The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies will address the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Commission’s annual conference that will take place at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng Province, on Thursday, 15 March 2018.
The theme of the conference, Improving State Procurement for Real Empowerment is aimed at finding effective ways for the state to make B-BBEE a reality for black South Africans and to achieve the objectives of the B-BBEE Act.
Minister Davies, who will be joined by his deputy, Mr Bulelani Magwanishe and the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry, Ms Joan Fubbs, will deliver the main address at the conference. He is expected to reflect on the commission’s progress in accelerating B-BBEE so far through its investigations and findings, and compliance work aimed at assisting entities to implement B-BBEE correctly and more effectively. Deputy Minister Magwanishe will cover the extent to which the state has progressed in giving effect to B-BBEE, including the statistics on compliance reports submitted by state entities and departments as required by the B-BBEE Act.
Accounting officers, procurement officers and chief operating officers from all spheres of government, state-owned entities and the private sector are expected to exchange views on what is expected of them in practice in as far as the implementation of the B-BBEE Act is concerned. So far, over 800 delegates have confirmed participation.
According to the Commissioner of the B-BBEE Commission, Ms Zodwa Ntuli, the conference will focus on state procurement, grants, incentives, licensing and concessions as means to achieve real economic transformation and provide black people with access to opportunities. It will provide a cordial platform to engage with a view to improve delivery against the objectives of the B-BBEE Act.
“The B-BBEE can be utilised to bring about economic transformation and access to opportunities and markets by black people through procurement, grants, incentives, licensing and other concessions, and processes within the state must align fully with this purpose. One of the main threats to the success of B-BBEE in addition to fronting is that most state entities and departments are far from integrating B-BBEE in these processes, creating a fertile ground for fronting practices, ” said Ntuli.
Members of the B-BBEE Commission on Legal and Compliance Committee, Ms Zandile Mpungose and Lindie Lankalebalelo, and a member of the B-BBEE Commission Enforcement Committee, Ms Siyasanga Wotshela will lead the panel discussions that will look at whether government applies Sections 9 and 10 of the B-BBEE Act effectively to advance black-owned enterprises and entrepreneurs, as well as interventions that can be implemented to address challenges faced by black-owned enterprises and entrepreneurs when engaging with government procurement processes.
Other speakers are Tanya Cohen of Black Unity South Africa (BUSA), Mthunzi Mncane of Black Management Forum (BMF), Takalani Tambani of the dti’s Black Industrialist Programme, Mlungisi Manci of the Presidential BEE Advisory Council, Willie Mathebula of the National Treasury, Xolile George of South Africa Local Government Association (SALGA), Dennis Mlambo of SOE Procurement Forum, Dumile Cele of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Khosi Mdletshe of the KwaZulu-Natal Economic Development Department and Tsakani Ratsela of the Auditor-General. Mr PJ Veldhuizen, member of the Legal and Compliance Committee and Mr Lutendo Sigogo, Chairperson of the Enforcement Committee of the B-BBEE Commission will present awards in recognition of good effort by five entities on various B-BBEE aspects.
The B-BBEE Commission was established in terms of Section 13B of the amended B-BBEE Act No 46 of 2013. The Commission’s mandate, amongst others, is to supervise and encourage adherence to the B-BBEE Act in the interest of the public, to promote good governance and accountability by creating an effective and efficient environment for the promotion and implementation of the objectives of broad-based black economic empowerment.