The new year will bring new changes at the Freeport Saldanha.
During the Freeport Saldanha’s annual general meeting on Monday (11 December) the team announced that chief executive officer Kaashifah Beukes was departing from the organisation at the end of December.
Beukes started at Freeport Saldanha when it was still called the Saldanha Bay Economic Development Zone (SBIDZ) in September 2019. The Freeport Saldanha is the only special economic zone (SEZ) in the country that includes a port.
“Since the establishment of the Freeport Saldanha R5,19 billion has been injected into the South African economy, with 6 931 cumulative direct and indirect jobs facilitated, making a difference in the Saldanha Bay area and beyond,” according to the Freeport.
The organisation expressed its gratitude to Beukes for “her leadership, dedication and contributions, especially for her role in solidifying Freeport Saldanha’s potential as the first Western Cape Green Hydrogen Hub”.
The addition of a Green Hydrogen Hub to the region is set to see private-public partnerships to develop sustainable and carbon-free energy solutions.
The local hub is one of nine green hydrogen projects forming part of South Africa’s Green Hydrogen National Programme.
The search for a new CEO has already begun Freeport Saldanha said.
In the interim chief operations officer Doug Southgate will be at the helm on an acting basis “ensuring a seamless transition until the new CEO is appointed”.
Interim chairperson of the Saldanha Freeport Irvin Esua spoke of Beukes’ long history with the organisation.
“We thank Kaashifah for her significant contributions and leadership,” he explained. “Well before her role as CEO she was part of the team in 2010 undertaking the feasibility study and then joined the company in 2014 when we were created.”
Esua added that since then the Freeport has maintained its clean audit outcomes facilitated a business enabling environment and developed local programmes.
“We are confident in the continued success of the company and remain committed to our mission to strive to foster responsible investment, creating shared prosperity for Saldanha Bay as a sustainable pioneer in the region.”
