Empowerment forum plans November meet

Freight industry invited to join strategy session THE TRANSPORT and freight industries have been invited to join the transport sector's Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) Forum, a body created by Minister of Transport Dullah Omar to "facilitate empowerment". It is designed to provide the Department of Transport with the necessary input to create an empowerment strategy for the industry before the end of next year, project manager Nolundi Dikweni told FTW. The members of the sectoral forum will come from the department and its agencies, the Transnet entities, the Transport Education and Training Association (TETA) chambers and the private sector. "These will include representatives from the likes of the Road Freight Association (RFA); Railroad Association; SA Shippers Council (SASC); the National Port Users Forum; SA Port Operations (Sapo) and the other parastatals; the SA Marine Safety Association (SAMSA); the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA); the Airports Company of SA (ACSA); and the Cross-Border Agency. "It will also include members from the unions and from financial institutions such as the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC)." The forum will be chaired by Professor Medard Rwelamira, acting director general of the DoT, and the first meeting has been called for November 18 at the department's offices in Pretoria.