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.”
