ICT empowerment charter
21 May 2004
A working group formed by companies in South Africa's information and communications technology (ICT) sector has released its third draft of an empowerment charter for the industry.
The third draft takes into account extensive input from the country's ICT community, includes the much-anticipated targets for black economic empowerment (BEE) in the sector, and is one of last steps towards the finalisation of the charter, which is scheduled to be released in June.
The ICT working group has been leading countrywide consultation on the charter over several months.
"If the people of South Africa are to place their faith in the new charter, then we must ensure that they are included in its construction", said the working group's chairman, Electronics Industries Federation president Dali Mpofu.
Mpofu said the "industry-driven" charter would ensure that black people were included in the mainstream economy, as set out in the government's black
economic empowerment strategy.
Mpofu said the core elements of the charter included transformation indicators such as ownership, management and control, skills development, employment equity, enterprise development, preferential procurement and social investment.
The scorecard targets included in the charter were "generally achievable, although somewhat robust and forward-looking", Mpofu said.
He added that the targets had been tailored for the ICT sector, which, unlike the financial and mining sectors, was very diverse, with a wide range of different-sized companies, technologies and ownership structures, and continually changing market conditions.
The working group has also proposed the establishment of an ICT Black Economic Empowerment Council to monitor and review the implementation of the charter, and to be responsible for accrediting national ICT projects aimed at bridging the digital divide.
The working group is made up of representatives of the
Black IT Forum, the Electronics Industries Federation, the SA Communications Forum, Information Industry South Africa, the Information Technology Association, and the SA Chamber of Business.
The working group has held discussions with government departments, including the departments of trade and industry, communications, and public service and administration, over the contents and implementation of the charter.
"We have embarked on a very ambitious process that is not going to be easy, but we recognise that the vehicle of empowerment is through the enterprises themselves", Mpofu said. "We cannot underestimate the role of enterprises and even of individuals in this process."
For more information, updates and links to the full draft charter, visit the ICT Charter website.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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