Governance
We commit to complying with the King IV™: Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa 2016 (King IV™), Part 6.3: Supplement for non-profit organisations (NPOs).
Over the last few years, we have undertaken a reengineering initiative to align with the best practice in King IV™ which saw us separating the then-National Executive Committee into a National Board (Board) and an Executive Centre, with the intention to employ paid executives to manage the organisation. To-date we have employed an Operations Officer, a Finance executive and an Administrator. The reengineering process also created a Chairpersons’ Committee, mandated to advise both the Board and management and to represent the view of members to the governing and managing bodies.
The Board has delegated various functions to Board committees:
- Audit and Risk Committee (ARC)
- Social, Ethics and Strategy Committee (SES)
- Nomination, Remuneration and Human Resources Committee (NRHR)
- Information and Technology Committee (IT)
The Board is the focal point and custodian of governance in the SHR and endeavours to achieve the governance outcomes of an ethical culture, good performance, effective control, and legitimacy through ethical and effective leadership.
The Board delegates powers to the Executive Centre, more specifically to the Executive Committee (Exco) which is responsible for managing the SHR. The Exco members, both salaried employees and volunteers, are appointed under the oversight of the NRHR committee.
- Ethical Culture
The Board led the organisation in developing the Code of Ethics in 2019. The lead independent director monitors the behaviour of the Board in line with the Code of Ethics raises any behaviour which does not conform to the standards outlined in the code. Members are encouraged to hold each other accountable for behaving according to the code.
The Board charter formalises the functioning of the Board and ensures all Board members commit to ethical and effective leadership, the SHR Code of Ethics and annual performance assessments.
The Social, Ethics and Strategy Committee (SESC) ensures:
- We develop and implement policies, procedures and practices and reports on its social responsibility as envisaged in King IV and its principles.
- We are and are seen to be an ethical organisation and ethical values are paramount in the existence, practices and activities of the SHR
- Our strategy ensures our
A whistleblower hotline is in place through an independent third party.
- Good performance
The Board appreciates that our core purpose, risks and opportunities, strategy, business model, performance and sustainable development are inseparable elements of the value creation process. As such, the Board reviews and upholds our strategic direction. It approves strategy for the organisation and delegates its implementation to the Executive Centre and through Exco, to the National Projects and Regions. To ensure systematic, methodical, and consistent attention to all its responsibilities, the Board has adopted an annual workplan that provides a yardstick for measurement of its performance.
The purpose of the NRHRC is to assist the Board in its governance of the people practices of the SHR to ensure:
- The Board, the Executive Centre and other management and governance structures have the necessary skills and experience to fulfil their responsibilities.
- We have appropriate form and level of remuneration to attract and retain the required human resources.
- The Board, while non-remunerated, has appropriate expense recovery mechanisms for Board members.
- Our people management practices promote an ethical culture of engaged, high-performance staff and support the transformation objectives of the organisation
Through this mechanism, we strive to ensure suitably qualified and motivated people are employed to achieve our performance objectives.
The Board recognises information and technology is a key enabler in setting and achieving its strategic objectives. Therefore, it assumes ultimate responsibility for the governance of technology and information, with elements delegated to the IT committee.
- Effective Control
The Board assumes ultimate responsibility for effective control, with elements delegated to the ARC, which is required to ensure:
- Financial statements accurately reflect financial results and records.
- Financial systems, including the system of internal controls, provide financial integrity.
- Integrity of annual reporting.
- Compliance with laws and regulations is regularly monitored.
- The assurance process is effective and independent.
- Risk management systems provide comprehensive, timely and relevant disclosure of risk and effective risk management plans.
- Reporting and accountability roles and responsibilities are clear and effective.
Key operational controls include:
- Managing our relationship with SANParks through the Joint Liaison Committee (JLC), which comprises executive management representatives from both bodies. The JLC approves all wish list items to ensure that the funds raised and services we provide are applied meaningfully to SANParks.
- Clearly defined financial procedures ensuring spend only on mandated wish list items and approved administration expenditure.
- The use of REPSLY to track and validate the handover of wish list items.
- Legitimacy
- The Board assumes ultimate responsibility for the governance of stakeholder relationships, with elements delegated to the SESC.
The Board ensures reports issued by the SHR enable stakeholders to make informed assessments of the SHR’s performance, and its short, medium, and long-term prospects. The spend of donor funds is extensively reported in the Integrated Report, as is the portion of funds used to support running costs for the organisation.
Our members are consulted through the Chairpersons’ Committee on key matters and decisions which impact the member community and activities.
