Swissport's most recent BEE certificate (which expired in May) shows that they are a level 4 with 49% black ownership. As I wrote yesterday, the ACSA tender stipulates that bidders commit to 51% black ownership at the first anniversary of the licence agreement, which must be maintained for the duration of the licence.
These are but some of the issues that many companies face when it comes to state procurement. I have noticed that a number of tenders have come out saying that if you aren't a certain level then don't bother. Take a look here. The bid document states
* Bids received from bidders who have a Level 4 to 8 B-BBEE contributor status and non-compliant contributor, will not be considered for evaluation and will be eliminated from further evaluation.
I don't know whether this is legal - I've lost touch with the PPPFA. But it begs the question - what is the point? What's the point of going through the pain of "transformation" when all they want is Transformayshin.
I think it's about time that the likes of BUSA and BLSA start asking questions about Transformayshin vs transformation. Does the government want jobs. If so then where does Transformayshin fit into this process - from my desk it is patently apparent that it doesn't fit it.
Failing that you get a rebellion. A client of mine sent me this article. Its three years old but she tells me that it carries an incredible amount of weight in the farming community. The author concludes with
Politicians will keep on promoting their hare-brained schemes, and organised agriculture will keep on negotiating. But until such time as a reasonably detailed road map for future land reform and BEE is finalised, the prudent strategy for individual farmers is to ignore BEE and spend time and money on improving conditions for their own workers.
This was before malema started with his expropriation rubbish. All the client wanted was affidavits from honey suppliers and they were refusing because of this article. This is the kind of rebellion that carries an immense amount of weight. Can you imagine if the petroleum sector said - no, we're not doing it. The government would withdraw their licences and the economy would grind to a halt.
Unlikely to happen - but the more Cyril dithers the greater the possibility.
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