Commission puts paid to planned seminar on fronting
The Black-Broad Based Economic Empowerment Commission has spoiled the party for a planned seminar that would apparently have provided pointers on how to get away with fronting‚ pointing out that fronting is a criminal offence in terms of the country’s empowerment laws. The commission wrote a letter to the organisers expressing its concerns after being alerted about the proposed seminar by concerned members of the public."Fronting is a criminal offence in terms of section 130(d) of the B-BBEE Act‚ which is punishable with up to 10 years imprisonment. Therefore‚ any session‚ whether training‚ seminar or conference‚ purporting to teach or show people how to practice fronting safely goes against the objectives of the B-BBEE Act‚" said acting Commissioner Zodwa Ntuli."Any person engaging in such a session clearly obstructs the performance of the duties of the B-BBEE Commission and perpetuates circumvention. It is unacceptable to seek to give people pointers on how to get away with murder‚ which is a crime‚" she added.The organisers of the seminar‚ Dries Visser of Axidex and Michelle Laarman of Innoven Consulting CC‚ were told to immediately refund all individuals that had registered for the seminar.Individuals had to pay R2‚450 each to register for the seminar.The seminar‚ titled “Fronting Has A Legal Zone. Let Us Show You Where It Is” was scheduled to take place on October 26 at the Centurion Lake Hotel in Centurion south of Pretoria.According the Commission‚ the details contained in the seminar's website‚ further outlined the content of the seminar as seemingly seeking to give pointers on how to practice fronting in a manner that is safe.Furthermore‚ the Commission found the title of the seminar‚ and its contents‚ not only to be misleading to the public‚ but also perpetuating fronting practices.“We appreciate that the public has become vigilant in safeguarding the objectives of B-BBEE‚ and acted with speed to alert the B-BBEE Commission on this matter. While we appreciate and encourage education and awareness by others regarding the requirements of B-BBEE‚ we will not tolerate sessions that appear to encourage fronting in any way‚” added Ntuli.The B-BBEE Commission is considering the matter further‚ and engaging with the two entities‚ and will consider the provisions of the B-BBEE Act to bring this matter to a conclusion...
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