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Wednesday 16 March 2016

AllAfrica.com News

South Africa: Business Welcomes Black Industrialists Programme


Pretoria — Business has welcomed the Department of Trade and Industry's Black Industrialists Programme that is aimed at expanding the industrial base and injecting new dynamism with the inclusion and participation of black industrialists.
Black Business Council Vice President Sandile Zungu said the business fraternity fully supports the programme, which was officially launched at The New Age business briefing on Wednesday.
Zungu said the first step business will take is to internalise the whole programme and give guidance to entrepreneurs who want to access the scheme.
He said many black firms must benefit from the policy and they must be encouraged to bloom in order to expand the country's industrial base.
"The business narrative is shifting and we need to have more black people controlling the value chain in the economy in order to have a more inclusive and radical economic transformation," said Zungu.
Speaking at the launch, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said the focus of the newly-launched programme is mainly geared towards manufacturing, industrialisation and inclusive economic growth.
The policy and the programme are a key part of government's broad industrialisation initiatives to expand the industrial base and participation of black industrialists in manufacturing activities and the economy.
Minister Davies said the programme is designed to create a single forum to provide black industrialists with financial aid, non-financial support, market access and advice for those who are already trading in the manufacturing space.
The CEO of the National Empowerment Fund (NEF), Philisiwe Mthethwa, said in 2007 the agency established a strategic fund to unlock opportunities for black industrialists in the country.
"Even though the NEF has a very good balance sheet, we are not sitting on a pile of cash. We have 23 pipeline projects worth R2.7 billion to promote the Black Industrialists Policy and many other entrepreneurs keen to get involved in the manufacturing sector," she said.
Minister Davies acknowledged that the programme was not designed to solve all problems or entertain passive shareholders. He said it is a step towards addressing and empowering black people in all sectors, specifically manufacturing.
"Manufacturing is one of the least empowered sectors and that is why we came up with the Black Industrialists Policy to increase the volume of black management and involvement in order for them to control the value chains and encourage others to come forward," he said.
The Black Industrialists Programme offers a cost-sharing grant ranging from 30% to 50% to approved entities, to a maximum of R50 million. The quantum of the grant will depend on the level of black ownership and management control, the economic benefit of the project and the project value.
Potential black industrialists can visit www.thedti.gov.za to access the policy and application process.
SOURCE: AllAfrica
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Transformation is at the heart of how we seek to generate growth for all our stakeholders and the communities where we do business.
Founded in 1992 as a pioneering black-owned company, Thebe Investment Corporation (Thebe) is one of South Africa’s leading investment companies, managing assets of over R6 billion. Thebe is a unique entrepreneurial company that does not exist only to make a profit, but is driven by a commitment to serve the broader interests of the community. Our investment portfolio spans tourism, mining resources, infrastructure, renewable energy, petrochemicals, telecommunications, financial services, and healthcare.
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Office Hours: 8am – 5pm (Monday – Friday)
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BUSINESS DAY NEWS

Grocery inquiry to cover concerns of township SMEs

BY LINDA ENSOR, MARCH 15 2016, 11:58
TEAMING UP: The first spaza-to-store conversion, Monageng Market, opens in Diepkloof, Soweto this week. It is owned and run by Solly Legae, who says the move will change the face of retail in townships. Picture: SUPPLIED
The first spaza-to-store conversion, Monageng Market, is owned and run by Solly Legae. Picture: SUPPLIED
THE grocery retail sector inquiry launched last year by the Competition Commission was very significant and could address issues of food prices and market access, the economic development minister said on Tuesday.
The inquiry was the second initiated by the commission in terms of amendments to the Competition Act, which allows it to proactively conduct investigations. The first one conducted was into the private healthcare industry.
"Over the past decade or more, a number of developments in the retail sector affected township shops and small retail businesses of South Africans, often very negatively," Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel said in a written reply to a parliamentary question by African National Congress (ANC) MP Imamile Pikinini.
"For example, national supermarket chains moved aggressively into townships and rural areas, often in newly constructed shopping malls, impacting on the viability of small, informal and independent retailers in a number of ways.
"A study by the Bureau of Market Research in Soshanguve found that half of the informal businesses located near to a new shopping centre closed down and most retailers had a decline in their turnover, profitability, stock movement and product range," the minister said.
Mr Patel said the reason for the grocery retail market inquiry was to consider ways to improve dynamic competition access for small businesses in the retail sector and combat restrictive practices.
The inquiry will look at the effect of national supermarket chains on small and independent retailers in townships, rural areas and the informal economy; the effect of exclusive lease agreements between shopping mall owners and national supermarket chains that often keep smaller retailers out; and the dynamics of competition between local small retailers and foreign-owned small retailers in townships.
Other areas to be examined include the effect of regulations, including municipal by-laws, on smaller retailers and the informal sector; the effect of buyer groups where small shop-owners co-operate on bulk-buying, quality controls or technology to enable them to compete more effectively against larger players; and the prevalence of pricing policies that may discriminate against smaller players in specific product value-chains.
SOURCE: BUSINESS DAY

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Shanduka Blackpages News

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It is a platform to achieve transformation as it links big business to smaller black enterprises. Procurement professionals now have a tool, aided by ease of navigation, through which they can quickly search, filter and locate approved suppliers listed on the Shanduka Blackpages database.
Procurement professionals have peace of mind knowing that the companies listed will be able to deliver the goods and services profiled on the site, and they will be able to select the most appropriate suppliers from the national database for their specific requirements.
Smart filters, easy navigation, saved search reports and advertised tenders will also ensure that smaller black enterprises will have a national presence and access to larger corporations. Being listed on the Shanduka Blackpages supplier database, will ensure that suppliers and procurement professionals will be linked by industry, with targeted outcomes so that the best fit is achieved.
Standardised templates for tender submissions will take the headache out of the submission process, and will save on time and money as a result. Tender opportunities are also linked to industry-specific opportunities, facilitating an otherwise cumbersome process.
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The Shanduka Blackpages membership goes a long way because it gives us exposure, because as a business you might not be able to afford the advertising in magazines or other procurement portals – basically it exposes us to the buyers of our services.
Ndaba Khanyane, Client, Bizdev Consulting
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