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Ben Bierman | 22 January 2023 Whether you think of them as New Year’s resolutions, personal and professional commitments or a business wish list, dedicating time to setting goals is a key component of building a small and medium enterprise. Photo: File The start of the year presents an ideal opportunity for reflection – a chance to pause and regroup before jumping head-first into the hustle and bustle of another year. Whether you think of them as New Year’s resolutions, personal and professional commitments or a business wish list, dedicating time to setting goals is a key component of building a small and medium enterprise (SME) that can survive and thrive in times of uncertainty. These five resolutions are a great way to start: Put sustainability top of mind Climate resilience will be top of mind for business leaders heading into 2023, with the world fast approaching its 2030 net-zero deadline. This year, focus on becoming more sustainable in terms of manufacturing, production, the day-to-day running of your office, the way employees are trained and supported, and how your SME is contributing to broader objectives such as social upliftment. It will take time for the world to develop a truly “sustainable-first” mindset, but these are formative years for the next phase of socio-economic development. For this reason, it’s important to get a head start and make sure you’re strategically positioned to deliver on your sustainability commitments and objectives. Harness the power of testimonials Shopping is becoming more social. That’s both true in a literal sense – with social media platforms making their foray into the e-commerce space, and in the sense that digital technology has breathed new life into word-of-mouth marketing. This year, find creative ways to encourage your customers to share their feedback through reviews, referrals and testimonials. You could consider formulating a customer feedback strategy that includes follow-ups with customers, requests for reviews and adding that all-important credibility to your marketing collateral such as newsletters and brochures. Find ways to enhance entrepreneurial grit An increasing number of experts are pointing to “grit” as one of the most important traits for entrepreneurs, with several academic studies finding a correlation between grit and success. Thought leaders like psychologist, Angela Duckworth and behavioural scientist, Dr Pragya Agarwal argue that in its simplest form, “grit” is unrelenting perseverance – an unwavering commitment to and passion for achieving goals despite hardship, setbacks or barriers. This year, you can nurture grit as an entrepreneur by making your goals measurable and scheduling regular check-ins with yourself and your team to monitor how you are progressing toward your goals. This may be your year for redefining what failure means to you – actively seeking out the hidden lessons in the roadblocks you face, write them down and consult that list as a list of wins. Grit also requires focus – keep your “eye on the prize” this year by using your growth plan as a roadmap to commit to, and be sure to avoid distractions or the temptation to chase after “quick fixes”. Focus on customer experience Nothing will be more paramount to success in 2023 than the customer experience; or CX as it has become known. As a small business therefore, the best investment you can make in terms of time, money and effort is to analyse every step of your customer journey; both in-store and digitally. Examine your unique selling proposition – are you delivering on your promise to your customers? Consider whether your payment processing is tailored towards convenience, safety and reliability. Look at your marketing strategy – are you practising social listening and solving for a real need, or are you bombarding your customers with unnecessary product information? These are some of the factors you need to consider. Engage in important discussions As a South African SME owner, your experience is invaluable to the progress and development of the sector. Your on-the-ground experience of how consumers think, what matters to them, what your greatest challenges are as a business and your suggested solutions, are important insights for industry stakeholders. In 2023, resolve to share your experience, not only as a way of helping financiers, incubators, mentors and policy-makers to fine-tune their services or policies, but also to help other aspiring entrepreneurs as they enter the market. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/economy/5-new-years-resolutions-for-sa-small-business-owners-and-entrepreneurs-1bd39894-512c-4524-9783-bc176202629a

Andile Ntingi | 23 January 2023 It remains to be seen whether it is too early to start writing the obituary of BEE, says the writer. Picture: 123RF If staunch supporters of BEE policy have not yet hit the panic button over the legal and regulatory setbacks suffered by the policy, they had better do so now. There is a concerted pushback under way against BEE, not just to roll it back but to end it. Resistance to BEE is gaining momentum despite the failure of the policy to alter the ownership patterns of the SA economy, which is still overwhelmingly dominated by white-owned businesses, foreign multinationals and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) nearly 30 years after the end of apartheid. In response to calls for BEE to be scrapped or drastically amended, which grew louder in November, President Cyril Ramaphosa defended the policy, arguing that the fate of black people cannot be left to the markets and that a policy intervention such as BEE is still needed to bring black people into the mainstream economy. While Ramaphosa did his best to allay fears over the policy being abandoned, there is no denying that BEE is losing credibility in the eyes of many South Africans because of its unintended consequences and its failure to uplift the majority of intended beneficiaries. The pushback against BEE happens at a time when there is a rise of organised extortion groups that are demanding to be given contracts or paid bribes in various sectors of the economy, including mining, construction and transport, under the guise of enforcing BEE compliance in those industries. These extortionist groups, which in some instances use violence and threats to achieve their goals, are a clear impediment to economic activity and attracting investment, risking SA’s economic prosperity. First setback The first major setback BEE suffered was in 2018 when the high court in Pretoria ruled in favour of the Chamber of Mines and against the department of mineral resources & energy in a matter concerning the “once empowered, always empowered” principle. The chamber, which is now called the Minerals Council SA, was seeking a declaratory order to have the “once empowered, always empowered” principle adopted as law ahead of the implementation of Mining Charter III, also known as the Broad-based Socio-economic Empowerment Charter for the Mining & Metals Industry. This court judgment in effect recognised the continuing consequences of previous BEE ownership transactions, implying that mining companies were not obliged to perpetually replace black investment partners in the event the original partners sold their shares. The ruling also meant mining companies could retain their black ownership status and mining licences after the exit of black shareholders. This court victory bolstered resistance to BEE in other heavily regulated sectors such as financial services, where there was a push for the adoption of the “once, empowered, always empowered” principle. There has been a dearth of major BEE deals since before the 2008 global economic crisis due to companies resisting having to redo BEE transactions. Second setback After BEE deals dried up as a source of wealth accumulation after the 2009 global economic crisis, prominent black people who could no longer lean on their political connections to acquire stakes in large, white-controlled companies had to find an alternative source of generating wealth. Their next target was procurement, where they took advantage of preferential procurement regulations to access lucrative government tenders. Many of these politically connected people became wealthy middlemen, selling goods to the state at huge markups, something that would have been impossible to achieve if these goods were purchased directly from the manufacturers or retailers. In 2017 the National Treasury introduced preferential procurement regulations that disqualified BEE-noncompliant suppliers from bidding for government tenders. This action resulted in business group Sakeliga launching a lawsuit to challenge the enforcement of the regulations on the basis that they were unlawful and did not promote “value for money” procurement of goods and services by the government. The litigation by Sakeliga resulted in BEE suffering its second major setback when the Constitutional Court ruled in favour of the business group in January last year. This judgment forced the National Treasury to gazette new procurement rules in November, which exempt government entities from being legally obliged to comply with BEE and local content regulations when purchasing goods or contracting service providers, if that noncompliance makes commercial sense. The biggest implication of this judgment is that local and black suppliers must compete on price and quality to access tenders. The ruling will also result in the state minimising wastage when procuring goods and services. In 2016, former chief procurement officer Kenneth Brown revealed that 40% of the government’s R600bn annual spending on goods and services was eaten up by fraud, which manifested in grossly inflated prices charged by suppliers. The new regulations came into effect on January 16. Recommendations But do these setbacks mean BEE is in its sunset or termination phase? There are people who believe the policy’s days are numbered, and I agree that it cannot carry on in its current form. It must be reformed to inculcate a culture of entrepreneurship in black communities and contribute to employment creation and economic growth. I believe the following interventions can make BEE more effective: There must be a concerted effort to position development finance institutions such as the National Empowerment Fund and Industrial Development Corporation to help black entrepreneurs acquire businesses in industries they have operational experience in. During the apartheid era an institution known as the Bantu Investment Corporation funded the acquisition and transfer of white-owned businesses to black entrepreneurs. The government must consider introducing tender set-asides that ring fence at least 20%-30% of the procurement of goods and services to be sourced from black suppliers that are the primary producers of those goods and services. Tender set-asides have been successfully implemented in Malaysia and the US. In the US set-asides are used to empower ethnic minorities such as African Americans, indigenous tribes and Hispanics, while in Malaysia set-asides are used to benefit the Bumiputeras (ethnic Malays), who make up 67.4% of that country’s population. Like SA, the US economy is dominated by white capitalists, while the Malaysian economy is largely controlled by ethnic Chinese. African American scholar Bessie House-Soremekun concluded in a research paper that entrepreneurs who benefited from set-asides in the US were more successful than those who didn’t. The private sector must embrace the elements of BEE that encourage the development of skills and small businesses. Key pillars of BEE such as skills development, and enterprise and supplier development must be retained in an amended BEE policy. The enterprise and supplier development element, which encourages large corporates to fund black businesses or procure from 51% black-owned companies with revenues not exceeding R50m, is critical in developing small, medium and micro enterprises. As a country we cannot do away with it. It remains to be seen whether it is too early to start writing the obituary of BEE. Will those seeking to kill the policy prevail over those defending it, or can it be successfully reformed? One thing is clear to me: BEE cannot survive in its current form. • Ntingi is the founder of GetBiz. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/2023-01-23-andile-ntingi-is-bee-here-to-stay-or-is-it-facing-its-demise/

Sunday World | 22 January 2023 BLACK BUSINESS COUNCIL (BBC) CEO Kganki Matabane. When Kganki Matabane took over as Black Business Council (BBC) chief executive in December 2017, it was “broken”, and he believes he has rebuilt its credibility over the past four years. “BBC was broken, including owing money to suppliers and employees. However, I stabilised the BBC,” Matabane told Sunday World during an interview. “When I joined the BBC, no one wanted to touch it either in government, in business or among prospective sponsors. It was risky because the BBC did not have money. When I joined, and during the first three months, I did not get a salary,” he added. “I rebuilt the BBC’s credibility. We are now involved in all major decision-making in the country. For example, we get consulted before the state of the nation or a cabinet reshuffle. We get consulted before companies appoint chief executives,” Matabane said. When he agreed to take on the role of BBC CEO, he wanted to make a broader contribution. He added that the BBC aimed to put economic transformation at the centre of local debate. However, Matabane said the state had neglected black economic empowerment (BEE). “Government only started to take it seriously again last year when we had a summit and invited the president,” he added. “The private sector is not taking transformation seriously because if the government is not taking it seriously, neither will the private sector.” He added that the last time the government took BEE seriously was when Thabo Mbeki was president. “If you look at the black millionaires and billionaires; over 90% were created during Thabo Mbeki’s time. Unfortunately, those people are getting old and retiring. The challenge is to create new ones,” Matabane said. He added the private sector engaged in BEE box-ticking exercises. “They are doing it for compliance rather than in the spirit that in South Africa, we have a certain history, and that needs rectification,” Matabane said. He said black people only owned a small fraction of the economy. “If you look at the government’s employment equity report, chief executives of JSE companies almost 70% were white males. Something is not right. In South Africa, if you cannot empower the majority, that is a threat to democracy,” Matabane said. He said his leadership style allowed people to try things and make mistakes. “I try not to be harsh. Instead, I am patient with people when they make mistakes. In that way, people become loyal,” he added. Matabane said he had worked with several BBC presidents. “I have learnt to adapt to different characters and styles. I have needed to be diverse in my thinking and flexible while respecting different people,” he added. He pointed out that everyone needed mentors who could tell them the truth and help them avoid blind spots. “You should not surround yourself with ‘yes’ men or women,” he added. Matabane has also worked for Business Unity SA, the Black Management Forum, City Power, Transnet and Anglo American Platinum. He started his career as an assistant teacher. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://sundayworld.co.za/business/c-suite/new-broom-sweeps-clean-at-bbc/

Tasneem Adams | 21 January 2023 Matriculants from St John's College celebrate their results. Refiloe Mpakanyane speaks to network mobiliser at Youth Capital, Lethiwe Sinodumiso Nkosi about the future of work, employment, and entrepreneurship for South African youth following the recent release of matric results. While some matriculants will be accepted into university, some may explore the option of taking a gap year and seeking job and entrepreneurial opportunities or even re-writing their exams. For many newly matriculated youth, there's very little options or help to find their way. Youth Capital is a youth-led campaign that combines data with young people’s lived stories to shift gears on youth unemployment. The organisation was initiated in 2018 to assist young people with the stumbling blocks between exiting their place of learning to entering the labour market. Their focus is on supporting youth to become economically productive. Youth Capital network mobiliser Lethiwe Sinodumiso Nkosi said these roadblocks usually start at school with some learners not being able to obtain their national senior certificate due to various reasons. And once they're on the hunt for employment, the financial struggle becomes all too real. "Young people need money to apply for work. We advocate for sites where youth can look for work without using their own data. We also know that many youth don't have strong social connections. Many come from households where very few adults are working and they don't have someone to speak to. There's no mentors they can reach out to navigate the transition from leaving school to entering the job market." Lethiwe Sinodumiso Nkosi, network mobiliser at Youth Capital Another obstacle is the requirement of working experience. "Many youth will knock on doors and they're told they need 5 years of experience, which they don't have. We need to configure that expectation and look at informal experience like volunteer work." Lethiwe Sinodumiso Nkosi, network mobiliser at Youth Capital Nkosi has stressed the need for ordinary South Africans to play their role in helping youth figure out the next steps in their lives. "When we have this conversation, we should not just celebrate the pass rate, but think about who did not make it and help them get their matric certificate so they stand a chance to become economically productive." Lethiwe Sinodumiso Nkosi, network mobiliser at Youth Capital ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://www.capetalk.co.za/articles/464866/how-matrics-can-become-economically-productive

Glorious Sefako-Musi | 20 January 2023 Image: sabc news The South African Judiciary Sakeliga, a business lobbying group, says it will monitor state organs’ adherence to a constitutional court ruling allowing all organs of state freedom to determine their own preferential procurement policies. From this year, any organ of the state can decide whether they want to pursue a value-for-money procurement policy or black empowerment, or even localisation. This comes after the Constitutional Court declared the 2017 Preferential Procurement Framework Act Regulations unconstitutional and illegal and called for new legislation to be enacted. This new legislation came into effect this year, allowing for procurement regulations without black economic empowerment (BEE) and local content requirements for all organs of the state. This means organs of state should stop the practice of applying BEE pre-disqualification to tenders. Sakeliga says failure to stop such practices that rely on unlawful procurement regulations would render any tender awarded by an organ of state open to judicial review and litigation. ConCourt ruling allows state entities to determine own preferential procurement policies The lobby group says it will monitor and head to court if necessary government veers from decentralised procurement. “it will essentially be up to businesses and chambers of commerce and other associations to ensure that government doesn’t meddle, central government doesn’t meddle in the procurement policies of organs of state and for say to detract from value for money in procurement, businesses will have to be alert, they’ll have to be vigilant and ensure that value for money procurement is being taken up and taken seriously by organs of state where they tender, so that is what should happen and Sakeliga will monitor the overall situation and if necessary we’ll head to the courts again, see with the public procurement act that is looming, that will violate many of the principles that we’ve now actually for the first time implemented,” says Sakeliga legal officer, Tian Alberts. The Black Business Council says it’s concerned that if National Treasury does not give direction on policy, then the lack of capacity at various organs of state will lead to no policy direction. CEO of the Black Business Council, Kganki Matabane says, “Most of these organs of state don’t have the capacity. So once you leave something to a municipality, they’ll just leave things and do nothing. Once you leave it to other state enterprises that are anti-transformation, they’ll have their own regulation or policy that removes economic transformation and localisation completely. And in our view, that is not necessarily an ideal way of dealing with transformation and localisation. Remember the reason we want localisation is because we are creating jobs in SA at the moment. We have about 70% youth unemployment and by removing localisation, you are actually saying create jobs somewhere else except here.” Matabane says the BBC’s focus for this year is on the Public Procurement Bill which replaces the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act. He says they want the bill to specify targets for the transformation and empowerment of groups like women, young people and people with disabilities to ensure these become part of the act. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/sakeliga-to-monitor-state-organsadherence-to-concourt-ruling-on-preferential-procurement/

Lunga Simelane | 20 January 2023 A sign on a factory gate in Anderbolt, Boksburg. 12 November 2020. Picture: Neil McCartney With the recovery of youth unemployment lagging, it is clear a lot more work still needs to be done. In a response to the Gauteng youth, the oversight committee of the premier’s office and the legislature held a report back session on the commitment made at a youth workshop to address unemployment in January last year. The committee presented its strategies to tackle unemployment and open doors for the youth to enter the mainstream economy as active participants. It noted the status of the youth was desperate and more needed to be done. Quality of education must be improved According to the report, the quality of basic education and outcomes, high pupil drop-out/ failure/repetition rates, creation of employment, support of young entrepreneurs and the self-employed, and the promotion of mental health and well-being needed to be improved. Several other aspects which also required improvement were “teenage pregnancies, gender-based violence and femicide, crime, violence corruption, apathy, social and moral fibre decline and youth in conflict with the law”. The committee detailed its Gauteng Integrated Youth Development Strategy (GIYDS) objective, which included integrating youth development into the mainstream of policies, programme strategies and the provincial budget. The plan was inclusive of five strategic pillars and proposed interventions which would focus on: Quality education, skills and second chances; Economic transformation, entrepreneurship and job creation; Physical and mental health promotion including Covid; Social cohesion and nation-building; and Effective and responsive youth development machinery. “The Youth Directorate in the [object-oriented programming] is the custodian of the GIYDS and it will work closely with the MEC responsible for youth development to coordinate the implementation of the GIYDS 2030, with the support of the Gauteng Youth Advisory Panel,” the report stated. Unemployment a ‘ticking time bomb’ It also revealed the progress on youth employment as at the end of quarter two of 2022-23. In skills development, 310 unemployed youths were trained in automotive skills in collaboration with Tshepo 1million, 98 trained in information and communications technology skills and 38 606 youth participated in skills development programmes. Youth employment progress consisted of 38 561 youth accessing economic opportunities/income generating programmes, 10 226 beneficiaries participated in the welfare to work programme and 573 work opportunities were created through Tshepo 1million. The issue of youth unemployment was a national crisis and viewed as a ticking time bomb. Concerns were raised regarding the efficiency of the Tshepo 1million programme in reducing youth unemployment in Gauteng as several young people weighed in on its ineffectiveness, non-inclusivity and failing system. The unemployment rate among young people was hovering around 68%. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://www.citizen.co.za/news/youth-unemployment-a-ticking-time-bomb/

Phemelo Segoe | 20 January 2023 In 2020, the Department of Higher Education and Training calculated that less than a third of South African adults, some 32.5%, had a matric certificate or its equivalent. Picture: Motshwari Mofokeng In 2020, the Department of Higher Education and Training calculated that less than a third of South African adults, some 32.5%, had a matric certificate or its equivalent. Picture: Motshwari Mofokeng The matric pass rate says a lot about the health of South Africa’s education system. As an indication of the learners who successfully pass Grade 12, it offers insight into whether primary and secondary institutions are serving the needs of their learners, and provides an indication of the number of new graduates who may apply for tertiary studies or enter the job market. This figure doesn’t tell the full story, however. On 20 January, the Department of Basic Education will announce the results of the matric class of 2022. Whether these figures point to a recovery in the wake of the pandemic remains to be seen. Between 2019 and 2020, the pass rate fell by over 5% to 76.2%, and its gains in 2021, by a mere 0.2% percentage points, were so small as to be virtually insignificant. What’s more, researchers feel that the pass rate alone doesn’t reflect the full status of education in South Africa. The “true matric pass rate”, they argue, has to consider the dropout rate. How many learners who started in Grade 1 failed to matriculate 12 years later? The Department of Basic Education puts the dropout rate at between 42 and 56%. The Zero Dropout Campaign puts it closer to 63%, estimating that only 37% of Grade 1 learners ultimately pass Grade 12. In 2020, the Department of Higher Education and Training calculated that less than a third of South African adults, some 32.5%, had a matric certificate or its equivalent. With a matric still serving as the most important qualification for job seekers, these numbers paint an alarming picture. They point to the many millions of South Africans who cannot find employment — the country continues to have one of the highest unemployment rates in the world — and who cannot break intergenerational cycles of poverty. WHAT CAN COMPANIES DO? How can we overcome this? How can we support not only the learners who don’t pass in 2022, but also those who didn’t pass in 2021, in 2020, and the many years that came before? The answer to this question isn’t an easy one. Pointing fingers in any one direction is reductive and counterproductive. In a country like South Africa, which is beset by many complex socio-economic and political issues, it’s best to view responsibility for addressing these problems as shared. Government has its role to play, yes, but so too does civil society and the private sector. If we look to business, it’s clear that there are a variety of advantages available for companies that make the effort to support new and future employees who don’t have a matric. One of the most obvious of these relates to the B-BBEE Scorecard. Businesses that offer skills development programmes for low skilled employees and unemployed community members stand to earn up to 25 points towards their B-BBEE Scorecard. Companies with more than R50 million turnover need to spend 6% of their payroll on skills development to qualify. These skills development initiatives can take a variety of forms, namely the Amended Senior Certificate (ASC), Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET), now known as Adult Education and Training (AET) and finally, learnerships are particularly valuable. With an ASC, learners have a qualification that is recognised as the equivalent of a matric. Through AET, adults who fell off the academic wagon sometime before Grade 9 have access to formal education and through learnerships, employees can gain practical work experience and earn a living while they complete their qualification. Additional B-BBEE points are made available for companies that hire these learners full time once their learnerships are complete. Companies that make this investment are not only helping to address one of South Africa’s critical issues — both in terms of education and employment — but are also likely to improve their business efficiency, productivity and overall performance. Employees who are supported in this way are also likely to feel loyal to a particular company, which reduces the costs associated with a high turnover. The solution, for employee and employer alike, is win-win. Upskilling employees who do not have a matric, or helping new recruits to complete their matric before they come on board, offers a variety of real and tangible benefits. It not only gives individuals a new chance to further their careers and earning potential, but it also helps businesses to grow and thrive, and has the potential to improve South Africa’s economic prospects over the long term. Phemelo Segoe is the Marketing Manager at Optimi Workplace, one of South Africa’s leading education and training providers. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/companies/do-you-know-how-many-people-in-sa-have-a-matric-heres-how-companies-can-change-this-major-problem-in-sa-09c27b7e-7060-4afc-88f7-852a27857cbd

Eye Witness News | 19 January 2023 Outgoing Spar CEO Brett Botten. Picture: Spar South Africa JOHANNESBURG - Three fraudulent loans reported by retailer Spar are believed to be "isolated" incidents, a statement released on Thursday by the company stated. Spar has battled a wave of negative publicity emanating last year, which included allegations it had manipulated the value of stores, fictitious loans, and discriminating against black franchisees. Eyewitness News reported earlier this week that legal firm Harris Nupen Molebatsi Attorneys found widespread fronting and fraud in some Spar franchises. The firm's report also said that black economic empowerment (BEE) loans were used to inflate profit at the retailer. Spar, however, said the report contained "highly confidential" but "unfounded" information regarding allegations of discrimination, but did find "certain areas of improvement" that were being addressed. "Spar would like to reiterate its deep regret over the allegations of discrimination against certain of our retailers." Eight retailers and Spar are currently involved in a "mediation process". FICTITIOUS LOANS Spar's auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers, revealed to the company that a loan they entered into was a reportable irregularity. The loan agreement was entered into between a "willing lender and borrower through a commercial bank", it said. The matter was reported to the Independent Regulatory Board of Auditors (IRBA), which confirmed that an irregularity had taken place. The IRBA's investigation concluded the loan "did not seem to have served any real commercial or economic purpose", and "should not have taken place". Two other transactions of a similar nature were subsequently flagged, the value of which totalled R11 million. The retailer said "adequate steps" were being taken to prevent any losses incurred as a result of the loans. "These loans were isolated and occurred five years ago. This arrangement is not Spar practice and there is no evidence to support any allegations of accounting irregularities with any other loan transactions." Spar CEO Brett Botten is stepping down at the end of the month, and former board chair and CEO Graham O'Connor did not make himself available for re-election. Succession discussions are reportedly under way. "The board believes the changes in respect of non-executive directors adequately addresses any existing shareholder concerns around independence." ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://ewn.co.za/2023/01/19/spar-loans-worth-r11m-flagged-to-regulatory-board

Lindokuhle Sixabayi | 19 Jan 2023 ANC Luthuli House in Pixley Ka Isaka Seme St, Johannesburg. Photo: Supplied The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) appears to have once again found its rusty voice. Mute on growing youth unemployment, deepening inequality and lack of access to opportunities for more than two-thirds of young South Africans, the league’s national leadership put out a statement condemning the DA’s planned march on 25 January to the ANC’s headquarters, Luthuli House, in what can only be described as a vitriolic rant. While their profanity is hardly surprising, I can’t help but spare a thought for the ANCYL as they too are incapable of defending the ANC’s epic failure in managing Eskom and other collapsed state-owned entities (SOEs). The DA’s march to Luthuli House is an opportunity for honest, hardworking South Africans to take their pain and frustrations to the seat of the organisation that orchestrated them. While some people may criticise the DA’s planned march to Luthuli House and want to dismiss it as politicking, the truth is that South Africa’s economic woes are solely a result of the ANC’s corruption, bad policies and patronage. The DA has for years called out the ANC’s cadre deployment policy which sits at the heart of the systematic destruction of our SOEs, including Eskom. The DA warned against broad-based black economic empowerment, which continues to enrich a select group of ANC-linked fatcats through inflated government contracts. These red flags were sadly ignored by the kleptocratic ANC-led government, resulting in 15 years of rolling blackouts. The ANCYL does not have to take my word on the horrifying state of our country’s SOEs, all they have to do is look at the Zondo commission of inquiry report on state capture. Here, the ANC’s dirty laundry is laid bare for the world to see. The report narrates countless horrifying accounts of fraud and corruption by ANC cadres at Eskom, including instances where major contracts were organised for the fortuitous benefit of their beloved Gupta family. The ANCYL’s attempt to downplay the simple and clear fact that their party led us all to this point is quite laughable. The comic relief doesn’t end there. They go on to admit that our energy crisis is a “national crisis”. Well, of course, it is a crisis. But not a natural disaster like Covid-19 or major like the Durban floods. It is simply the result of the ANC’s neglect, incompetence, mismanagement and corruption. The country has been dealing with load-shedding for over 15 years now, yet we have never seen the ANCYL standing up against this catastrophe. The DA is offering them an opportunity to fulfil their generational mission by actually doing something that positively impacts the lives and livelihoods of young people across South Africa. Join the march to Luthuli House. However, it seems that the ANCYL is more invested in the ANC’s factional politics than the economic upliftment of young people. Shady old-looking folks who seemingly always fool us into believing that they are under 35 also have their hands firmly in the cookie jar. It’s the only plausible conclusion to come to that can rationalise their deafening silence at what they concede is a “crisis”. One only has to read Rebone Tau’s book, The Rise and Fall of the ANCYL, to see how far the youth league has fallen. How shallow and pedestrian they have become. Tau attributes their fall squarely on the league’s failure to resist the factional mother body’s politics of “it’s my turn to eat”. The DA’s march to Luthuli House is urgent and demands that all South Africans stand together and take back power from a party that stole theirs. It doesn’t matter which political party you belong to and it is not a matter of race, religion or sexual orientation. It’s to raise our clear voices loud enough to move the ANC-led government to some action. At least until the multiparty coalition takes over the country in 2024 and the ANC is relegated to the opposition benches. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://mg.co.za/opinion/2023-01-19-if-ancyl-is-serious-about-tackling-sas-energy-crisis-theyll-join-das-march-to-luthuli-house/

Creamer Media Reporter | 19 January 2023 South African business ecosystem SAtion has won the award for Start-up Ecosystem Builder of the Year 2022 in South Africa. The award was presented at the annual Africa Start-up Ecosystem Builders (ASEB) Summit in Johannesburg. The Start-up Ecosystem Builder of the Year Award is affirmation of the innovative work by the SAtion team and its more than 100 partner organisations to cultivate the digital marketplace and skills South Africa needs for our economy to succeed in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The awards saw more than 2700 nominations from over 40 African Countries across 27 categories. After intense deliberation, 175 companies and individuals were selected as finalists. SAtion was established with the support of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) as a non-profit ecosystem for businesses, government, labour and civil society to drive inclusive growth and opportunity from the 4IR. Working with the recommendations from the Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (PC4IR), SAtion brings focus to the digitaliSAtion workstream in the President’s Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan to ensure rapid implementation, outcomes, and impact. In his speech at the ANC anniversary celebrations in Bloemfontein, President Ramaphosa said he is betting on new technologies for South Africa’s economic development and employment creation, calling for a concerted effort in driving the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). The President highlighted the 4IR as a critical enabler of economic growth and job creation, saying: “Rapid technological change, including the fourth-industrial-revolution, is changing economies and societies.” To date, SAtion has established four Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMME) business hubs and three digital hubs. These hubs have had over 3200 sign-ups in 18-months. SAtion has distributed numerous Thinkubate licenses to SMMEs with 89% black ownership, 22% female ownership and 45% youth ownership across South Africa. Thinkubate is a business lifecycle tool that covers all life stages of a business with bespoke solutions to keep businesses moving forward. SAtion has led pioneering partnerships with global tech giant Microsoft, the Tarsus Technology Group, and the local Covid-19 Business Rescue Assistance (COBRA) initiative to help SMMEs and develop the township economy. SAtion and partners work to understand grassroots issues and then provide SMMEs with business support and guidance. Drawing on expert experience, COBRA provided business advisory support and services to over 570 businesses during the Covid-19 Pandemic to safeguard livelihoods. Furthermore, SAtion has hosted digital skills and SMME business challenge hackathons, in partnership with incubation hubs, aimed at developing winning ideas into operational, sustainable and successful businesses. SAtion is committed to building a digital nation and will continue striving toward creating a positive social impact to allow South Africa to be a globally competitive economy in the 4IR. The ASEB Summit was created to advance start-up ecosystem building as a new approach to economic development in order to help more people and communities achieve economic independence through entrepreneurial success while awarding ecosystem builders. SAtion is honoured by this continental recognition of its initiatives, and eager to continue driving its mission forward in 2023. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/sation-is-the-south-african-start-up-ecosystem-of-the-year-2023-01-19/rep_id:4136

Thank you for attending the session we hope to see you again soon. for upcoming events follow this link https://www.bee.co.za/training

Thank you for attending the session we hope to see you again soon. for upcoming events follow this link https://www.bee.co.za/training