The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Commission will host the North-West leg of its provincial conferences at the Mmabatho Convention Centre, Mahikeng on Thursday, 5 December 2019 from 9:00.

The provincial conferences are part of the major education and awareness programme to educate, create awareness, and showcase services of the B-BBEE Commission and various related government entities that are tailor-made to assist businesses, especially Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), and previously disadvantaged individuals, to participate meaningfully in the South African economy.

The B-BBEE Commission is committed to continuously communicate with the public on various aspects of the B-BBEE Act that would enlighten South Africans to identify instances where they are being exploited for fronting and prevent these practices, this is according to the B-BBEE Commissioner, Ms Zodwa Ntuli. According to her, this conference is anticipated to help citizens to be able to identify empowerment opportunities offered by the B-BBEE Act such as enterprise and skills development programmes.

“The provincial conferences intended to reach out to South Africans and equip them with knowledge on B-BBEE. Having more informed businesses and citizens will assist in achieving economic transformation,” says Ntuli.

According to Ntuli, B-BBEE must help achieve equality, create jobs and reduce poverty, most importantly it must remove obstacles to transformation, including lack of financial support, market access and through implementation of preferential procurement for black businesses by state entities. It is therefore critical for both private and public sector to implement the Act consistently and for this to happened everyone must know and understand what the Act contains and how to implement it.

Departments and entities that will form part of the conferences include Department of Small Business Development, National Treasury and Department of Trade and Industry, as well as Companies and Intellectual Properties Commission (CIPC), South African Revenue Service (SARS), and the National Empowerment Fund (NEF).