LOYISO BALA IS FAIRTRADE BRAND AMBASSADOR!
30.04.2012 - We are proud to announce that on 24 April 2012, SAMA award-winning musician Loyiso Bala took the honorary role as South Africa’s first Fairtrade brand ambassador. As an ambassador for Fairtrade, Loyiso has undertaken to actively support Fairtrade and to help us increase awareness of the Fairtrade label among local consumers.
To experience first-hand the workings on a Fairtrade farm, Loyiso and his wife Jennifer Bala spent the day at Fransmanskraal farm, supplier of Fairtrade wine grapes to Distell’s Place in the Sun wines. Loyiso, sporting a PUMA Fairtrade outfit spent the day speaking with farmworkers and visiting some of the farms social projects that are financed through the Fairtrade Premium, including a crèche on the farm. The Fairtrade Premium is paid by Distell to farmworkers on Fransmanskraal, which is a requirement for Fairtrade certification. Other projects on the farm include the financing of school fees and uniforms, the provision of satellite TV and the establishment of a vegetable garden for the community living on the farm.
Charl Wenn, Chairman of the Fransmanskraal farmworker governing body, told Loyiso that “Fairtrade starts a pride in farmworkers that goes beyond the Fairtrade premium, as workers are more motivated because they have a vested interested in the farm”. He continued to say that “as part of the Fairtrade Premium we can now watch the Super 14 rugby in our own homes with the satellite dishes that we’ve had installed”.
Loyiso joins many other international ambassadors for Fairtrade including Irish singer Bob Geldof and English actress Emma Watson, most famous for her role in Harry Potter. When welcoming Loyiso as an ambassador Boudewijn Goossens, Executive Director of Fairtrade Label South Africa, said “On behalf of Fairtrade workers and producers, I congratulate Loyiso on his ambassadorship with Fairtrade”. Mr Goossens continued to say that “we are glad that we have the support of a well-know and respected South African and we look forward to seeing more consumers following in Loyiso’s footsteps in supporting this initiative for a more equal and sustainable Africa”.
Speaking about his new role and about what being a Fairtrade brand ambassador means, Loyiso said “Being a brand ambassador isn’t just about putting your name to a brand, I firmly believe that it should resonate with you as a person and what you believe in”. Loyiso went on to say that “when meeting Charl Wenn, a fourth generation farm worker on Fransmankraal farm, I really understood the significance of Fairtrade and how it empowers farmworkers". He ended off by saying “I look forward to standing here in a year’s time to show you how, as an ambassador, I have contributed to increasing awareness around Fairtrade in South Africa."
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