As the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) is looking at revising its approach to transformation compliance monitoring, it should ensure that companies adhere to every aspect covered in the revised B-BBEE codes.
What has emerged in a recently-concluded Transform SA study of reports which companies submit to demonstrate their commitment to compliance is that there is more focus on preferential procurement, employment equity and skills development, while enterprise development is conveniently overlooked. A more valid explanation behind this could be that companies can easily ‘window-dress’ the three areas while in enterprise development they might have to provide a concrete example of a self-sustaining black-owned company that they have helped nurture.
With regards to enterprise development, to be frank, it takes a huge sacrifice in terms of resources and time to groom a small business. And in the current economic times where “cost cutting” is the trend, companies would be tempted to rather focus on their own survival than bring another burden.
However, still, the performance of companies – not their score card – on paper in the areas they prefer to focus on is far from impressive. Sadly, it has been established that some ‘smart’ organisations cook statistics to give a semblance of commitment.
No doubt, the dti has to crack the whip to ensure that no stone is left unturned in transformation. Companies cannot be selective in which areas of the B-BBEE codes they can fulfil.