‘Much can be achieved without giving up equity’

Compu-Clearing’s straight-talking chairman, Arnold Garber, pulls no punches about what he terms ‘the BEE racket’. “We were approached by a potential BEE investor who arrived to see us in a Lamborghini – and while the deal may have been a lucrative one for us, enriching a few individuals is not what the founding fathers of the concept envisaged.” When you buy a service like Compu- Clearing, BEE is generally a non-issue – the customer’s decision is made on the unique merits of the product rather than the company’s BEE credentials, says Garber. “But for many of our customers who provide a service that is the same as their competitors in many instances, a BEE rating is an attractive incentive for their customers. Because of this cascading system it therefore made sense for us to go the BEE route – not only so that we could get points for our customers but because we believe it is the right thing to do. “The first step,” said Garber, “was to embark on a campaign to educate ourselves about BEE.” “What became apparent was that there were many areas in which we could achieve a reasonable status without giving up equity,” Compu- Clearing’s Jonathan Davis told FTW, “and we embarked on all of these. “We have always scored high in the area of preferential procurement but we made an effort to generate points in the areas of enterprise development and corporate social investment,” he said. “This is where we felt we could add value to our business and serve a more altruistic purpose as well. CSI was however always a part of our business plan, even when we weren’t scoring BEE points.” Compu-Clearing’s efforts have earned it a Level 6 status. “Our customers are delighted with this achievement,” says Garber. “For the immediate future we will not be looking to sell equity, but will rather be looking to improve in areas like CSI. “We believe that our efforts are not only helping our customers with their BEE ratings but are helping the previously disadvantaged – which is what the true spirit of BEE is all about.”