If you are a producer, a social (ethical) auditor is maybe not necessarily someone you might invite over for tea, yet these ‘agents of change’ form a crucial spoke in the economic value chain wheel. Elise-Marie Steenkamp investigates. As global requirements…
Die evolusie van die regulatoriese omgewing word gedryf deur nouer bande tussen mense. Deur Anna Mouton. Die Suid-Afrikaanse vrugtebedryf word al gereguleer sedert daar ’n Suid-Afrika is: ons parlement het reeds in 1910, dieselfde jaar as wat die Unie van…
By Jacques Dommisse In the last decade, duplicated gatekeeping systems under the auspices of the globally embraced and accelerating concepts of environmental sustainability, fair labour practice and the buzzword of climate change by international compliance institutions based in primarily First…
The South African stone fruit industry continues to demonstrate that strong export performance and responsible production go hand in hand. As the 2025/26 stone fruit season unfolds, early compliance data indicate a sector that not only meets international social and…
Focus on women in agriculture: Words: Carmé Naudé The saying goes, behind every man, there is a strong woman, and within agriculture, there are multiple strong forces to be reckoned with. One such force is Retha Louw the CEO of…
Text: Gerrit Rautenbach Georgina Hewitt, co-owner of Verdun Estates, Hortgro Stone Vice-Chairperson, and SIZA Board Director, shared her thoughts on “How to shift from compliance to competitive advantage and what we must do next” at the recent SIZA Conference in Paarl…
SIZA audits now visible on the GLOBALG.A.P. Database New connection between platforms The partnership between GLOBALG.A.P. and SIZA is set to make supply chain sustainability and ethical trading now streamlined as SIZA audits will be much more accessible. GLOBALG.A.P. will…
The 10-year conference of The Sustainability Initiative of South Africa (SIZA) took place on 19 August at Ashanti, near Paarl. By Gerrit Rautenbach SIZA’s raison d’être is to cultivate ethical and environmentally sustainable trade practices across a wide range of…
Deur Elise-Marie Steenkamp As jy Suid-Afrikaanse vrugte wil uitvoer, moet jy aan sekere vereistes voldoen. Of jy nou ’n mega-produsent, kleiner produsent of opkomende produsent is, die wetgewing en standaarde bly dieselfde. Een van die hekkies in produsente se pad…
SIZA proudly announced their Environmental Sustainability Programme. Read more in this press release: siza-enviro-verification-press-release-aug-18 For further information contact: Henko Vlok henko@siza.co.za (Environmental Specialist); Retha Louw retha@siza.co.za (CEO); Tom McLaughlin tom@siza.co.za (UK liaison).
By Elise-Marie Steenkamp Steven Versfeld, a pome producer from Achtertuin Farm, outside Ceres, became the first South African producer ever to receive platinum status without any non-compliances from the Sustainability Initiative of South Africa (SIZA). His third-party ethical audit was…
PROMINENT INTERNATIONAL AND SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESSES JOIN PROGRAMME TO ADDRESS FORCED LABOUR IN THE FRUIT AND WINE PRODUCING INDUSTRIES IN SOUTH AFRICA. Recent estimates suggest that around 24.9 million people are in situations of forced labour globally[i]. However, due to…