THE BIDVEST Group and Makana Trust last week announced that an agreement had been reached whereby Bidvest and Makana Investments would become partners in the black empowerment shipping and forwarding concern, Sebenza Forwarding and Shipping Consultancy.
It is Bidvest's intention that its subsidiary, Safcor, and Sebenza form a strategic relationship. Sebenza will continue to operate independently from Safcor within the context of that relationship and will, where necessary, join forces with Safcor.
Sebenza started operations in March 1997 as a freight forwarder and has since become a large and powerful black empowerment forwarder in Southern Africa. It currently employs some 60 staff members and has fully fledged offices in Gauteng, Durban and Cape Town.
Since its inception, Sebenza has been controlled by the Makana Trust and that position will continue after the Bidvest deal, with Bidvest being a substantial minority stakeholder.
Makana Trust was founded after President Mandela, during a reunion visit of ex-political prisoners on Robben Island in1995, asked for a vehicle to be established to provide support for destitute and needy ex-political prisoners and their dependents.
The patrons of the Makana Trust are President Nelson Mandela, and the current US ambassador, James Joseph.
Governing committee members of the trust include Jeff Radebe, Tokyo Sexwale, Patrick Lekota, Saki Macozoma, Ahmed Kathrada, Barbara Hogan, Thandi Modise, Soto Ndukwana, Ben Fani, Peter-Paul Ngwenya, Aubrey Mokoape and Kwedi Mkhalipi.
The Makana Trust has launched a number of commercial activities, the most successful of which has been Sebenza.
Makana felt it appropriate to seek an alliance with a well-established and entrepreneurial South African group, and selected Bidvest as its desired partner from a number of suitors, said chief executive officer of Makana Investments and director of Sebenza, Soto Ndukwana.
"This agreement represents people from different backgrounds coming together and is just the beginning of a long and productive relationship.
"This kind of agreement underscores what this society can achieve," he said.
Said managing director of Safcor and director of Bidvest, Philip Womersley: "There was only one credible black empowerment operator in our clearing and freight forwarding industry. Sebenza is an established company with its own freight forwarding network through Calberson/Emotrans. It is an up-and-going company which has a good reputation. Makana has an impressive pedigree and demonstrates good moral responsibilities. It is seeking to assist people whose lives have been destroyed and who returned to this country after the struggle with no career and no training."
Managing director of Sebenza, Mark Goodger said: "If what we achieve here is duplicated elsewhere, it is a great and certain recipe for South African society which underpins reconciliation."
By Anna Cox
