The Black Business Council (BBC) is excited to have partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) to advance Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment and to promote the Black Industrialists programme. These programmes are geared towards black business owners in manufacturing. The BBC is spearheading Radical Economic Transformation to tackle the lack of economic change in South Africa.
“In our presentation to Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance (SCOF) hearings into the financial sector we pleaded that Black Industrialists must be funded and get all the support to make their ventures successful. We agree with Minister Davies that the funding was appropriated in the department’s budget and was paid “to strengthen and promote advocacy and the roll-out of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Amendment Act, and in particular, the Black Industrialist Programme” said Danisa Baloyi, BBC President
“It is unfortunate that the Democratic Alliance (DA) is blind to the fact that the BBC was born out of the ashes of apartheid system that protected the ones [generationally] who benefited from it. We are not just any other Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) as the DA suggests.”
“The BBC’s Radical Economic Transformation programme recognizes the history of apartheid’s economic exclusion and deprivation. The primary objective of the Black Industrialist Programme is to assist those who have demonstrated unselfish achievements within the business environment and service to the Black business community. We agree with The dti Director General, Lionel October that a strong black business lobby group that would help Government to empower businesses, create entrepreneurs and help formulate the Black Industrialist Programme is sorely needed. The BBC appreciates the funding but is of the view that more could be done to reverse the legacy of apartheid. Lastly, we plead that Black Industrialist Development Programme must be sufficiently funded by The dti in support of National Treasury.” Said Baloyi
