Shareholding not the ‘BEE’ all and end all

I REFER to the recent FTW special feature on Gauteng (April 2004), and in particular to an article quoting Connie Smith of Sebenza, entitled “BEE fronts cripple legitimate operators”. First off, I would like to know when Sebenza Forwarding set the rules for BEE companies in the clearing and forwarding industry in South Africa. Her statement “legitimate empowerment companies must be at least 51% owned by PDIs” needs a lot of explaining. There are many forwarding and clearing companies in South Africa, including Impson Freight, who have committed themselves 100% to black economic empowerment and are ensuring that the proper empowerment credentials are implemented within their specific organisations. I am sure it will surprise Sebenza Forwarding if they were to ascertain the scorecard percentage that a number of companies, including Impson Freight, have achieved and are continuing to improve upon. Personally speaking, it appears to me that Sebenza Forwarding are possibly “whistling past the graveyard”, as it were. They have had an almost unassailable lead and hold on parastatal and other companies requiring BEE credentials for many years now, but it would appear the time is fast approaching where other companies in the clearing and forwarding arena within South Africa are slowly but surely bringing themselves up to speed and are serious competitors and a threat to the previous Sebenza stronghold. Gerry Robinson, executive director, Impson Freight, Gauteng.