Our key relationships

Material interests impacting value

As a company, we do not operate in isolation: our ability to deliver value depends on the contribution and activities of a range of different stakeholders.

In the table below, we briefly outline those stakeholder groups which have a substantive impact on our ability to create value, outlining how they impact on value and identifying some of their primary interests relating to our business activities. We provide links to sections of this report, and to other reports, where we describe what we are doing to address these stakeholder interests. A review of the different ways that we engage with each of these stakeholders is provided in our sustainability report.

Government and regulators
Material relationships   Material interests   Our response
  • Provide access to spectrum and operating licences, the basis for creating value.
  • Impose regulatory measures with potential cost implications.
 
  • Ensuring spectrum is managed as a strategic resource, contributing to national broadband access and the digital economy, especially in underserviced and rural markets.
  • Promoting opportunities for job creation and socioeconomic development (including transformation and localisation).
  • Protecting consumer interests on service quality, costs and privacy.
  • Regulatory compliance on issues such as mobile termination rates, price, security, safety, health and environmental performance.
  • Contribution to the tax base.
 
  • Regulatory report 2016
  • Public finances 2016
  • Sustainability report 2016
    • Delivering social value
    • Promoting BEE in South Africa
    • Safety, Health and wellbeing
    • Responsible environmental management
Customer
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Growth
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Reputation
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Customers
Material relationships   Material interests   Our response
  • Purchase our products and services, providing the basis for revenue growth.
 
  • Faster data networks and wider coverage.
  • Better value offerings.
  • Data usage.
  • Making it simpler and quicker to deal with us.
  • Converged solutions for business customers.
  • Privacy of information.
 
  • Sustainability report 2016
    • Products and service responsibility
  • Vodafone law enforcement disclosure report 2016
Customer
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Growth
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Reputation
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Investors and shareholders
Material relationships   Material interests   Our response
  • Provide the financial capital needed to sustain and grow.
 
  • Strategy to ensure sustained financial performance.
  • Responsible investment practice for growth.
  • Sound corporate governance practices.
  • Stable dividend policy.
  • Transparent executive remuneration.
 
  • CEO’s statement (page 04)
  • CFO’s review (page 40)
  • Our performance (page 23)
  • Governance review (page 56)
  • AFS 2016
  • Sustainability report 2016
         
Employees
Material relationships   Material interests   Our response
  • Their skills and involvement determine our ability to realise our vision of best network, best value, best service.
 
  • Career development.
  • Improved knowledge sharing across the Group.
  • Simplicity, agility and engagement.
  • Building skills in line with the future business growth.
  • Being appropriately remunerated for their service.
 
  • Sustainability report 2016
    • Investing in our people
Customer
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Growth
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Reputation
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Suppliers
Material relationships   Material interests   Our response
  • Impact on our ability to cost-effectively provide products and services.
 
  • Timely payment and fair terms.
  • Improving health and safety standards.
  • Partnering on environmental solutions.
  • Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) compliance.
 
  • Sustainability report 2016
    • Business integrity
    • Promoting BEE in South Africa
Customer
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Growth
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Reputation
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Communities
Material relationships   Material interests   Our response
  • Add to the longer-term viability of our markets by strengthening the socioeconomic context in which we operate.
 
  • Access to mobile voice and data services.
  • Access to basic services such as finance, health and education.
  • Investment in infrastructure.
  • Responsible expansion of infrastructure.
 
  • Sustainability report 2016
    • Delivering social value
    • Promoting BEE in South Africa
    • Responsible environmental management
Customer
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Growth
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Reputation
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Business partners
Material relationships   Material interests   Our response
  • One of the most important ways we interact with our customers is through our business partners. As custodians of our brand and reputation, how they engage and deliver service is critical to our objective of excellent customer service across all touch points.
 
  • Fair treatment.
  • Top management involvement with customers.
  • A consistent customer experience.
  • Making it simpler and quicker to deal with us.
 
  • Sustainability report 2016
    • Delivering social value
    • Promoting BEE in South Africa
    • Responsible environmental management
Growth
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Media
Material relationships   Material interests   Our response
  • Plays a role in keeping Vodacom stakeholders informed of business developments, new products and services and the impact of our business operations.
 
  • Being informed of key activities and offerings.
  • Transparency.
 
Growth
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Engaging stakeholders in our Future Agenda Seminar series

During the year, we hosted sessions for stakeholders to meet to discuss topical issues and challenges.

  • In May 2015, we held a session on the ‘future of work’ to discuss the shift from old models of work dominated by the division of labour, the supervision of labour, and payment of workers for their time or their tasks, to a shift towards services, the globalisation of supply chains, the growth of ubiquitous technology and the increased pressure on resources.
  • In July 2015, we hosted a session on food security and reviewed the Connected Farmer report produced by Accenture on behalf of Vodafone Group.
  • We also participated in a ‘future of health’ session hosted by Deloitte and the national department of health. Vodacom used the platform to showcase its mHealth solutions.

View enlarged Stakeholder ‘hot topics’in 2016