What are you doing about transformation in the sector?

Astatement by Gauteng Tourism CEO Sthembiso Dlamini had a few corners in a frenzy. Dlamini questioned why the launch event of Meetings Africa wasn’t in a township? And added that the multibillionrand sector had very few black players at the top.

The questions are valid. Our democracy is just 29 years young and, in this period, the transformation stats are shocking across many industries, especially in the MICE space where the majority of players are white female while the “owners are mainly white males”. Whichever way you look at it, the higher up you go, the fewer black participants you see. Most black entrants don’t have the same access their white counterparts do. A young black woman growing up in Taung didn’t have the opportunity to understand the sector while growing up, only getting to learn about it when she moves to Gauteng and wants to be a part of it.

Their introduction to the sector is through temp agencies that get them to work registration desks for corporate events. But where can they go from here?

As a practitioner, I have run into some hurdles along the way. While the government and

some corporates have policies on letting people in, the first hurdle is that your company doesn’t have enough experience for the scale of event. You need to partner with one of the big guys. You knock on doors, but no one will give you the time of day because they don’t know you. (No experience, remember?)

A previous employer doesn’t want to work with you as they have a ‘black company’ that they work with. If you look closely, the company is linked to someone with political influence and they are just on the tab to make some cash. There is no accountability.

The second hurdle you face is funding. Most projects are post-paid. One or two suppliers will grant you credit to deliver on the work, but good luck finding someone post-Covid to help fund anything.

You eventually get appointed for a project and the client reminds you at every meeting, “You are the first black company to get this – don’t screw it up.” You come to meetings nervous about screwing it up for other black suppliers who will lose out on work because Tshepiso dropped the ball that one time.

Parliament has just rescinded the requirement for SOEs to use BBBEE-compliant companies. The ripple effect of this on small black businesses is going to be felt. With no will continue in their bubble with no one to check them.

If you are a white company in a predominantly black country with only white people in management and senior roles, you need to be intentional about creating space for black employees and vendors.

In Eric Miyeni’s O’Mandingo! The only black at a dinner party, he talks about how one executive had trouble finding a black secretary and recommends, “Train up a black secretary, for God’s sake. Fire 10 of them and get to the perfect black one, if you must.”

My point is that for the growth and progress of the country, we as the sector have to do the work in levelling the playing field. Historically disadvantaged individuals didn’t choose to come from the backgrounds they did and neither did you. However, you have the opportunity to use your privilege to allow access to smaller players.