IOPSA and EmpowerBEE are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement to partner on all Transformation and BBBEE matters. EmpowerBEE will assist IOPSA in managing its own internal BBBEE scorecard and at the same time will provide free training to members on all things BBBEE related. IOPSA members will have access to EmpowerBEE’s services at preferential rates.

According to Brendan Reynolds, Executive Director of IOPSA “IOPSA is fully committed to the ideals of Transformation under the guidance of our Transformation Committee. This agreement is important both for IOPSA and for our members. BBBEE is a reality in South Africa and the fact is that we don’t have good knowledge and experience in the field. Partnering with EmpowerBEE fills an important gap both for IOPSA and our members.”

We asked Morosha Govender the Verification Manager at EmpowerBEE a few questions regarding the partnership;

Why is transformation important for SA?

• Transformation in South Africa benefits us all.
• South Africa is one of the world’s most unequal societies, the top 10% earn about six times as much as the bottom 10%. In South Africa, the top 10% earn 110 times more than the bottom 10%.
• Transformation is imperative to ensure that it not only empowers individuals but also communities and employees
• Transformation can improve the business environment, especially for small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs).
• SMEs can be job generators and help create an environment for entrepreneurs to flourish
• Transformation can create an environment that provides SMEs with opportunity and with support to participate in local supply chains

Why did you choose to partner with IOPSA?

• The values of IOPSA are consistent with the values of Empowerbee. Empowerbee is passionate about transformation strategies that benefit everyone in South Africa.
• Our objectives are to create a BBBEE strategy that does not split the exciting economic pie, but increases the economic pie so that everyone in South Africa can benefit.

How can Empowerbee/BBBEE compliance benefit IOPSA members?

• Empowerbee can assist all members with compliance in terms of the BBBEE Legislation as a SANAS Accredited verification agency.

Without BBBEE compliance:

• Non-compliant businesses will find it difficult to grow or maintain their level of business success within South Africa.
• On the other hand, private companies will also need to apply the Codes if they want to do business with any government enterprise – in order to tender for business, apply for licences , etc
• Private companies are now starting to focus on other private companies (suppliers) with the best possible BEE score, which will count towards their Procurement recognition

BBBEE compliance is not a tickbox exercise, applied strategically it can contribute to alleviating some of the ills faced by South Africans today

• Small and medium sized business are critical in addressing unemployment in South Africa
• The plumbing and related construction industries are critical in educating the next generation of artisans if it is to thrive in the future
• We believe that this can give school leavers and the young unemployed the ability to contribute to society.

IOPSA members should keep their ears open for upcoming BBBEE training and other initiatives that will benefit them.