LARGE ORGANISATION BLACK OWNERSHIP TRENDS PER A SECTOR

• The large entity classification across sectors did not achieve targeted scores for 4 industries, and the same applies to black women ownership.

• Black women own 53% of the construction sector, which is of critical concern.

• Without serious interventions, the gap between black ownership and black women’s ownership will continue to grow.

B-BBEE RECOGNITION LEVELS BY SECTOR

› 5, 56% drop in skills development in 2021 compared to 11, 51% in 2020.

› 5, 63% decrease in Management Control.

› 14, 78% drop in Enterprise and supplier development compared to 10, 04%.

Four Main Findings

1. INADEQUATE DATA TO MANAGE B-BEE TRANSFORMATION

• The B-BBEE Act requires that B-BBEE trends and national status be analysed, which requires adequate data.

• With 82 organs of state submitting the required information, the statistics indicate a high degree of non-responsiveness.

Average Score Per A Year

2. A DISMAL RATE OF GROWTH FOR BLACK WOMEN’S OWNERSHIP

• MAC, Agri-BEE, and Financial sectors saw a drop in black women’s ownership.

• It is more concerning that black women’s ownership is growing much slower in most sectors, demonstrating increasing inequalities.

• There is a huge risk that many entities could focus on the post-COVID-19 recovery, leaving black women’s ownership off the radar.

Interventions:

• Measured entities must enforce the principles.

• There should be a change in the scorecard for black women ownership.

3. SKILLS DEVELOPMENT UNDERPERFORMANCE

• Beneficiaries must be identified as needy and aligned with economic and transformational goals.

Interventions:

• Skills Development Funds to be Administered from a Single Repository

4. ENTERPRISE AND SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT

• Enterprise and Supplier Development statistics are only sometimes reliable, with some entities choosing not to provide any information.

Interventions:

• Enterprise & Supplier, and Development Funds will be administered from a Single Repository.

• The five elements show a general decline except for Socio-Economic Development, which increased by 3, 74%.

• The average score as a percentage of total points also changed as follows:

• The average score as a percentage of total points also changed as follows:

› 0, 52% increase in ownership in 2021 compared to a 9, 02% increase in 2020.

• Skills development is about 6% of the payroll and could address dire transformational needs if properly administered.

• Currently, some entities are reporting, while others are not. Coordinating the entire approach is crucial.

• To achieve real and accelerated broad-based black economic empowerment, public and private sectors must consistently apply sections 10 and 13G of the B-BBEE Act. A B-BBEE Commission investigation has been launched against noncompliant entities. The non-compliant entities that received notices of breach responded immediately, and 22% had recently been delisted from the JSE, with further action being taken against the remaining entities. B-BBEE Commission has recommended that Minister Patel and Parliament strengthen the B-BBEE Act to include administrative sanctions for non-compliance. As a result, fronting schemes that undermine B-BBEE initiatives will also be addressed more decisively.

Written by Dumisani Hlatswayo and Saki Mabhele

Chief Maqoma was a young leader with no desire to take up arms against the British. Despite this, he was forced to fight and became an unexpected resistance hero. Maqoma’s mastery of guerrilla tactics led him to conquer his enemies during the Xhosa Wars of dispossession, proving his tactical and strategic brilliance in the face of great adversity.

Jongusombomvu’s impact on South Africa is echoed in his descendant Linda Maqoma, the current president of ABASA and founder of Nomatshawe Group. She carries her ancestor’s legacy forward as she leads initiatives dedicated to advancing African communities socially and financially, a vital contribution to shaping Southern Africa’s history. Her childhood was marked by her grandfather’s exile and the consequential battle for freedom. Growing up, she experienced a newfound sense of determination to transform racial inequality that would stay with her far into adulthood.

She was born in Alice in a small town also known as eDikeni, which means a valley that runs through. “Then we moved when my grandfather came from exile, and there was liberation in the country. We relocated to Fort Beaufort; that’s where the farming environment is,” she told TransformSA. “I was very proactive, someone who would like to earn what she got,” she added.

Linda’s life was a dichotomy of school and farm. While she spent most of her formative years in boarding school, she always returned home to work on the family farm during recess. In this way, she developed an appreciation for both hard work and education.

“At some point, my grandmother was named female of the year in the Eastern Cape. And those are some of the things I was exposed to; business-minded, businessoriented, hands-on women. So I never expected that things would just land on my lap,” she said.

In his riveting book, Maqoma: The Legend of a Great Xhosa Warrior, Timothy Joseph Stapleton brings to life the legacy of Jongumsobomvu. In one of the chapters, the author wrote about a quest by Linda’s grandfather to retrieve Jongumsobomvu’s remains from Robben Island. He also questions the manner in which Chief Maqoma died.

“Many theories exist about how Chief Maqoma died. If you read the book, you will see that there is a wound from a postmortem. In his fight against injustices in our country and land, he ended up being held at Robben Island, but my grandfather made sure his bones came home,” explained Linda.

Chief Maqoma’s recent recognition has been a crucial step forward, yet Linda believes there is still more to be accomplished to pass on the torch. “ What are we doing in our day and age? As young people, what are we doing to carry on the baton? In his time, he fought against the same things, although they were not in the same form,” she said.

Linda’s young life was upended when her mother suddenly passed away. She had already been dealing with the challenges of growing up in a boarding school but now faced an even tougher task - forging ahead without one of her closest confidantes by her side. Despite this trying time, Linda still cherishes the last memory she shared with both parents and brother; during their visits to Linda’s boarding school, they enjoyed each other’s company before going out for what would be their final family outing together.

“It was an amazing day. A couple of weeks later, she had a short illness that I didn’t know about. I remember coming back from the Anglican church, then my aunt came while I was in the shower. She was dressed in black, and you could see something was wrong. She told me that my mother has passed away,” Linda said.

“The only thing I remember is that I never cried. I didn’t grieve my mom as much as I should have. Many times, you think you need to be strong for others. At the time, I had a six-year-old brother, so I felt like if I broke down, he would too. So I had to assume that motherly role,” she added.

Linda Ah! Jongumsobomvu is an incredible splitting image of her mother, adopting many of her personality traits and habits. Although her mother was an accomplished accountant, she will always be remembered for her immense generosity and kindness. On the other hand, Linda shares a special bond with those around her and cherishes the importance of family above all else. “My mother would normally do books for the farm; then I will be given those capturing roles.”

“It was my aunt, who became my godmother by default. When I lost my mom, my aunt became very close. She made sure she came, so she was doing a Bcom law degree at the University of Port Elizabeth (UPE). She then said it’s either we apply for actuarial science or we do this Bcom accounting thing. Then we applied; that’s how I got in at Wits.”

Along the way, financial struggles caused Linda to take time away from her studies at Wits University. However, that didn’t deter her from pursuing her dreams.

“I didn’t finish at Wits, but that was the starting point for my academic journey. After my second year, I had to come home. It was a situation where my dad couldn’t finance my studies,” she recalled.

After her stint at Xolani Phumeza & Associates (XPA), Linda decided to pursue higher education and enrolled at Unisa and Fort Hare University.

Renowned scriptwriter Loyiso Maqoma (Linda’s uncle.) extended a life-changing offer to Linda, giving her a chance to further her education and reach for those dreams she had put on hold. Without hesitation, she welcomed this incredible opportunity with open arms.

“My uncle gave me the money to register, and I went to Fort Hare to find out how to complete my degree. That was the last time he had to pay for my tuition because my resourcefulness picked up. Once I was there, I found out that there were bursary opportunities.”

Although she did not realize it initially, her dogged determination would eventually pay off when KPMG signed her up for articles, all while already pregnant with her daughter.

Upon starting her career as a Trainee Accountant at KPMG, Linda’s hard work and dedication paid off. She got promoted to become Audit Supervisor. Thereafter, she became a successful audit manager in Financial Services. A few years later, she would pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and founded Nomatshawe Group. She now focuses on helping individuals unlock their potential as consultants.

Her journey to become the leader of a nonprofit organisation started at university, where she represented her peers as a Student Representative at Fort Hare. The CTA programme that Linda encountered was failing its black students, inspiring Linda to advocate for their rights. The transformation gap within the fraternity motivated her to join ABASA, which is under her leadership today.

Linda’s father always told her to remember where she came from. He warned against getting too complacent in success and reminded Linda that with privilege comes responsibility - stay grounded and be aware of the world around you. “As you rise and your head is in the clouds, your feet should always be on the ground. Because you have a responsibility, you need to know what’s happening on the ground,” her father advised.

Unsurprisingly, Linda and her fellow learners took a stand, determined to put an end to the injustice black students were facing at Fort Hare. Unwilling to accept any further attempts by white lecturers to stifle the transformation of their education sector, the brave young students marched together with one united voice: “No more!”

“We stood up for some of those things to say; how does this make sense? That we go through the same hurdles throughout the year, but at the end of the year, white people are passing, but black people are failing,” she said.

Drawing on the invaluable wisdom gained through her transformation journey, Linda firmly believes that helping the youth reach their fullest potential is essential for laying a better foundation for future generations.

In 2022, only 17% of hopeful Chartered Accountants passed their board exams. The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) administered the challenging Initial Test of Competence as part of this process. The programme is one step in qualifying to become a CA in SA. In response to the low pass rate, Linda has proposed an innovative solution: Go back to basics and tackle the problem at its source.

“Systemic issues need to be resolved first. And if our education system is also designed in such a way that we are not equipping a black child to compete with their white counterparts, we are not going to win,” she explains. “Firstly, students are not taking the right subjects. And if they do, they are not structured in a way to build selfconfidence.”

Linda relaxes and recharges by diving into the extraordinary world of music. It’s not uncommon to find her listening to different genres; from jazz to hip hop. Or explore captivating stories through books.