MEA | Q3 2024 9 Established in the year 2013 in the South African city of Mbombela (previously known as Nelspruit), Oxior Civil Enterprises (Pty) Ltd initially served as a start-up focusing on electrical live work and maintenance services for Eskom, Africa’s largest electricity-producer. A sizeable investment from the company director then saw the business establish itself as a standout Qualifying Small Enterprise (an SME subject to the elements of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment policy) in South Africa’s construction sector, a distinction it continues to hold to this day. Today headquartered in South Africa’s foremost economic hub, Gauteng province, Oxior has grown impressively over the last decade, notably in both experience and expertise. Such advancements have significantly propelled this minority-owned contractor into a specialist level when it comes to building, maintaining, and refurbishing electrical infrastructure of all varieties, from substations to voltage lines. Other areas of expertise for this team include civil and general construction projects – bridge, pipeline, and road construction. Regardless of the nature of a project, Oxior strives to provide services and solutions of unmatched quality across Southern Africa in a manner that is both swift and effective. This is reflected in the company having registered with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) of South Africa, where it possesses grades in civil engineering, electrical infrastructure, asphalt-based surfacing, and general building. To name but a few, one of Oxior’s noteworthy projects currently underway is linked to the South African government’s National Development Plans (NDP), particularly the one to afford all citizens universal access to electricity by 2030. From 2016 through to today, the Oxior team has been industriously working closely with the government to see this vision realised. Having been contracted by Eskom to connect households directly to the grid across the country, the team has achieved more than 20,000 household connections to date. All of this ties into the South Africa company’s desire and commitment to foster lasting change across the continent. Thus affording access to essential services like electricity to as many households as possible. Through its pivotal role in this space, Oxior continues to have a massive impact on South Africa’s socioeconomic landscape- be it by creating jobs, training opportunities or driving local purchasing patterns. Sustainability is another big part of Oxior’s commitments and connerstones. This is evident in the sustainable construction initiatives and approaches pioneered by this team. Shedding more light on these, the company’s COO, Mr. Mazwi Mafuma tells us, “we take pride in our sustainable construction initiatives to minimise our carbon footprint. We deliberately opt for renewable and recyclable materials where possible. We are unrelentless in our commitment to reduce our energy consumption and wastage by making use of greener energy on our construction sites and camps. We source construction material closer to our sites to reduce fuel consumption, and regularly maintaining our construction plants and equipment to minimise our CO2 emissions.” That said, social responsibility is much more than just working sustainably, and Oxior demonstrates this excellently through its commitment to develop local communities where it conducts business. The company sources all of the unskilled and semi-skilled employees that comprise its workforce from the respective communities that it works in. Furthermore, allocating 2% of a project’s value to local development initiatives. Training is mandatory to ensure that local hires have the capacity deliver outputs of high quality that the company sets and is known for. Accountability is equally key at Oxior. One of the many elements that add up to Oxior’s differentiation strategy is accountability and it often takes the form of a commitment to rigorous and ongoing self-assessment. In essence, this is the culture that is deeply inculcated and strived for on daily basis. This winning formula has earned the company many returning clients. Beyond this, the three key elements of a project – before, during, and after – are all managed to the highest standards across the board, from attention to detail to doing things right first time, on time, and on budget. This is something that is set to continue well into the promising future that Oxior is building for itself, one that is seeing it develop into South Africa’s most trusted civil engineering, construction and electrical contractor. For its distinction in its current sector, we proudly name Oxior Civil Enterprises (Pty) Ltd as the Best Minority-Owned Construction Company 2024 – Mbombela. However, such sustained growth is likely to see the company traverse borders over the next few years, and we wish it the best of luck as it sets out on this exciting new mission. Contact: Mazwi Mafuma Company: Oxior Civil Enterprises (Pty) Ltd Web Address: www.oxiorce.com/index.php Best Minority-Owned Construction Company 2024 - Mbombela
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