From April to July 2025, SIZA has significantly strengthened supplier engagement and capacity building across South Africa’s agricultural sector. Through 11 online webinars and five in-person training sessions, more than 1,200 participants have benefited from practical guidance, open dialogue, and direct interaction with SIZA staff. Covering a wide range of compliance, environmental, and social responsibility topics, these initiatives have ensured that stakeholders—from producers and exporters to consultants and Temporary Employment Services—are better equipped to align their practices with SIZA Standards and legislative requirements.
Following the in-person training, suppliers indicated their appreciation to the agricultural industry, the industry bodies, SIZA, and its respective stakeholders for being transparent and offering a wide range of training and capacity-building initiatives such as specialised programmes (e.g., grievance training, remedy solution, assistance to Temporary Employment Services, etc.).
Suppliers also shared their concerns in the various regions related to municipal inefficiencies and delays from governmental departments in issuing permits/licences. The overwhelming feedback from provinces outside the Western Cape indicated that they do not receive the same services, leading to unfair assessments in their businesses outside their control.
| Date | Session | Area | Attendees |
| 11-Apr-25 | SIZA Working Hours & Wages | All Provinces (Webinar) | 138 |
| 24-Apr-25 | SIZATrack360 | All Provinces (Webinar) | 40 |
| 07-May-25 | SIZA Social Auditors Training | All Provinces (Webinar) | 11 |
| 08-May-25 | SIZA Environmental Auditors Training | All Provinces (Webinar) | 14 |
| 15-May-25 | SIZA Audit Process and Methodology | All Provinces (Webinar) | 113 |
| 21-May-25 | SIZA Social Compliance | All Provinces (Webinar) | 101 |
| 27-May-25 | SIZA Environmental Compliance | All provinces (Webinar) | 86 |
| 05-June-25 | SIZA Social & Environmental Training – In-Person | Limpopo | 40 |
| 11-June-25 | SIZA Temporary Employment Services Training Webinar | All provinces (Webinar) | 50 |
| 19-June-25 (Day 1) | SIZA Social & Environmental Training – In-Person | Grabouw | 49 |
| 20-June-25 (Day 2) | SIZA Social & Environmental Training – In-Person | Grabouw | 39 |
| 25-June-25 | SIZATrack360 Training Webinar | All provinces (Webinar) | 50 |
| 03-July-25 (Day 1) | SIZA Social & Environmental Training – In-Person | Paarl | 40 |
| 04-July-25 (Day 2) | SIZA Social & Environmental Training – In-Person | Paarl | 40 |
| 09-July-25 | SIZA Producer Platform Training | All provinces (Webinar) | 72 |
| 14-July-25 (Day 1) | SIZA Social & Environmental Training – In-Person | Ceres | 43 |
| 15-July-25 (Day 2) | SIZA Social & Environmental Training – In-Person | Ceres | 40 |
| 17-July-25 | SIZA Voice for All training | All provinces (Webinar) | 87 |
| 23-July-25 (Day 1) | SIZA Social & Environmental Training – In-Person | Langkloof | 25 |
| 24-July-25 (Day 2) | SIZA Social & Environmental Training – In-Person | Langkloof | 28 |
| 31-July-25 (Day 1 & 2) | SIZA Social & Environmental Training – In-Person | Swellendam | 36 |
| 27-August-25 (Day 1 & 2) | SIZA Social & Environmental Training – In-Person | Kakamas | 75 |
| Total: | 1 217 | ||
As part of our two-day Training Roadshow in the provinces, the SIZA Compliance Team also engaged with suppliers through between-audit monitoring site visits. These site visits are to verify the supplier’s Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQs), monitor compliance practices between third-party audit periods and verify long-term improvement plans. These visits are done as a second-party verification by SIZA and do not incur additional costs beyond annual subscription fees. The visits are part of market requirements to give buyers the confidence and security to accept the three-year audit validity period.
Social Site Visits
Forty-one social site visits were conducted for the period concerned, and 29 more are planned until March 2026 in the Western Cape, Limpopo, Eastern Cape, and Northern Cape.
SIZA CARES (Environmental Site Visits)
Since 1 April 2025, 47 SIZA CARES visits have been conducted during the reporting period. Until March 2026, 43 visits are planned across five provinces in South Africa.
The overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants highlights the impact and importance of these training and support programmes. While challenges such as regional disparities in government services remain, SIZA’s continued commitment to transparent engagement, specialised training, and between-audit monitoring visits provides the agricultural industry with the tools needed for long-term improvement. Through ongoing collaboration with stakeholders, SIZA aims to build a more equitable, compliant, and sustainable value chain for all.
