It's a good idea to take an objective view on current affairs. Jimmy Manyi is certainly deserving of a more balanced view even though what I read in the press seems to be worthy of the occasional dig. Jimmy's back in the news today. The Sunday Independent is carrying a feature on graduate employment today, and Jimmy takes up a large percentage of column inches today. There is a little more info on Mr Manyi's background. I was unaware that he holds down a full time job at Tiger Brands as the group executive of corporate affairs. I also (embarrassingly - I must stress) didn't know he is the chairman of the BMF.
He is carrying one hell of a torch and it doesn't look like he's going to let it go out in a hurry. The only problem he faces is that the legislation is not going to allow him to achieve the transformation he want. One article in the Independent to day (Transformation relies too much on white women, equity commission complains) discusses Jimmy's latest plans to up the fines for non-compliance of the EE Act to 10% of turnover. This will force employers to follow the rules but it lacks the teeth to effect the transformation that Jimmy is set on achieving.
And it must stay as it is - you cannot force companies to transform by legislation. If you could then the BBBEE Act would be binding on every company operating in South Africa (it isn't). This doesn't mean that it shouldn't happen. There has to be some other kind of method to achieve this - you don't want to end up clutching at straws like our northern neighbours and drafting moronic laws that require virtually all publicly traded companies to cede controlling interests to “indigenous” citizens.
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