Alko Berry World Marks and Spencer Sainsburys Systembolaget Tesco Vinmopolet

Stronger Together South Africa

PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

Stronger Together’s programme in South Africa is delivered in partnership with the Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trading Association (WIETA) and the Sustainability Initiative of South Africa (SIZA) and is supported by prominent industry leaders across the supply chain including global and national retailers and exporters and importers. The programme was established in May 2017 to support South African agri-businesses to address the risk of forced labour within their businesses and supply chains.

What’s new:

  • SOUTH AFRICA PROGRAMME SPONSORS FOR 2023/24: We are pleased to announce that Alko, BerryWorld, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Systembolaget, Tesco and Vinmonopolet will sponsors our South African programme from April 2023- March 2024. Stronger Together has established itself as an industry leading programme in South Africa tackling forced labour in supply chains. If you are interested in joining as a Business Sponsor get in touch here to find out more
  • IN-HOUSE TRAINING WORKSHOPS FOR SUPERVISORS: Supervisors play an important role in the success of any agri-business. Their oversight and engagement with workers mean they are often the champions of ethical leadership at farm level. This practical guidance workshop equips employees to understand labour exploitation, and their role in preventing it.
  • IN-HOUSE AWARENESS SESSION FOR WORKERS AND WORKER REPRESENTATIVES: Educates agri-workers on the topic of labour exploitation and forced labour. This short awareness session upskills your workforce on their role in supporting the business in addressing forced labour risks.

PROGRAMME OFFERINGS 

Through dual-language (Afrikaans & English) introduction and follow-up training and practical resources and tools this programme equips agri-businesses:

  • With the knowledge to understand what forced labour is and how to spot the signs
  • With the skills, and tools to address forced labour risks and vulnerabilities within their operations
  • To implement responsible labour management practices to address forced labour risks
  • To implement a response plan should any form of forced labour be suspected or found.

Organisations and businesses involved in the supply chain of agricultural produce from South Africa to national or international markets can get involved by:

  • Joining the programme as a programme sponsor
  • Referring to and supporting your tier suppliers to engage with the programme by attending the training and using the free resource

Contact us to find out more.

Stronger Together would like to acknowledge and thank the following businesses that engaged, supported and recommended the South Africa programme to their agricultural suppliers over the first four years of the programme: Alko, Backsberg, Berryworld, Ceres Cascade Farms, Co-op, Paul Cluver, DGB, Global Fruit Point Germany, Greenyard Fresh, Marks & Spencer, Massmart, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Selfridges, SALBA, Spier, Systembolaget, Tesco, Vinmonopolet, Vinpro, Waitrose, Waitrose Foundation, and Woolworths.

The UK Home Office Modern Slavery Innovation Fund funded the first four years of the programme. 

USEFUL CONTACT INFO: 

Contact details of organisations to report suspicions of/or forced labour exploitation to:

  • The South African National Human Trafficking Hotline: Contact: 0800 222 777 | www.0800222777.org.za
    The Hotline is able to assist with any queries from either producer or farm management as well as from potential victims of forced labour themselves.

Always call the police in an emergency.

Download this information as a PDF in English or Afrikaans.

Partner

Register your interest in benefiting from becoming a Business Sponsor for the Stronger Together South Africa programme.

Find out more

Register on our website now to download our free resources, book onto an interactive training workshop and to stay in touch with us via our email newsletters and training updates.

Training

Register for the introduction Detecting, Deterring and Dealing with Forced Labour training workshop for Agri-Businesses to get informed and equipped to mitigate risks in your business and supply chain.

Arrange Bespoke Training

Stronger Together offers in-house training and consultancy services to meet your organisation’s specific needs, and support you to tackle modern day slavery within your business and supply chains. Our training and support are delivered in any business, in any sector, in any country, by our network of expert trainers, consultants and lawyers. Find out more.

Available training View All

Some of our available resources View All

Programme Development Partners

The Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trade Association (WIETA) represents the wine industry in actively promoting ethical trade in their value chain. They are a multi-stakeholder, non-profit, membership organisation that supports producers through capacity building and audits to assess compliance with the WIETA code of good practice.

The Sustainability Initiative of South Africa (SIZA) is a non-profit membership organisation, aimed at enabling South African Agriculture to be a global leader in sustainable, ethical trade and environmental stewardship. It is a holistic programme that identifies problems that may exist and responds with appropriate support and interventions.

Our Partners, Project Sponsors and Supporting Partners