ROTOCON has heart

ON 18 FEBRUARY, ROTOCON, leading equipment supplier for South Africa’s label printing and packaging industry, made a sizable donation to the Alta du Toit Aftercare Centre in Bellville near Cape Town. The charity project was initiated by ROTOCON director and co-owner John Lomberg who, along with company founder Michael Aengenvoort and co-owner Pascal Aengenvoort, handed over a cheque worth R100 000 much to the delight of staff and residents.

Alta du Toit is a centre for mentally disabled adults and serves communities across the Western Cape. The centre, which has residential and daycare facilities, provides for the care and development of 220 disabled people aged 18-82, including from previously disadvantaged communities.

The people in the centre’s care take part in an established skills development programme to ensure optimal development throughout their adult life. They can also take part in sports and social activities such as athletics, singing and dancing. “Our continued existence depends on generous donations from kind people and businesses such as ROTOCON,” centre manager Anna-Louise Olivier says. “With their support, we’re able to keep the centre going. Thank you ROTOCON!”

The donation was reaffirmation of ROTOCON’s commitment to South Africa’s most at-risk communities, John says. “We’re fully committed to supporting people with disabilities, who are among South Africa’s most vulnerable communities. This is much more than just a box-ticking exercise for us. We know this is a key area of need and are humbled to play a part in supporting skills development at the centre.” The initiative is also in line with ROTOCON’s slogan, #bringingpeopletogether. “We at ROTOCON can sleep easier knowing that our donation can help protect these vulnerable communities.”

“Due to the high staff-to-resident ratio, care for people with a mental disability is expensive,” Anna-Louise says. A third O of the centre’s residents don’t have parents or families to pay the monthly fees. “There’s also a large group of older residents which necessitates more staff and specialised care.” It was moving to see all the smiles and tears from staff members and residents when John handed over the cheque to Anna-Louise. ROTOCON’s representatives received a warm welcome and were touched by residents’ song of appreciation. The centre receives a government subsidy based on each resident’s required level of care. “All our residents receive disability pensions, but on average there’s still a shortfall of about R2 000 per client per month to meet operating costs,” Anna-Louise says. To make a donation go to www.altadutoit.org.za.

ROTOCON CONFIRMS #WL30UNDER30 SPONSORSHIP

For the second year in a row ROTOCON has confirmed it will sponsor the 2022 edition of WineLand’s 30 Under 30 Awards.

Now in its third year, the awards recognise the most promising young wine ambassadors actively working in the South African wine industry. “We continue to shine the spotlight on the young voices who make a difference,” WineLand editor Wanda Augustyn says. “We’re grateful for ROTOCON’s support. We have a powerful synergy with them and are dedicated to identifying and recognising our industry’s leaders of tomorrow and paving their way to success.”

The partnership also highlights ROTOCON’s commitment to youth and technology development in the industry. “Despite the challenges that our country’s young people face, there’s immense potential to be unlocked,” Michael says. “Giving back is part of ROTOCON’s DNA. Were committed to the development and mentorship of SA wine’s young movers and shakers.”

Thirty of #sawine’s boldest and brightest young minds will be honoured at an event later this year (date and venue to be confirmed) and will be featured in our June print edition.

“We hope the 30 Under 30 initiative will motivate young people to pursue their ambitions,” Michael says. “We’re excited to again partner with WineLand and recognise the rising stars in our industry.”

[In picture: ROTOCON group CEO Michael Aegenvoort, Dane Smith, Sonwabo Myenda, ROTOCON co-owners Pascal Aegenvoort and John Lomberg, Arnold Cillier, Alta du Toit’s head of finance and human resources Yvette Rijnsburger and general manager Anna-Louise Oliver, Victoria Van Der Ross and Leahano Beukes.]

PDF of article»» as featured in WineLand Magazine

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