‘Comply or be doomed!’

IT IS no time for
companies in the
forwarding and clearing
industry to be sitting
waiting for broadbased
black economic
empowerment (BBBEE) to
happen to them, according
to Gavin Cooper, MD of
Seair Freight.
Since the generic
scorecard was gazetted in
February, he told FTW, this
has been a learning curve
year for the industry.
“But we must all be
prepared, and not just wait
until the requirements of
BEE are thrust upon us.”
Possibly one of the
catalysts for the industry
to act is the draft
Transnet National Ports
Authority (TNPA) rules
and regulations – which
will require that anyone
wanting to do business
with them (“And that’s
almost all of the f&c
industry,” Cooper added)
must be BBBEE-compliant
at a minimum of Level 4 .
“If this requirement
is retained it will dictate
just who can do business
with the TNPA, and who
can’t. If your scorecard isn’t
right, and you can’t comply
with the empowerment
demands, then potentially
you’re going to be out of
business.”
According to Cooper, if
you’re a small company –
with annual turnover under
R5-million – you will be
exempt from completing
a BBBEE scorecard and
automatically score at
Level 4 . If you’re mediumsized,
with a turnover up
to R35-m, you will need
to comply with four of the
seven elements.
“If your turnover is
more than R35-m,” he
said, “you have to comply
fully.”