BIDVEST DONATION PRESS STATEMENT

The National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NAFCOC) leadership and members have had an
opportunity to read and deliberate on the letter and Press Statement sent to us about the donation by Bidvest to the
Gauteng Department of Education. The letter states that it will be donating deep cleaning services to 577 schools. In the
letter to the department of education in Gauteng, they mention that they will be doing a presentation to the
department which they will demonstrate a workplace readiness system, this is not mentioned in the public statement
by Bidvest .It is our view that the donation by Bidvest is a ruse and they are indirectly making a proposal to supply a
tracking and tracing technology contract, which would in turn give them a much bigger return than what they would
have put into the donation.
“Many of our members who make up the majority of Small business in South Africa supplying cleaning, catering,
security and laundry services have complained that BIDVEST is already monopolising government contracts and private
sector .The pie is simply not big enough for them, the COVID-19 pandemic has already robbed many of our Small
medium enterprises of their livelihoods. As the biggest Chamber in South Africa that is representing SMMEs, we simply
cannot stand by and watch all COVID- 19 related business contracts go to the white monopoly capital with most black
businesses not being included. What is more alarming is that small businesses have the capacity to deliver and yet many
are left out of the procurement process of COVID-19 services.” Mr. Stephen Sikhosana – Secretary of NAFCOC and
President of National Industrial Chamber
“Our government has not given enough attention to empowering small businesses to keep afloat during the pandemic
by failing to utilise black businesses that supply PPEs, cleaning, and manufacturing of hospital equipment needed during
this crisis. It not through the lack of trying that we voice out our dissatisfaction now.NAFCOC as a chamber of commerce
of industry boasts lists of qualifying SMME’S that are equipped to offer the services. They cannot afford to offer millions
worth of donations in exchange to present their offerings” Mr. Gilbert Mosena, Acting President of NAFCOC.
“NAFCOC encourages and gives support to our members to register on the Central Supply Database, Provincial and Local
Government databases and keep their business compliance up to date, what is then the point of all that if they are
constantly overlooked and white monopoly companies and other big corporations like BIDVEST are used? “
NAFCOC did reach out to the Department of Health when the first cases of COVID-19 and offered a joint program of
action amongst black business and government to work together in offering solutions to the pandemic. We have never
given any response and have been excluded from Business for South Africa has been procuring PPEs for South Africa.
We continue to plead with our government not to ignore the plight of small business during this pandemic , small
enterprises are the biggest employers and one of the largest contributors to the country’s GDP.Our economy is at a
fragile state, the majority of people suffering are black small business.
Ends