Readers’Views
BBC should join forces with Busa to regain some credibility
The article by Chris Barron “This is the BBC adjusting its dial” (August 19) unearthed some unpalatable truths on the narrowness and bias of the thinking of its secretariat.
It would seem that the Black Business Council (BBC) opted to go on its own rather than co-ordinating the efforts of the broad-based business forum, believing white monopoly capital was anti-transformation. It proved short-sighted and still fails to recognise the value of unity speaking with one voice.
Its new president, Sandile Zungu, was held by many to be responsible for the battering its image took during his tenure as its secretary-general. The organisation was further tarnished when a donation of R5m from the Airports Company SA vanished from its coffers; it needs to open a criminal case to recover the money.
Due to the BBC’s poor leadership, it misdirected its support for president Jacob Zuma and questioned Pravin Gordhan’s integrity, when in fact it should have held the president accountable for failing to uphold his oath of office.
It is obvious the BBC is still not realising the good it would do in joining Business Unity SA under the leadership of the courageous Sipho Pityana and Bonang Mohale, which would help establish its credibility and give the impression SA Inc is open for business. Ted O’Connor, Albertskroon, via e-mail
SMME red tape in a sorry tangle
Hilary Joffe’s column “Smaller needs to get a lot bigger” (July 29) refers. Very true words from Joffe, and what’s more, it’s the continuous chorus of people speaking about small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) who have not the slightest idea of how any business runs, least of all an SMME. As a small example, the South African Revenue Service owes my small business R20,000 in an assessed VAT return for the second VAT period running. No attempt is made to justify the withholding and I’ve received no communication from it. I will have to go to one of its offices and spend a day trying to get an answer.
In fact the need for a business or company to register for VAT with a turnover of just R1m is totally ridiculous, a limit that was set some years ago and never raised. Any very small SMME can reach such turnover without much effort, yet the VAT returns every two months require considerable effort and a good deal of knowledge, and incur costs.
The department of transport in its wisdom decided from 2017 to process all transport permits for tourist vehicles from its central office in Pretoria only, which you could also do in Cape Town (and other cities) before. Sending such an application by post is unthinkable, and even by courier doubtful. It can be e-mailed, yet that too is questionable. So I travelled to Pretoria to submit it personally, just to make sure it reached its desired destination. Took a day and a return flight, but we received it, though not within the period promised on the website.
A list of red tape facing SMMEs would fill a book of 1,000 pages and unless we have people in government and other regulatory entities who listen to SMME entrepreneurs before making daft decisions, not much will change on the labour front.
Peter Smulik, Cape Town, via e-mail