Industry examines new BEE codes

WITH THE department of trade and industry (dti) having just issued its latest revised black economic empowerment (BEE) codes of good practice, the various freight, transport and trade sectors are busy comparing the new interpretation with each of the sectoral charters already in existence. Little comment was available at time of FTW going to print, as the authoritative parties we interviewed were still in the process of analysing the whole issue – and unable to give a definition of the new code until a complete comparative review had been conducted. However, said Thulani Dlamini of the union Satawu, and vice-chairman of the transport education and training authority (TETA), this latter body has made a number of inputs leading up to the latest codesof good practice. “But we don’t know to what extent these inputs have been put into hand,” he added. “However, whatever the final code is, it will have to be implemented – and the transport industry fully understands that the sectoral charters will have to align with the codes of good practice.” Meantime, a statement from the dti said that the codes were still only in draft form. The governing BEE Act defines that there is now a 60-day consultation period for public comment.