Progress with AgriBEE consultation


Pretoria: The AgriBEE Steering Committee met yesterday and noted good progress in most areas with the consultation process. 

The committee also noted the overwhelmingly positive reaction and willingness by most stakeholders to make their submissions by the deadline and decided to conclude the consultation phase as had been envisaged and agreed to with the Minister. 

Those groups that have not yet responded to the Framework AgriBEE document were encouraged by the Steering Committee to urgently make their contributions. Some concerns were expressed on the lack of inputs from the women and disabled groupings and the indications from some groupings that were not ready to conclude their inputs by the deadline of 20 December 2004, despite having known since July 2004 that these would be required by year-end.

The task teams for engaging the primary, secondary and financial sectors gave presentations. The primary sector task team, led by Mr Bully Botma of Grain SA and Ms Dawn Marole, has indicated that the commercial farmers, including commodity and provincial affiliates, have made good progress in concluding their inputs. According to Mr Botma, Agri SA and its affiliates would submit their written inputs by the deadline and are positive about the process. 

The secondary sector task team, led by Mr John Dique of Agricultural Business Chamber and Ms Brenda Madumise, said the sector has drafted their inputs to the Steering Committee. 

The input sector, although diverse, would also be providing inputs. The representative from the food-processing sector reported that a work group to solicit comments from the various groupings was established and good progress has been made. The financial sector under the leadership of Mr Bigman Maloa and Mr Xola Sithole also noted progress toward the submission of their comments on the framework.

The meeting also took note of a national consultative workshop between the DoA and labour unions in agriculture on the Sector Plan and the AgriBEE Framework currently taking place in Pretoria. Inputs gained from this workshop as well as written inputs from the labour union movement would be taken into account.

Thus far input has been received from the seven provincial departments of Agriculture and the youth formation.

The next meeting of the Steering Committee will be in the last week of January 2005, where amongst others a consolidated report on the consultations and a revised draft AgriBEE Framework document would be handed over to Minister Thoko Didiza. 

The Steering Committee is calling upon those entities and individuals who are still to submit their comments on the framework to do so before the closing date of 20 December 2004. The submissions can be forwarded to SMBED@nda.agric.za <mailto:SMBED@nda.agric.za> or posted to Private Bag X250 Pretoria, 0001.


For further details contact:

Steve Galane
083 635 7346