Business Report
*Where are the black factories? -- president * *Wiseman Khuzwayo, Business Report, Johannnesburg, 7 September 2011*President Jacob Zuma has encouraged the instrospection of black business organisations, called for non-racial business unity and decried the absence of black industrialists "who own factories and manufacture textiles, furniture, metal products or whatever the market requires".
Officiating at the Black Business Summit in Johannesburg yesterday, Zuma welcomed black business's initiatives to spark internal dialogue to assess progress on transformation of the local economy.
The summit comes in the midst of strife that recently saw the Black Management Forum walk away from Business Unity SA (Busa), citing displeasure at the lack of transformation in the chamber and marginalisation of black business, and accusing it of breaching good governance principles.
Soon after, empowerment businessman Sandile Zungu, who chaired a sectoral committee in Busa, suspended his own participation in the organisation. Busa did not participate at the summit yesterday.
Busa spokeswoman Masego Lehihi confirmed last night that the three seats initially allocated to Busa were rescinded by the organisers. She said this was because the summit was called to discuss Busa and the organisers felt it was improper for the chamber to attend.
"It was unfortunate because we are for business unity, we would have loved to be there for those deliberations,"she said.
Zuma implicitly told the summit it was not in the interests of business and the country to have business split along racial lines.
"The unity of the business sector is paramount in ensuring the transformation goals. As the government, we need a unified and united business voice to work with," he said.
Alluding to the strife among business organisations, he said the summit was taking place while there was uncertainty over business unity.
"We trust that you will have fruitful deliberations and will put the interests of the country first above all else," he said.
He intended to see Busa last month after his first meeting with black business, which proposed the summit. But the umbrella business organisation was not available at the time.
Zuma took time to sound concern about the lack of visible black industrialists. He said there were no large factories or mines owned by black people.
"As we build the economy through expanding manufacturing, mining, agriculture and the green economy, we have to build the black industrial sector," he said.
Zuma trusted the deliberations at the summit would produce pointers on how business, both emerging and established, would contribute to building new industrial sectors.
The government could help through preferential procurement. It could also assist by providing industrial funding, which it was now doing to a greater extent than before.
*From: http://www.iol.co.za/business/business-news/where-are-the-black-factories-president-1.1133104*
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