Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) are considered by many to be an integral of the South African economy. In fact, the government’s National Development Plan (NDP) places approximately 90% of the responsibility for new job creation on South African SMMEs – an especially ambitious target considering the effect that COVID 19 and the subsequent lockdowns have had on this sector of the economy.
“It makes sense that the South African Government would focus on SMMEs as a potential saviour of the economy when it comes to increasing our employment numbers,” says Angie Lanham-Love, CEO of Lanham-Love Consulting. “In fact, as of May 2023, the Department of Small Business Development has said that approximately 2.5 million SMMEs in South Africa employ just under 8 million people. If SMMEs are therefore going to meet the target set by the NDP, then we are going to have to, as a nation, create and support far more small, medium, and micro enterprises.”
One of the ways by which government has attempted to encourage business to invest in the development and support of SMMEs is by means of the Enterprise and Supplier Development aspect of the B-BBEE Scorecard. “Enterprise and Supplier Development is a priority element on the B-BBEE Scorecard,” says Lanham-Love. “It seeks to enhance local procurement, strengthen local supplier development programmes, as well as increasing financial support towards those previously disadvantaged. As such, if you and your business are ensuring that you are sourcing your supplies and external services from local, B-BBEE compliant businesses; are working with your suppliers to grow and develop their business; and are focusing on a potential supplier or service provider’s B-BBEE Scorecard when considering doing new business, you are already contributing to the betterment of the South African economy!”
“At Lanham-Love Consulting, we believe that, when implemented correctly, B-BBEE supports job creation, global competitiveness and economic growth,” says Lanham-Love. “It also has the potential to reduce the burden on entrepreneurs and help to create a more skilled workforce. When it comes down to it, investing in B-BBEE by means of ensuring your suppliers and service providers are B-BBEE compliant themselves, and focusing on developing and uplifting them while you grow your own business, is just common sense. Business is one of those areas in life – like most areas in life – where it does not make sense to simply focus on your company in isolation. Business is more that a community: it’s an ecology. One in which all of us is dependent on one another for true sustainable success.”
B-BBEE is the cornerstone of the South African Government’s efforts to educate and train the large sector of the population that was previously disadvantaged. It aims to accelerate the participation of black people in the economy – only one of which is Enterprise and Supplier Development. If you want to ensure maximum benefit to your business, while contributing to the upliftment and development of your fellow South Africans, Lanham-Love Consulting can help! Speak to our experts today.