What's Happening?

Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin

NEED HELP? QUESTIONS@FIA.ORG.ZA

become A FIA member TODAY
member login

Old Mutual Insure spends R8m to uplift communities in 2021

ARTICLE BY

  • Antonia Oakes

SHARE THIS POST

In a year marked by political unrest and ongoing COVID-19 disruption, one of SA’s leading insurance companies put back R8 million in 2021 into communities, bringing relief to many. 

08 March 2022: The late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, is quoted as saying: “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” In the spirit of Tutu’s words, Old Mutual Insure continued its support of a number of initiatives in 2021, spending over R8 million on communities in need.

“We feel passionately about uplifting socio-economic conditions in South Africa, despite the hunger and poverty exacerbated by the pandemic, so that the communities where our staff and customers work really feel a difference to their everyday lives,” says Antonia Oakes, Executive of Responsible Business at Old Mutual Insure. 

A wide range of communities benefited from the R8 million that Old Mutual Insure invested in initiatives, including restocking ten township spaza shops in KwaZulu-Natal affected by the looting in July, delivering 500 food parcels and 90 blankets to people in need and enabling farmers in the Free State to fight fires using specialised fire blowers.  

“In addition, we partnered with Reach for a Dream to help children with life threatening illnesses. Specifically, our support is enabling a  Dream Room to be built for kids in Lambano Sanctuary, Edenvale, in 2022, which will be a safe, uplifting, and inspiring space, promoting healing for ill children,” says Oakes. 

Old Mutual Insure also has a long-standing relationship with Gift of the Givers to assist when disaster strikes. The company provided food and shelter to those impacted by the floods in George in December 2021, and donated animal feed to farmers in the North West affected by wildfires during the year. 

A particular focal area for Old Mutual Insure now and last year is youth and education.  

“One of our main goals is to equip our children with skills critical to achieving sustainable development and economic growth in South Africa,” explains Oakes.  

In collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Old Mutual Insure sponsored 135 portable school desks in 2021, which is part of the MiDesk Global initiative, providing underprivileged children who don’t have desks with the ability to attend schools with portable desks. The desk and chair can be wheeled to and from school, has a solar light and USB charging portal to provide light after hours.  

“Not having access to adequate facilities, like desks, chairs and lighting, strongly impacts on a learner’s ability to focus, maintain discipline, and to be successful in their studies. It has also been linked to a higher rate of absenteeism, which is why we knew we needed to get involved in this project,” says Oakes.  

CEO of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Konehali Gugushe, says that the organisation is grateful for the donation which is benefitting children across the country. “This is an honour for our organisation as this advances and promotes education for young people.” 

Looking ahead, Oakes says that initiatives in 2022 will continue to focus on empowering young people and uplifting schools. “Our Empowering Girl Programme has selected 20 Grade 11 girls with the aim of creating a pipeline of female talent for the insurance industry,” she says. 

The Old Mutual Insure Empowering Girls Programme launched on 17 February 2022 and is an exciting programme that will see the company offering schoolgirls appropriate opportunities to support their professional and personal advancement through relevant life skills, ICT literacy, mentorship and job shadowing programs. 

The multi-year programme will not only see the girls immersed in the non-life insurance industry and getting exposed to various careers but will also have the additional benefit of identifying talented girls from underprivileged areas to be the future face of the insurance industry.  

 In addition, Old Mutual Insure wants to assist a number of schools that don’t have access to water by digging boreholes. “Water is essential in schools both in terms of hygiene and for the sustainability of school gardens that serve many pupils and their families. It is also a scarce resource in provinces that have suffered from debilitating drought in the last few years,” concludes Oakes. 

Subscriber Terms and Conditions

  1. APPLICATION OF TERMS
    • These terms and conditions (“Subscriber Terms”) apply to the subscription by any qualifying member of the South African Underwriting Managers Association NPC (“SAUMA”) to the services and benefits offered by FIA Services (Pty) Ltd (“FIA Services”) under the SAUMA affiliation arrangement (“Subscription”).

  2. NATURE OF SUBSCRIPTION
    • A Subscription under this arrangement:
      • does not constitute membership of FIA NPC;
      • does not confer any voting rights or governance participation in FIA NPC; and
      • is governed solely by the contractual relationship between the Subscriber and FIA Services.

  1. ELIGIBILITY
    • To qualify for the Subscription, the applicant must, at the time of application, be a current paid-up member of SAUMA.
    • FIA Services will verify the applicant’s SAUMA membership status with SAUMA prior to activation, and may re-verify such status periodically.
    • If a Subscriber ceases to be a paid-up member of SAUMA, the Subscription will correspondingly be terminated.
    • Applicants are required to authorise FIA Services to confirm their SAUMA membership status with SAUMA as part of the application process.

  1. SERVICES
    • The Subscription entitles the Subscriber to the following benefits:
      • Complimentary access to the FIA CPD Platform;
      • Complimentary access to the FIA Insight Magazine (digital edition);
      • Advertising opportunities on FIA platforms at a discounted rate of 15% (fifteen percent) off the prevailing published rates; and
      • Invitations to attend FIA Technical Webinars annually.
    • FIA Services reserves the right to update, vary or substitute the Services from time to time, provided that the overall value and nature of the benefits remain materially the same.

  1. FEES AND PAYMENT
    • The monthly subscription fee is R260.00 (two hundred and sixty rand) for up to seven registered individuals (Key Individuals and Representatives), and R36.00 (thirty-six rand) per additional registered individual thereafter, excluding VAT.
    • The Subscriber shall provide FIA Services with the required details of each individual to be registered under the Subscription for the purposes of activation and billing.
    • All fees are exclusive of VAT, which shall be charged at the prevailing statutory rate.
    • Subscription fees are reviewed annually in March and may be adjusted with effect from 1 April.
    • Any changes to the Subscription, including but not limited to the number of Representatives and Key Individuals registered under the Subscription, may only be effected once annually during the annual review period in March of each year, with such changes taking effect from 1 April.
    • Subscription fees shall be billed monthly in arrears, unless the Subscriber elects an annual billing cycle at the time of application.
    • The Subscriber shall ensure that all billing information (including contact details, authorised signatories and bank account details) is kept accurate and up to date.
    • Non-payment of subscription fees may result in suspension of access to the Services until such fees are brought up to date.
    • The Subscriber acknowledges and agrees that all subscription fees payable under these Subscriber Terms may be collected by way of debit order, which shall be processed by the holding company, FIA NPC (The Financial Intermediary Association of South Africa), on behalf of FIA Services. Payment to FIA NPC shall be deemed to constitute valid and sufficient discharge of the Subscriber’s payment obligations to FIA Services under these Subscriber Terms.

  1. ONBOARDING
    • Onboarding will be conducted as a Subscription with FIA Services under the SAUMA affiliation arrangement.
    • Onboarding will not confer FIA NPC membership status or any associated rights.
    • Onboarding is conditional on confirmation of the Subscriber’s current SAUMA membership at the time of application

  1. DATA PROTECTION
    • FIA Services will process all personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) as set out in our POPIA policies.
    • By subscribing, the Subscriber authorises FIA Services to confirm their SAUMA membership status with SAUMA and to process personal information for the purposes of fulfilling the Subscription.

  1. TERMINATION
    • The Subscriber may terminate the Subscription by giving FIA Services one calendar month’s written notice.
    • FIA Services may terminate the Subscription on one calendar month’s written notice, or immediately if the Subscriber breaches these Subscriber Terms and fails to remedy such breach within 14 (fourteen) days of receiving written notice.
    • Termination of the SAUMA–FIA Services affiliation agreement shall not automatically terminate these Subscriber Terms.
    • Termination by the Subscriber shall not relieve the Subscriber of liability for any subscription fees accrued up to the effective date of termination.
    • FIA Services may suspend or terminate the Subscription with immediate effect in the event of non-payment of fees by the Subscriber.

  1. GENERAL
    • These Subscriber Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
    • Any disputes arising under these Subscriber Terms shall be dealt with in accordance with the dispute resolution provisions contained in the FIA NPC membership terms and conditions, as modified to reflect that the contractual relationship is with FIA Services.
    • Any notices required under these Subscriber Terms may be validly delivered by email to the addresses provided in the Subscriber’s application form, and such notices shall be deemed received on the day of transmission if sent during business hours.
    • The Subscriber may not assign, cede or transfer any of its rights or obligations under these Subscriber Terms without the prior written consent of FIA Services.
    • No variation of these Subscriber Terms shall be of any force or effect unless reduced to writing and signed by both FIA Services and the Subscriber.