Last month the whole of South Africa was given a day off in order to vote in the national election. It was peaceful and reasonably efficient and results so far indicate an overall turnout of 65%. This is little lower than last time but the envy of many democracies. Perhaps this might seem like an odd way to start this letter, but there has been such discontent in many parts of the country that one strong possibility was that the elections might become a catalyst for further violence, unrest and even loss of life. We thank God this has not been the case. We also thank you for all of your prayers and concern!
Our team continues to traverse thousands of kilometers to reach potential entrepreneurs across South Africa. This is possible with your support and the God’s blessings. The Phakamani team is honored to have the opportunity in building a stronger South Africa. We are hopeful for the future.
EXCITING UPDATES FROM THE FIELD
We opened one new branch in April and two in May – the total number of branches is now 37 with 280 staff members supporting the branches Initiated a project to 1] measure and improve field operations productivity and 2] profile field staff and identify tools to assist with the recruiting, training and promotion processesReorganized to increase capacity and focus in Operations, HR and Quality Assurance & Internal AuditGrant funding approved to expand operations into one of the poorest provinces in South AfricaImplemented training to improve the use of mobile devices in the field to improve data capture productivity.