Dear colleagues and friends at ZZ2

We come together this day as part of the nationwide and international mourning of the death of the leader of our nation and past President of South Africa, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

We want to express our heartfelt condolences to his wife Graca Machel his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and to the rest of his family and the people that were close to him. We also think about the millions of people that were close to him. We also think about the millions of people that saw him as their liberator and symbol of hope for a better future. We also acknowledge billions of people worldwide inspired by his meaningful life. Our hearts are filled with sorrow and emptiness with the loss of this selfless, humble and affirming servant of his people. At the same time our hearts are also overflowing with a deep feeling of gratitude for having the privilege to have shared in our lifetime the real and live inspiration of a prudent and fortitudinous, towering leader like Madiba.

He has lived as a Great Man in our lifetime and has influenced all of us since his release from jail on the 11th of February 1990. Although most of us did not meet him personally many of us experienced his presence and magnanimous leadership as if we did indeed know him very well. He dreamt of a new South Africa where everybody should have equal opportunities without discrimination based on race, colour, creed or religion. During his lifetime he dedicated his life to the struggle of the African people. He has fought against white domination and he has fought against black domination. He has cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. He said it is an ideal which he hoped to live for and to see it realised. But he also said, if it needs be, it was an ideal which he was prepared to die for. These were his words at the Rivonia trial in June 1964. He also said the invincibility of the cause of freedom and the certainty of the final victory are the impenetrable armour of those who consistently uphold the faith in freedom and justice in spite of political persecution. At his inauguration as first black President of South Africa he said “Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.”

His life and the example he set to us had, still have and probably will continue to have a profound influence on the community of ZZ2. In the spirit of his ideals of an open society we at ZZ2 have established a business system that strives to create a community and a home for all it’s people. Our inspiration is to be the benchmark of success in agriculture as a living, open system creating value for all our stakeholders. Our stakeholders are: our customers consuming or using our products, -suppliers providing us with their goods and services, -trading partners selling our products, -government on all three levels of local, provincial and national that provides us an enabling environment with services and protection, the communities within which we live, the natural environment in which we dwell, -employees working to fulfill ZZ2’s value proposition and our shareholders that invested with confidence in the future of our company. Our vision is to become what we can as a value driven organisation. We believe that we should create our own future and not to wait for somebody else to do it for us. We believe we should think about the people around us and to affirm them rather than caring only about ourselves. We also believe we should be focussing our attention to the world around us and to adapt to change in a principled, thoughtful, wise and dedicated way. We also believe in upholding social morals where people are given equal opportunity and treated with respect and dignity. We believe in building trust based on truthfulness and authenticity. These are the virtues that were re-discovered in the wake of the new South Africa by ZZ2.

We hope that Nelson Mandela’s selfless devotion to the ideals of an ethical society will continue to inspire us and all our leaders, now and in the future, to uphold the values and ethical norms of an orderly and civilized society: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance.

In conclusion: May the soul of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela rest in peace. May we remember his death on the 5th of December 2013 together with his birth on 18th of July 1918. May God bless us as his people with the real freedom of selfless devotion to a better future for all. May God also bless our company ZZ2 and it’s people.

We thank you on behalf of all the people of ZZ2.

T.D. van Zyl.

CEO

ZZ2