On the closing day of submissions for the fifth and final draft of the charter for broad-based black economic empowerment in ICT, representatives of the ICT industry have gathered at the Campus in Bryanston for a workshop on practical ways of implementing the charter.
Dali Mpofu, chairman of the ICT charter working group, told attendees of the workshop hosted by ITWeb and Sondeza Transformation Holdings that the charter is at a critical stage as it moves towards submission to cabinet and final release at the end of September.
"The easy part of policy formulation is over. Now begins the process of implementation, which will include an element of trial and error."
Regarding implementation, Mpofu highlighted several points under the more controversial sections of the ICT BEE scorecard such as enterprise development, ownership equity and preferential procurement. He expressed satisfaction that the major sticking points had been resolved and the process is on track to move forward.
He said the working group is under no illusions that the charter would be perfect, but he expressed confidence the final product would take the country where it needs to be. He said although some of the targets in the charter have been criticised, he believes they are realistic in terms of ensuring economic growth and survival.
"As a living document, the charter will require the co-operation of everyone in the ICT industry to ensure it evolves in the spirit of a living document," Mpofu said.
Against the background and current status of the ICT charter, Vuyo Jack, Empowerdex CEO, gave workshop attendees an insight into the value and methodologies of an independent BEE rating. "Ratings such as those awarded by Empowerdex provide a standard way of showing contributions to BEE," he said.
Jack identified the metrics used to assess companies in terms of the scorecard categories. He also highlighted the element of ownership and emphasised the importance of establishing the flow of economic benefit when determining an empowerment rating.
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