Westcon-Comstor Southern Africa reaffirms commitment to transformation with continued level one B-BBEE status

Louise Taute, Managing Director at Westcon-Comstor Southern Africa.

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Westcon-Comstor, a global technology distributor specialising in cyber security, networking and hybrid cloud solutions, today announced it has once again achieved a level one broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) rating, reaffirming the company’s long-standing commitment to transformation, inclusive economic participation and sustainable growth within South Africa’s technology sector.

South Africa's ICT sector faces a deepening talent crisis – the share of companies reporting a shortage of ICT specialists has more than doubled in two years, from 10% to 22%, according to Xpatweb's 2025 Critical Skills Survey, conducted in collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Higher Education and Training.

For Westcon-Comstor, a company deeply committed to developing and growing local ICT talent, these figures make its sustained level one status even more meaningful. It reflects a long-term commitment to embedding transformation into how the business operates, develops talent, grows its partner ecosystem and contributes to local economic development.

“For us, transformation has never been a once-a-year exercise or a scorecard discussion,” said Louise Taute, Managing Director at Westcon-Comstor Southern Africa. “It forms part of how we build our business, how we engage our partners and how we create opportunities across the broader ICT ecosystem. Maintaining our level one status over many years is important because it demonstrates consistency, accountability and long-term commitment.”

A central part of Westcon-Comstor’s strategy is focused on empowering partners through enablement, skills development, access to market opportunities and business growth support. This includes supporting both established partners and emerging Black-owned ICT businesses as they scale within a highly competitive market.

Westcon-Comstor also continues to prioritise supplier and enterprise development through procurement practices that support qualifying small enterprises (QSEs), exempt micro enterprises (EMEs) and empowered local suppliers. By building sustainable supplier relationships, the company aims to contribute to stronger local economic participation and resilience. This commitment extends beyond the supply chain, as the company also supports community development initiatives aimed at creating broader social and economic opportunity in the areas where it operates.

Alongside supplier development, skills development remains a key focus area for the organisation. The company continues to invest in training initiatives, learnership programmes and ongoing employee development to help build future-ready skills aligned to the evolving demands of the ICT sector.

South Africa's ICT skills shortage is widely recognised as one of the sector's most urgent challenges, with 84% of large organisations struggling to recruit skilled professionals and demand for cloud, cyber security and AI talent continuing to outpace supply.

“We believe meaningful transformation must ultimately translate into real opportunities for people,” Taute added. “That includes creating pathways into the ICT industry, investing in skills development and helping individuals build long-term careers within the technology sector.”

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"South Africa's ICT sector cannot afford for transformation to remain a compliance conversation," concluded Taute. "The skills gap is real, the demand is urgent and the responsibility falls on organisations like ours to build pipelines that create lasting opportunity. That is what our level one status represents, and it is the work we intend to keep doing."

Looking ahead, the company says it will continue focusing on enabling partners, supporting local suppliers, investing in skills development and driving initiatives that contribute positively to the communities and industries it serves.