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A South African outsourcing firm has announced its entry into the country’s domestic market in a move which will create up to 1,000 new jobs.

Sigma Connected, which offers customer contact centre services, has launched Sigma Connected South Africa with a focus on serving the country’s domestic clients.

Led by Managing Director David Neale, the new venture will support businesses in the telecommunications, retail, insurance, financial services, government and logistics industries.

The launch of the new business will see the opening of a new headquarters in the Cape Town suburb of Woodstock, and a contact centre in the Cape Flats, Mitchells Plain.

The business will be part of the wider Sigma Connected Group, which has been serving the international energy market from its bases in Diep River and the Retreat areas of Cape Town. Owned by the Johannesburg-based Digicall Group, six businesses from Digicall will also be incorporated into the Sigma Connected South Africa brand.

A total of 320 Digicall staff in Johannesburg and Cape Town will also join Sigma Connected South Africa.

Mr Neale, who has worked in the GBS industry for 11 years, has established an experienced senior management team to help launch the new venture.

He said: "As a hugely experienced and South African-owned business, we are delighted to launch this new venture to solely serve and concentrate on the domestic market in South Africa.

"There are already 200 staff housed in our new headquarters in Woodstock, which benefits from an excellent public transport network which makes it easier for our staff to travel to and from work.

"We are also very proud to be the first ever GBS to establish ourselves in the Cape Flats area of Mitchells Plain taking the job opportunities to where the workforce is. This will cut down on the need for costly travel for them and also enable us to support the community where our employees live. Working in partnership with Shadow Careers, we have created over 120 new jobs already and the ultimate aim is to triple in size by growing existing business and winning new contracts across the country – adding more than a thousand new jobs over the next three years.

"It is part of Sigma’s ethos to provide jobs for local people, and we have built up an amazing team already. As we grow the business going forward, we will recruit through Impact Sourcing so we can provide employment opportunities for the excluded youth and people from disadvantaged backgrounds who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to work in this environment."

Gary Gilburd, CEO of the Sigma Connected Group added: "As a Group we are expanding at a fast pace on an international scale and this is no different in South Africa where our growth continues.

"Led by the hugely experienced David Neale, the launch of Sigma Connected South Africa perfectly complements our plans to move into new regions but most of all, it allows us to bring our global outsourcing and contact centre experience to support South African businesses grow and thrive.

"Being part of the Digicall Group gives us a unique position in the South African market and will allow us to hit the ground running."

Franco Cotumaccio, co-founder of Shadow Careers said: "Shadow Careers is delighted that its partner in Impact Sourcing, Sigma Connected, has shared in the innovative vision of placing its business closer to the homes of its people, by extending their operations to Mitchells Plain. With offices in the same building, we look forward to supporting them in this next stage of their growth by sourcing high potential talent to support and sustainably uplift youth employment in these previously excluded communities."

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