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About us
Cables 4 Africa Holdings Limited is an investment holding company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, committed to manufacturing and supplying high-standard electrical products while driving socio-economic development in South Africa.
Leadership
Board of
Directors.
The Board brings together visionary leaders and industry experts who shape our strategic direction and uphold our commitment to responsible growth. Through rigorous oversight and collaborative counsel, they ensure we balance ambitious innovation with operational excellence.
Executive directors
Chief Executive Officer
Andre Smith
Higher National Diploma: Mechanical Engineering
Andre is a qualified mechanical engineer with 30 years of experience in the cable industry. He has been employed in several senior management and executive positions in the manufacturing, sales, export, and technical areas of the industry.
Chief Financial Officer
Werner Basson
BAcc, BAcc (Hons), CA(SA)
Werner is a qualified chartered accountant who completed his articles at one of the ‘big four’ audit and advisory firms. He later gained managerial experience with the firm before joining a JSE-listed group as CFO in 2012.
Non-executive directors
Independent Non-Executive Director & Deputy Vice Chairperson
Lawrence Chen
MSc (Industrial and System Engineering) (USA)
Lawrence began his career in Hong Kong’s equity capital market, where he worked on the marketing strategy for and execution of IPOs and SPOs.
Independent Non-Executive Director
Natasha Lalla
BCom, BCom (Hons), CA(SA)
A chartered accountant, member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, and member of the Institute of Internal Auditors of South Africa, Natasha also holds a post-graduate diploma in Advanced Banking (2003) and a certificate in International Treasury (2012).
Independent Non-Executive Director
Jen-Hao (Kevin) Yeh
BSc (Actuarial Science)
Kevin is a certified financial planner, a member of the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa, and a Top of the Table member of the Million Dollar Round Table.
Non-Executive Director
Johannes Van Rensburg
BCom (Acc), BCom (Hons), M Com Bus Management
Johannes has been a director and partner at Eureka DIY Solutions for the past twenty years. He and his sales team have been pivotal in developing the company from a small start-up into the powerhouse it is today.
Non-Executive Director
Matthew (Matt) Hohman
Chief Legal and Strategy Officer, CEO of Solv Africa
Matt is Chief Legal and Strategy Officer at SOLV Holdings, overseeing strategy and legal matters for its 20 companies. He is also CEO of Solv Africa, managing SOLV’s African investments. He joined the Board as a non-executive director on 10 March 2025.
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Matt has served as a C-level executive or partner for 20 years. He has led expansive growth at multiple companies, including leading numerous mergers and acquisitions.
How we’re organised
Group
structure.
Cables 4 Africa (formerly South Ocean Electric Wire Company (Pty) Ltd) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cables 4 Africa Holdings. It is a manufacturer and distributor of low voltage electrical cables, selling to wholesalers and distributors.
- Employs in excess of 420 people
- Based in Alrode, south of Johannesburg
- Products are 100% locally manufactured, and the company supports local raw material suppliers
Cables 4 Africa Holdings LimitedListed on the JSE
Our timeline
Company
history.
From modest beginnings in the Eastern Cape to a JSE-listed industrial powerhouse in Gauteng, our journey reflects South African industrial growth.
South Ocean Electric Wire established in King William’s Town by Edward Pan
Hong-Tai (Taiwan) becomes strategic shareholder
Property acquired in Alrode, Gauteng
Relocated to Alrode to be closer to customers and suppliers
Listed on the JSE; acquired Radiant Group
Group turnover exceeds R1 billion
Expanded production facilities; Mr Pan retires
Turnover exceeds R2 billion; BEE shareholder investment
Divested Radiant Group to Eurolux
South Ocean Electric Wire becomes Cables 4 Africa, and South Ocean Holdings becomes Cables 4 Africa Holdings
True potential
Our company
values.
Committed to manufacture, import and supply consistent high-standard quality products to the market whilst providing excellent customer service and creating an environment that develops our employees to attain their true potential.
Maintain exceptional customer relationships.
Show concern for people, support our colleagues and encourage growth and development.
Believe that open and honest debate is the appropriate process to test decisions, seek consensus and accept responsibility.
Meet and exceed our customers’ short- and long-term requirements.
Monitor market changes and take subsequent action to the benefit of our customers.
Practise manufacturing methods which minimise any potential harmful impact on the environment.
Involve, develop and advance all our employees to their full potential.
Value the health and safety of our employees and create a safe environment within which they can operate.
Corporate social responsibility
A successful company
in a successful society.
Cables 4 Africa Holdings strives to be a successful company that contributes to creating and sustaining socio-economic development in South Africa. It has all of the appropriate structures, policies and procedures in place to achieve this.
Employment Equity Committee
Cables 4 Africa Holdings monitors adherence with the Employment Equity Act on an ongoing basis through its Employment Equity Committee, which is made up of a senior management representative, a shop steward and elected employee representatives for the different categories of staff. The Group is committed to ensuring that its workforce profile mirrors the demographics of the country.
Unfair discrimination in the workplace is actively discouraged, and where instances of such discrimination are encountered, management acts decisively as soon as the matter has been raised.
Whenever there are vacancies within the Group, preference is given to existing employees in order to maintain continuity and a smooth equity management process.
B-BBEE
Cables 4 Africa Holdings regards B-BBEE and transformation as essential to achieving its key strategic objectives. The Group has therefore consistently made improvements to its B-BBEE score.
In the area of preferential procurement, the Group has considerably increased its spend with key categories of supplier, including black-owned businesses (businesses with a 51% or higher black ownership), companies owned by black women (with a 30% or higher black female ownership), and companies that are defined as Qualifying Small Enterprises (QSE) and Exempt Micro Enterprises (EME). These efforts are supported by a formal supplier development programme. The Group is optimistic that it will be able to improve on this further during the current period.
Corporate Social Investment
Cables 4 Africa Holdings is committed to making sustainable contributions to and uplifting communities in the areas in which it operates. The Group does this primarily through a process of enterprise development, which is facilitated by accelerating the sustainability and financial independence of black-owned enterprises. This is supported by additional financial assistance for community-based development programmes, such as the New Beginnings Care Centre (NBCC).
Political party policy
Cables 4 Africa Holdings endorses the principles and institutions that support a free and democratic society. However, it is the Group’s policy not to make any donations to or in favour of any political party.
New Beginnings Care Centre (NBCC)
The primary beneficiary of the Group’s socio-economic development programme is the NBCC, which is situated in Boksburg, and offers a range of services aimed at stabilising and empowering destitute individuals. The centre, which has an average residency rate of 300 individuals, provides homeless people of all ages with accommodation, food and structured programmes designed to assist them in integrating back into mainstream society.
As part of this process, it provides a crèche and educational support for children under 18, and helps adult residents to find jobs that will enable them to regain their independence and rebuild their lives. The NBCC also offers a rehabilitation programme to individuals who are struggling with substance abuse, and distributes food on a daily basis to 120 community feeding schemes. The Group sources all of its casual and part-time labour from the NBCC and is proud to be part of an initiative that is making a difference in so many lives.
Enterprise Development
Enterprise development is another critical focus, as it is a powerful means of creating jobs and alleviating poverty. The Group focuses in particular on supporting sustainable businesses owned by black people, especially black women. It assists identified beneficiaries by donating stock, which can then be sold to their customers at a profit. The Group has continued to do this despite facing some of the most financially challenging times it has ever faced in recent years.
Human Rights
The Group ensures that all employees are afforded the dignity and respect they deserve as enshrined in the Bill of Rights. It diligently ensures that none of its policies and procedures infringe on the rights of employees as articulated in all applicable legislation.
Child Labour
Cables 4 Africa Holdings procures materials, products and services from a number of suppliers who are domiciled in various jurisdictions, each governed by a different legislative framework. The Group strongly rejects the use of child labour by any of its suppliers as this is a violation of human rights. While monitoring labour practices across a wide range of suppliers in foreign jurisdictions can be difficult, to date the Group has not encountered any instances of the use of child labour amongst its suppliers.
Policies
Code of Ethics
& privacy.
The standards we hold ourselves to, and how we look after the personal information entrusted to us.