Special Hearings — Business Hearings — 1997-11-11

MS MKHIZE: Well, maybe can you just.  I mean this is important for us, tell us as a commission, you say you are (unclear) to a situation; you talk about the situation under which you are (unclear) emerged.  That is page two.  You talk about, the last paragraph, you talk about the situation that was underpinned by deliberate methods and a vicious and harsh legal system that kept black business progress to a bare minimum.  Regarding this I would really like us to, like you to create a picture of exactly what was happening.   We all know, we've heard from black management forum, bodies like COSATU and others, but in your own view, if you can tell us what exactly was happening at that time.

FABCOS SPEAKER: Thank you Mr Chairperson.  I think it's an open secret was the circumstances the black man has been in this country over the years.   Black business was no exception to the situations which prevailed at the time.  It could never be sufficiently persuaded that the SACCOB's of that time could truly and honestly commit themselves to the self-advancement of black business.  Hence we found that.  At every corner, and in fact the entire social engineering of apartheid was such, that it intended to suppress the black man, in all his aspects of existence.  Hence we talk about education for instance.  And the kind of education that never gave blacks the opportunity to acquire business management skills for instance to be able to run their business'  efficiently.  When it came to the informal sector, we know that left, right and centre, they were harassed.  They were harassed by what?  By the formal sector business' that existed.  You'd be arrested in old apartheid days, you could never hope to see the many vendors that are lining our streets today.  And yet it is a known fact throughout the world that it is small business actually, ultimately generates the most jobs.  And that was the (unclear) of the majority of lesser and deprived people.  And for that reason therefore, when we saw our people being harassed, routed every day, we had to take up the cultural sword then.  Hence the idea of mobilising people so that we can bargain collectively.  Mobilise these people so that our voice is heard, as it made representations for the easing of legislation that disallowed blacks in any way.  Whites were allowed to open up business' everywhere.  It was easy for a whit business to procure a licence to operate business.  It was one of the most difficult if not impossible tasks for a black man to procure a licence to run a business.  And for that reason, therefore, that is why, we believed that the only way and the best person who could represent, and promote the interest of black business could only be a black organisation.  This is what inspired the formation of Nafcoc in the first place and later Fabcos addressing the other still neglected sector.

MS MKHIZE: Just a last question, (unclear).  Hardly we have engaged in this exercise because we are concerned, we would like to make recommendation about the future.  Do you think what we have heard today is the right direction which the country should take.  We have heard about Afrikaans business, English business, Black business?

FABCOS SPEAKER: Thank you Mr Chairman.  I say yes, it is the right direction we are beginning to take and I want to qualify that.  You see, what we need here as South Africans is to have a new strategic paradigm.  The new strategic paradigm dictates that obviously we should start joining hands, or joining forces into competing for the future and not competing against each other.  We need to begin, especially us as black people, to start churning out architects who will begin to dream the future and be part of change of the course of events, rather than turning out what we have presently mostly the maintenance engineers.  So we have a duty, as South Africans to start doing that and we as Fabcos, have demonstrated that we have the willingness to get into that arenas and start moving forward.  We are involved in the most important forum, business for the country, business for South Africa, for instance, Nedlec for instance, that our demonstration as Fabcos' willingness to move along and join forces.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much.  I was just saying to my colleagues the wealth of giftedness that there is in our country, a lot of which has been hidden, sidelined, disempowered and so on; and it is thrilling really sometimes to be made aware by presentations that have happened today but your own particular presentation here.  That God has blessed this country richly.  That we have been awful in wasting the resources that God has given us.  Not just national resources, but especially human resources and one is excited as you get to realise the giftedness of so many of our people in this country and that one hopes that those talents are going to be used for the benefit of the whole of our people of our country.  Thank you very much.  You may stand down.
 Now the very very last. 
 Thank you for not saying "yebo go go".