Black industrialists programme to plug BEE gap

The Department of Trade and Industry-led Black Industrialists Development Programme would catapult black-owned businesses into the mainstream economy to drive South Africa forward. As the transformation of South Africa’s business landscape lagged, with the country’s black economic-empowerment (BEE) agenda resulting in surface benefits, the programme was thrown into the spotlight at the Black Industrialist Indaba, in Midrand, on Wednesday. Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Mzwandile Masina told delegates at the indaba that radical social transformation was needed to move the country forward and the Black Industrialists Policy Framework, which was currently being drafted, would pave the way for black industrialists to productively participate.