Many folk who actually paid attention
or managed to stay compos mentis took away different understandings and perceived
visions regarding President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation Address delivered
to Parliament on June 17th. I’m referring in particular to the following
extract below written for and on his behalf:
“We will sharpen the implementation of the amended Broad-based Economic
Empowerment Act and the Employment Equity Act, in order to transform the
ownership, management and control of the economy. We will promote more employee
and community share ownership schemes and boost the participation of black
entrepreneurs in the re-industrialisation of the economy.”
The various government departments
have already begun to include B-BBEE compliance as a requirement for licensing procedures
and incentive schemes alike. This is nothing new to the fishing right holders
and vessel owners who have been forced to comply for some years already. The
clause that has me perturbed in particular is in the interpretation of Notice 27
and Notice 28 of 2014 published in the Government Gazette of 21 January 2014,
pertaining to the import and export of specified agricultural foodstuffs and
flowers, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has included a
valid B-BBEE certificate as one of the application requirements for being
issued with a new export and import permit… My fish export company has recently
renewed 2 of our export permits and this was not a requirement, yet. It will
also need to be established if this will be the department’s intention to implement
this and also whether they will be requiring the minimum B-BBEE compliance or
if they will (as they have done in the past) enforce a higher level of
compliance? This ultimately means that the export and marketing companies will
now have to become B-BBEE compliant or lose their export/import permits. It’s almost
becoming easier and more viable for me to buy tuna in Namibia and export it from
my Cape Town office!
To make matters worse is the fact
that as per the Liquor Amendment Regulations 2013 published in the Government
Gazette of December 3rd, 2013 the Department of Trade and Industry
is now requiring liquor license applicants to submit a valid B-BBEE compliance
certificate in order to renew their permits. I’m not sure how many restaurants
and bars will be forth willing to comply? It looks like I might have to move my
office to Lüderitz. Prost!
