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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

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Motheo Khoaripe | 18 January 2023 FILE: Spar was hit with a wave of negative publicity in 2022. Picture: © morris71/123rf.com JOHANNESBURG - Retailer Spar says CEO Brett Botten will step down at the end of January, while former board chair Graham O’Connor will be leaving in February. The leadership change comes after Spar was hit with a wave of negative publicity in 2022, including allegations it had manipulated the value of stores, reported fictitious loans, and discriminated against black franchisors. The more than ten retailers said the group wanted to use their Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) loans to bail out white retailers and dump them. Legal firm Harris Nupen Molebatsi Attorneys was appointed to probe the matter. Its report confirmed widespread fronting and fraud in some franchises. The report also confirmed that BEE loans were used to inflate profit at the retailer. ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://ewn.co.za/2023/01/18/spar-ceo-to-step-down-as-law-firm-reports-widespread-fraud-bee-loan-fronting

SA News | 17 January 2023 Ofentse Moloko, a 37-year-old entrepreneur from the North West, says the support government gives to Black-owned companies operating in the poultry industry will contribute significantly to transforming the sector and ensuring food security in the country. Moloko, the CEO and Managing Director of Baramakama Poultry, runs a family-owned egg-laying chicken company in Molote City, North West. He believes that the sustainability of businesses depends on Black-owned companies occupying the entire value chain of the industry. Baramakama received support to the tune of R50 million from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) and its development finance institution, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), as part of the Black Industrialists Programme. “We are the perfect example of the success that Black-owned companies can achieve with the support of government in the poultry industry,” says Moloko. The Black Industrialists Programme is part of government’s efforts to accelerate the quantitative and qualitative increase and participation of Black Industrialists in the South African economy, selected industrial sectors and value chains. Moloko recalls how his father, who “started from nothing back in 2016”, used his savings to invest back into the community of Molote City. “We decided to establish a poultry business, specifically in the layers as they showed the greatest opportunity for employment creation ,as well as massive room for economic and ownership transformation. “For almost three years, we persistently and continuously knocked on the doors of all the private banks in this country, but the doors were all slammed on us after months of completing their processes, mainly due to the land belonging to the community. “When the dtic and IDC decided to fund our business after a thorough due diligence process, it was like music to our ears.” The financial support from the dtic and IDC enabled Baramakama to expand its operations by adding five new automated chicken houses and a modern, state-of-the-art pack station. The family business has also managed to increase the premise’s carrying capacity from 100 000 hens to 280 000. In addition, the company has now added 40 new jobs, while the number of permanent employees jumped from 80 to 112. Of these, almost 80% of the employees are young people, while 44% are women. “Today, our operation runs 24 hours per day and on average, we produce 225 000 eggs per day at full capacity. The support we received from government has made us a recognisable and important player in the industry,” Moloko says. Although he appreciates the importance and recognises the value of the support that government provides to Black Industrialists, Moloko strongly believes that government should consider extending its backing across the value chain of the poultry industry to achieve sustainability and ensure success. “Government support needs to cut across the value chain if we want meaningful transformation of the industry, and if we want the Black industrialists to play an important and discernible role in food security in the country.” This includes feed production, hatcheries, abattoirs, chick rearing, processing and market access. “Although we regard ourselves as a success after obtaining the support, we are left at the mercy of our key competitors from whom we source feed and hens. That makes us vulnerable as the supply tabs can and are regularly switched on and off, depending on how they want to control and benefit from the market conditions,” Moloko says. He does not pin all his hopes on the Poultry Sector Master Plan -- which was developed in close partnership between government and several stakeholders in the industry -- to increase the level of Black participation, particularly ownership across the value chain, employment creation and worker share-ownership in the sector. Moloko is of the opinion that the decisions taken within the Poultry Master Plan depend on the existing big players in the industry, who, through their actions, do not easily allow Black players into the more profitable value chain channels. However, he remains resolute and hopeful that with more Black players in the value chain, the industry will not only transform but also allow healthy competition to the benefit of all participants. – SAnews.gov.za ‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’. https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/entrepreneur-hopes-meaningful-transformation-poultry-industry