performed well in terms of human capacity, there is still room for improvement, The reason why I cannot list the remaining ten areas is it will take us at least five hours to do so ” she said.
Meanwhile, Boni Masuku, Group Human Capital Manager at RES said that they were happy with the achievement but they did not want to be a one-hit wonder.
“We are thrilled with this achievement, but we recognize that we’re not the best yet—we’re still on our journey. I want to thank our management and senior leadership for their support, as well as our MD. Our social partners keep us honest and if you don’t have unions in an organization, then you’re not being fully transparent and honest. I also want to express gratitude to our staff for their invaluable feedback, which shapes us into the best human capital team in the kingdom,” Masuku noted.
The audit process was challenging; we were working late into the night during the evaluation sometimes we would go to sleep at 10 PM. This is just the beginning for us, and while we celebrate our 2024 win, we’re already looking ahead to 2026 to improve even further. Winning on our first attempt is indeed rare, and we’re excited for what’s to come,” she said.