The Future of BEE?

[Marq]

I've been hearing conflicting reports on this subject lately.

Heres the latest question from M&G article/2008-10-07-will-bee-continue-to-be

On the other hand the scenario was painted at the Poluka conference where apparently one of the agreed agenda items was a stepping up of the BEE process and enforcement of it.

I am going with the eventually demise of this apartheid type system due to total incompetence from all angles.....but then I haven't had much success in predicting the future lately.

[Dave A]

The crystal ball is particularly fuzzy on this one.

There seems to be an acknowledgement that there is something fundamentally wrong with what has happened so far.

Part of Motlanthe's analysis of what was wrong with BEE in his 2004 speech was exactly this.

"Another weakness in the empowerment programme is that it has been focused on transfer rather than transformation. By 'transfer' I mean the ceding of existing assets to individuals in a manner that does not in any way alter the economic structure. By 'transformation' I mean the creation of new markets, new investments and new drivers of domestic demand in the economy."

Hmm. He is right. But is there the patience to start nuturing the roots that will produce this vision in time, because there is no shortcut to achieve this. You have to nurture the roots for the plant to flourish.

Poluka conference

[Marq]

Its actually 'palooka', but I wasn't going to ruin a good word to describe a circus without a real ringmaster.

[Marq]

Transformation

By 'transformation' I mean the creation of new markets, new investments and new drivers of domestic demand in the economy."

The thing is that this 'transformation' word has been bandied about since the early 1990's, and I have yet to have anyone tell me as to what it is that we are really transforming from and into.

There are various percentages and ideas and ideals but whenever one is in the boardroom or listening to a 'change control expert' or an HR guy or some politician, the exact definition is missing. Here's an example from the leadership, we are now creating new things rather than transforming.......They elude to this great scheme of things but there is never a proper action plan and a direct scenario that says what we are transforming into.

Then they wonder.....why have we not transformed?