The South African wine industry has turned its attention to empowerment in the industry, and is gearing up for the much-anticipated black economic empowerment (BEE) transformation conference in Cape Town.
The conference, spearheaded by the South African Wine Industry Trust, is to take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from October 31 to November 1.
The prime objective of the two-day event is the development of a wine-industry BEE charter aligned to the government’s BEE charter. The key focus will be on devising realistic transformation solutions that will ultimately deliver tangible empowerment results.
According to South African Wine Industry Trust chairperson Gavin Pieterse, less than 1% of South Africa’s wine industry is currently black-owned.
The conference is an ideal opportunity for key role players to contribute to the formation of a meaningful BEE charter and will act as a catalyst facilitating authentic transformation in the wine industry, he said.
“Actual transformation in this sector has been non-existent; the conference is the first serious step towards making this a reality for all stakeholders.
“Transformation of this industry can only be achieved if proper governance is instituted, new ownership is encouraged and supported, and poverty alleviation is pro-actively addressed and if skills development is viewed as a critical imperative,” he said.
Pieterse added the conference will be used as a platform to debate the successes and failures of black empowerment within the wine sector to date, and to devise workable, practical BEE and transformation solutions.
The trust believes that these activities will ultimately allow it to achieve one of its key goals — the entry of previously disadvantage individuals and groups into the mainstream by providing them with the necessary step-up to proactively grasp economic opportunities and activities offered by the industry at large.
The conference is expected to be attended by 300 representatives from every level within the wine industry including related bodies and communities such as the Department of Agriculture, the trust and its section 21 companies, commercial representatives, black entrepreneurs in the wine industry, local community representatives, wine producers, cooperatives and distributors.
The conference will be jointly hosted and facilitated by the trust and the recently established South African Wine and Brandy Company, which acts as an overall industry body. — I-Net Bridge