ICT BEE targets due next week

Johannesburg, 06 May 2004

The long-awaited targets for black economic empowerment (BEE) will be included in the third draft of the sector`s BEE charter to be released on Monday ahead of a one-day indaba on the issue.

Dali Mpofu, chairman of the ICT empowerment working group, says the third draft will be released ahead of the indaba to be held on Friday, 14 May.

"We know that it has been a hot topic of discussion and so we have decided to release the third draft before the one-day indaba to give people time to digest the information so they can come prepared to the indaba," he says.

The targets were formulated from submissions from industry associations after they held workshops discussing targets with their members. Mpofu says the working group has also received a good response from companies and individuals on the issue.

The indaba will be held at Vodaworld and will include representatives from around the country who attended the ICT working group roadshow to all nine provinces, members of industry associations and influential companies within the industry. Mpofu says the working group is in the process of finalising arrangements to have a government representative at the indaba.

"After the indaba, we will begin to include the information received at the indaba as well as allowing a window period of about 10 days for final submissions to the process," he says.

Mpofu says the working group expected recent stirrings from the industry over the exclusion of targets from the process, but he believes the decision was the right one.

"We would never have received the amount of input into the principles of the charter if we had not delayed discussing targets until now. We are very happy with the process to date and unless there are any unforeseeable delays, we will be ready to release the final draft on schedule at the end June," he says.