Zuma appoints members of BBBEE Advisory Council

I just got a call from Mzwandile Jacks telling me about the BEE Advisory Council that's just been announced.  This is what it looks like

1. Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies.
2. Minister of Labour, Membathisi Mdladlana
3. Minister of Economic Development, Ebrahim Patel
4. Minister of Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities. Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya.
5. Professor Mohammed I. Jahed, professor of macro-economic policy, economics and public finance at the Wits University Graduate School of Public and Development Management.
6. Prof Eltie Links, a professor extraordinaire at University of Stellenbosch Business School
7. Wendy Lucas-Bull, a businesswoman and the founder of Peotona Group Holdings
8. Andile Lungisa, Chairperson of the National Youth Development Agency
9.  Sebenzile Matsebula, an independent consultant and former Director in the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons in the Presidency
10. Jerry Vilakazi, chief executive officer of Business Unity South Africa
11. Dumisani Mthalane, a member of the National Working Committee of the South African National Civics Organisation
12. Ellen Tshabalala, a business and management consultant with expertise in small, medium and micro-sized enterprises development, banking and marketing.
13. Adv Matshego Ramagaga, Vice-President of Black Lawyers Association
14. Tsakani Matshazi, President of the Association of Black Accountants and Vice-President of the Confederation of Black Business Organisations
15. Sidumo Dlamini, President of the Congress of South African Trade Unions
16. Sandile Zungu, businessman with extensive experience having served in various companies at a senior level including NAIL and Denel.
17. Don Mkhwanazi, a former president of the Black Management Forum
18. Dr Claudia Manning, businesswoman
19. Chantyl Mulder, senior executive for transformation and growth at the SA Institute of Chartered Accountants, who has served as facilitator of the BEE Charter process amongst other work on economic transformation.

It's the required 19 people with the exeception of the President who is required in terms of section 6(a) of the BEE Act.  I wonder if this will have an impact on the legitimacy of the council.

I would have liked to see more business representation.

Comments

[Kevin Lester]

Hey Paul

I am thrilled by the composition of the Advisory Council - not one BEE consultant, not one verification agent and not one member of the team that drafted the Codes - finally an opportunity for an un-conflicted regulator. Chantyl Mulder was a member of the committee that drafted the Accounting Professions Charter, but she is an extremely level headed and capable person who is unlikely to be conflicted, even if that charter becomes a Sector Code.

Eltie Links, Wendy Lucas-Bull, Jerry Vilakazi, Sandile Zungu, Don Mkhwanazi and Claudia Manning all have extensive business experience. Big business in South Africa could not hope for a better "representative" than Lucas Bull who ran FNB before going out and co-building a not unimpressive BEE Investment house (Peotona that now holds some pretty impressive shareholdings, including a stake in De Beers)

But, all things being equal, a DTI that serves, an ABVA and NABC that is being watched, and my old friend Sandile Zungu up there, I have no complaints at all. Indeed, safe hands are finally completely on the wheel – I must say, with a team like this, I doubt very much that the (real or imagined) influence peddlers are going to be happy with this outcome.

But, if I have any compliant, I wonder why those with experience in establishing and managing genuine viable broad-based groups are absent from the team. People like Clifford Elk (MIC), Kgotso Schoeman (Kagiso Trust), Tanya Slabbert or Sonja Sebotsa (Women's Development Bank) and (my shareholder) Salukazi Dakile-Hlongwane (Nozala).

Also some people who manage BEE compliance from within major corporates would also have been useful, and I think particularly here of Nolitha Fakude, who's absence from this Council is notable.

In the interests of ensuring consistency in policy, I think it might have been useful for the President to co-opt Philisiwe Buthelezi from the National Empowerment Fund, but perhaps her role will be like that of the BEE Unit of the DTI, which is (I assume) to guide and support the Council.

But that said, I am still very impressed.

[coach suitcase]

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