As the Black Management Forum (BMF) commemorates 40 years this week, the organisation will need to reclaim its position as a champion for radical transformation.
Empowerment analyst Duma Gqubule said the celebrations of the milestone came as empowerment legislation was under siege, especially with the "once empowered, always empowered" principle being challenged in court.
This has resulted in some companies reve rsing transformation gains by replacing black executives with white people.
The principle states that companies that had proven to have black economic empowerment (BEE) partners in the past were no longer required to get other black partners once the previous ones had sold their stake.
"SA needs a radical BMF. The BMF cannot be orthodox and it cannot be mainstream," said Gqubule, who feels that the president of BMF should be employed by the forum on a full-time basis.
"The BMF in the last three years has lost its voice. In the past the BMF had always been ahead of the people of SA in terms of articulating its position on transformation ... and the current president has to look at re-establishing the voice of the BMF in civil society debate around transformation," he said.
Gqubule said he was concerned about BMF and black business after they were silent on the "once empowered always empowered" debate.
"That is a critical debate happening today in SA, and it is time for BMF and black business to intervene on this issue and provide leadership to the ANC government."
"If the Chamber of Mines wins the court case that would set a dangerous precedent ... and could result in the reversal of the gains made ... there would no longer be empower ment deals and I think the BMF needs to be ahead of the members on such issues instead of being behind the members," he said.
BMF president Mncane Mthunzi said the forum, which had produced some of the top black executives, had come up with the Basotho Hat formula on black representation in positions of leadership and the Employment Equity Act, which was derived from the formula.
The BMF also spearheaded the BEE commission which culminated in the formulation of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act.
Mthunzi said he wished the organisation could be everything to everybody and had the capacity to tackle all the challenges the country faces.
"But we think the issues we are focusing on, like breaking the glass ceiling for the critical mass of black people at the executive level is also a priority.
"And the issue of the development of managerial leadership is an important factor.
"We need to unlock opportunities for black people in general .," he said.
BMF will celebrates 40 years of existence on Friday .
sibanyonim@sowetan.co.za
BMF needs to find its voice
As the Black Management Forum (BMF) commemorates 40 years this week, the organisation will need to reclaim its position as a champion for radical transformation.
Empowerment analyst Duma Gqubule said the celebrations of the milestone came as empowerment legislation was under siege, especially with the "once empowered, always empowered" principle being challenged in court.
This has resulted in some companies reve rsing transformation gains by replacing black executives with white people.
The principle states that companies that had proven to have black economic empowerment (BEE) partners in the past were no longer required to get other black partners once the previous ones had sold their stake.
"SA needs a radical BMF. The BMF cannot be orthodox and it cannot be mainstream," said Gqubule, who feels that the president of BMF should be employed by the forum on a full-time basis.
"The BMF in the last three years has lost its voice. In the past the BMF had always been ahead of the people of SA in terms of articulating its position on transformation ... and the current president has to look at re-establishing the voice of the BMF in civil society debate around transformation," he said.
Gqubule said he was concerned about BMF and black business after they were silent on the "once empowered always empowered" debate.
"That is a critical debate happening today in SA, and it is time for BMF and black business to intervene on this issue and provide leadership to the ANC government."
"If the Chamber of Mines wins the court case that would set a dangerous precedent ... and could result in the reversal of the gains made ... there would no longer be empower ment deals and I think the BMF needs to be ahead of the members on such issues instead of being behind the members," he said.
BMF president Mncane Mthunzi said the forum, which had produced some of the top black executives, had come up with the Basotho Hat formula on black representation in positions of leadership and the Employment Equity Act, which was derived from the formula.
The BMF also spearheaded the BEE commission which culminated in the formulation of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act.
Mthunzi said he wished the organisation could be everything to everybody and had the capacity to tackle all the challenges the country faces.
"But we think the issues we are focusing on, like breaking the glass ceiling for the critical mass of black people at the executive level is also a priority.
"And the issue of the development of managerial leadership is an important factor.
"We need to unlock opportunities for black people in general .," he said.
BMF will celebrates 40 years of existence on Friday .
sibanyonim@sowetan.co.za
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