South Africa’s first B-BBEE verification agency, Empowerdex, pioneered the empowerment verification methodology and was actively involved in drafting of the Codes of Good Practice. It is therefore perfectly positioned to guide your company through the complexities of B-BBEE and related legislation and regulations.

Empowerdex is a Level Two B-BBEE contributor and SANAS accredited.

• We provide a qualified analyst to take you through B-BBEE legislation while verifying your organisation.
• Empowerdex can help your organisation interpret the codes and understand exactly what is required (training).
• We assist you in understanding the newly amended B-BBEE Codes of Good Practice and what they mean for your organisation.
• Empowerdex offers pre-verification support.
• You will have access to an analyst who will help you compile and assess your B-BBEE compliance documentation.
• Empowerdex provides a standardised and user-friendly B-BBEE rating solution that has been used to measure over 6,000 companies.

Your organisation will receive a premier B-BBEE rating from the market leader in B-BBEE measurement. Contact your nearest office to make an inquiry.

We operate through a team of qualified professionals and provide services in every province. Our clients range from large, JSE-listed companies to generic and QSE clients across various industries. If you require a B-BBEE certificate or further information on our services, please contact Empowerdex.

Most Empowered Companies 2017

We are pleased to present the results of the 2017 Most Empowered Survey which were announced at a Gala Dinner on 4th October 2017.

This survey is published by Independent Newspapers’ Business Report and we would like to extend our congratulations to the participating companies and we wish them continued success in this empowerment journey. We look forward to even more participants next year as everyone settles into being assessed against the more challenging transformation requirements.

The 2017 Most Empowered Companies lists can be found on the link below.

For further queries, please contact the Research team on 011 883 8548.

A market leader in the field of economic empowerment research, Empowerdex produces quantitative and qualitative studies on issues related to all forms of economic empowerment and its impact. We also assess qualitative issues involving B-BBEE and its implementation.  

Our research measures the impact of B-BBEE policies, regulations and legislation. In so doing it provides a foundation for the development and implementation of effective and sustainable policies, strategies and frameworks. It also identifies and quantifies empowerment risks and opportunities.   

Based on this research, Empowerdex advisory services are based on global and industry best-practice analysis designed to support and guide companies and organisations in implementing successful empowerment initiatives.

Empowerdex provides additional services to support transformation. Speak to us to learn how we can assist based on your organisation’s needs.

Collation Service:

A dedicated team will assist your company in gathering the required documentation for the rating process and compiling the necessary information for submission.

Gap Analysis:

Similar to the rating process, but includes a full analysis of your current systems. You will receive a report with:

• Your internal scorecard
• Process review
• Identification of gaps and recommendations for improvement

This analysis can also be conducted after the rating to identify which changes may improve your score.

Indicative Rating Process:

Similar to a formal rating, except documentation is not verified information is accepted at face value. This process does not result in a valid compliance certificate but provides a pre-rating that helps determine readiness and identifies areas requiring adjustment. It has a quicker turnaround time and supports efficient preparation for full verification.

Ownership Assessment:

Only the ownership element is verified, and a certificate is issued following standard procedures.

Joint Venture/Consortium Certificate:

We verify unincorporated Joint Ventures formed for specific projects. Each participating entity’s BEE certificate is reviewed against its share in the venture. A valid certificate is issued for 12 months.

Kindly contact your local Client Service Consultant for a quote on any of these services.

The Rating Process in Detail

We've created this animation of Empowerdex's rating process for you to view. Read further to get more detail and understand how we can work together for best results.

Part 1 - Planning and Preparation

If you wish to engage us please fax the following documentation:-

* Ratings Application Form (find in ratings pack; please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for the relevant documentation)
* Empowerdex's signed Standard Terms & Conditions agreement
* Proof of the initial payment as per the pricing matrix contained in the application pack or as per quotation provided
* Signed declaration 
* Company ownership organogram (if you have one)
* Company profile

On receipt of the above you will be contacted to provisionally accept the verification, and to either set up a preliminary site visit date, or confirm the dates when the verification file will be received from the company.

Part 2 - Verification Preparation and information analysis

Empowerdex file with all the requirements as per the Verification Questionnaire should be received. A verification site visit will be conducted after receiving the file once the analyst has chosen what items they will be sampling. Should the file be incomplete, the analyst will send a list of outstanding information that will be required on-site. The purpose of the site visit is to verify information, not to collect information. The analysis of the information must also happen prior to the site visit at the analyst's office, and not on the verification day. Therefore, if the list the analyst compiles is too long, or requests important material information, these will have to be sent beforehand to the office before a site visit date can be confirmed.

A verification site visit date will initially be set as soon as possible after the receipt of the verification file.

Part 3 - On-site Verification

Empowerdex will perform a verification of the information presented, as well as any risk areas identified during analysis of the underlying information through the use of verification procedures, including the validation of supporting documentation, interviews with company representatives, employees, Enterprise Development and/or Socio Economic Development beneficiaries during the verification visits.

On completion of the analysis, Empowerdex will:

Hold a Preliminary Meeting after the verification to communicate the preliminary score and any problems experienced during verification.

The analyst will go back to the office, where the file will be reviewed and a preliminary report will be issued.

The client then has another 5 working-day window period, to appeal against the preliminary score received, should they wish to do so. For more information on the appeal process please consult the company’s 'appeals policy and procedure' document, or ask the client services department to explain the process to you.

Should there be an appeal and all handled satisfactorily, the final report will be issued within five days of acceptance of the preliminary report.

Part 4 – Verifications Outcome

Once you have gone through the verifications process, you will be awarded a verification report with a verification certificate. The overall verification score will be issued as per guidelines in the Codes of Good Practice, e.g.: Level 3 Contributor.

Should you require an in-depth report, especially for board presentation, this can be arranged at an additional fee. Please contact us to discuss this in more detail.

Empowerdex has other services designed to assist to drive transformation.  Please speak to us on how we can assist you with your unique circumstances.

Collation Service:

The collation service is an offering whereby a separate team would assist your company in collating the correct information required for the rating process and compiling a rating to be presented to the rating team.   

Gap Analysis:  

This will be similar to the rating process, but over and above collecting information and verifying it, an analysis of your current processes and systems will be done.  At the end the process, a report will be formulated that will include the scorecard of the company (for internal use only), a processes analysis, as well as a gap analysis showing which areas the company falls short in, and which areas more effort is required.

The gap analysis can also be done after the rating, where the process is used to determine which areas require more attention, and what the possible score would be based on a few small changes.

The Indicative Rating Process:

Similar in basic processes to the formal rating, the Indicative Rating's difference lies in the fact that the scorecard information is not verified, but information supplied by the client is accepted on “face-value”. 

It is of the utmost importance to note that this indicative rating process will NOT result in a rating certificate that may be used in the normal process of proving compliance. It is normally used as an internal “pre-rating” exercise to determine whether changes need to be made prior to rating, or whether the client is ready for the process.  The value of this exercise lies in the much shorter turn-around time than the rating exercise, but still results in a deliverable which produces enough information to form the basis of the chronological next step, full rating. 

Ownership Assessment:

With this we verify your ownership element only and provide you with a detailed certificate of your ownership. The normal verification process is followed and the end result will be a valid ownership certificate.

Joint Venture/Consortium Certificate:

With this we will verify a unicorporated Joint Venture that was created between two or more companies for a specific project or as a temporary working together solution. We will assess the BEE certificate of all the involved parties against the share each of the entities has in the Joint Venture or Consortium. The end result will be a Joint Venture/Consortium certificate that is valid for 12 months.

Kindly contact your local Client Service Consultant in order to receive a quote on any of the above service offerings. 

Key projects

• Empowerdex worked with the National Empowerment funding, for a comparative analysis of B-BBEE funding instruments and Empowerdex performed an annual review of funding mechanisms in the South African market aimed at facilitating and furthering B-BBEE Ownership.
• Empowerdex currently researches the most empowered companies (previously Top Empowerment Companies), an analysis is done for Most Empowered Companies, and all the results are published on the section of the independent newspaper and on the Empowerdex website.
• Empowerdex works closely with the Chamber of Mines and its members in addressing the transformational challenges in the industry through a codes aligned Generic Sector Code.

Historical Key projects

• Empowerdex was part of the team that consulted to the Department of Trade and Idustry with respect to the development od the Codes of Good Practice for broad-based black economic empowerment.
• Empowerdex was actively involved with the Department of Agriculture is the updating of its AgriBEE initiative; it conducted a benchmark study, aligning the sector's draft transformation charter with the guidelines set out in the Codes of Good Practice and conduced countrywide briefings to farmers in both rural and urban areas.
• Empowerdex completed a sector audit for the Department of Minerals and Energy to determine private sector compliance against Petroleum and Liquid Fuels Charter.
• Empowerdex was appointed by the Department of Communication as a consultant to measure the level of economic empowerment in the ICT sect and was part of the research team which supported the ICT sector steering committee in the development of the first three drafts of the ICT sector charter.
• Empowerdex was appointed by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) to create a comprehensive BEE index for the tourism sector. It also consulted to the DEAT in developing a BEE scorecard for the tourism sector, as well as developing a BEE procurement tool for the department.
• Empowerdex worked closely with SAPIA on a strategy for approaching the 2013 Codes Alignment process as it relates to the development of an industry code for the petroleum sector of South Africa.

Key clients

Purpose of the Codes

Section 9 of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act No. 53 of 2003 (BEE Act) legally provides for the issuing of Codes of Good Practice on broad-based black economic empowerment. Besides the dti's Strategy for Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment and the B-BBEE Act, drivers of transformation charter processes to date, have lacked a standard B-BBEE framework from which to develop charters. Furthermore, some charters were developed even before the B-BBEE Act and the Strategy document were released. Consequently, there exists substantial incomparability amongst charters, with respect to content as well as criteria for measurement. This results in entities in certain sectors with stricter measurement criteria being unfavourably disadvantaged when competing for business with entities in sectors with more lenient measurement criteria.

Status of Charters in Relation to the Codes

Transformation Charters may either be gazetted in terms of section 9 of the B-BBEE Act, or in terms of section 12. Code 000 contained in the Codes of Good Practice includes a Statement on transformation charters as well as guidelines on the gazetting of charters.

A transformation charter gazetted in terms of section 9 of the Act means that the charter has been gazetted as a Code of Good Practice and that it therefore has the same status as the Codes. This effectively means that the charter becomes legally binding on organs of state and public entities.

A transformation charter gazetted in terms of section 12 of the Act expresses an industry's commitment to transformation but is not legally binding on organs of state and public entities.

In cases where transformation charters have not been gazetted as Codes, government will make use of the Codes of Good Practice as a means of B-BBEE measurement

Sector Codes gazetted under Section 9(1):

If the majority of the measured entity's turnover is derived as a result of gazetted sector related activities, then the relevant sector code will apply to such measured entity.

Summary of the 2013 new codes.

The amended Codes of Good Practice for Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment that came into effect on 1 May 2015 will significantly reduce current compliance levels – by two to three levels. It is imperative that companies measure themselves in terms of the revisions then plot their path to return to former levels.

The revisions were gazetted in 2013 but are being implemented now and represent a further wave in the B-BBEE legislation of the Department of Trade and Industry. Initially, narrow-based empowerment (ownership and management only) was followed by broad-based empowerment, which incorporated seven elements: ownership, management control, employment equity, skills development, preferential procurement, enterprise development and socio-economic development.

Now the number of elements is being reduced to five: ownership, management control, skills development, enterprise and supplier development and socio-economic development.

The main difference though is that the revisions go a step further by identifying priority elements on which companies should concentrate: ownership, skills development and enterprise and supplier development. Failure to comply with a 40% sub-minimum in any of these priority elements leads to an automatic reduction of one level in your contribution level.

There is a sharp focus on the human resource aspects of the scorecard, with real emphasis being placed on employment equity and skills development – with black females now carrying their own, separate measurement indicators. Both elements also use the Economically Active Population racial split to ensure that there is equitable representation based on these statistics. Skills development now takes into account the training of employees as well as unemployed people who could then be employable.

The procurement element is heavily weighted towards procuring from black-owned businesses as opposed to the highest-rated businesses. Because there are relatively few black businesses that service other businesses, there is an expectation that most companies will score poorly on this element. We have also noted a trend of companies working on new ownership transactions to ensure that they become black owned and thus be counted in the procurement scorecards of their clients. Finally, socio-economic development contributions are now fully focused only on support that facilitates income-generating activities in the hands of the beneficiaries.

The “Certified Empowerment Technician” (CET) course is an advanced programme that can be done in isolation by any person who does not get involved in the collation of information during the company’s preparation for BEE Site verification.  The CET course is attended in person, at a venue in your area, or can be done at your premises, depending on the amount of people attending. It covers BEE and transformation in a broader sense and the amended Codes of Good Practice and the measurement of the 5 elements. This programme takes a comprehensive look into the theoretical aspects of the codes that would be required by any person looking to develop a BEE Strategy.

The course has been running with great success to date and we've received much positive feedback from organizations and consultants. The successful completion of the training programme on offer includes a full evaluation of understanding, methodology and required competency and will result in the issuing of a “Certified Empowerment Technician” certificate.

In order to attend the course, we require an individual to be in possession of a matriculation certificate. The duration of the programme is 1.5 days.

Programme content:

• History of BEE development and the economic impact on South Africa.
  The Amended Codes of Good Practice
• A guide to B-BBEE
• Sector Codes (applicable till November 2015)
• Preparation of BEE reports
• Assessment of BEE information systems (if applicable)

Programme fees: 

A sliding scale will apply if more than one delegate is booked from the same company:

• 1 person: R3 750 excl vat (per person)
• 2 people: R3 200 excl vat (per person)
• 3 people: R3 000 excl vat (per person)
• 4 or more: R2 850 excl vat (per person)

Programme fees include:

• Empowerdex Training binder with colour presentations and Codes of Good Practice
• All refreshments and lunch daily
• Certificate issued by Empowerdex on completion of course and assessment

We also do internal training and workshops customised to your organizations needs and sector code in which your organisation trades. Please speak to your regional office in order to discuss your needs in more detail.

Attending BEE training will empower your organisation in strategising around BEE and preparing for your audits respectively - giving you the competitive edge. Please contact us to schedule your place in our next training session. We look forward to hearing from you.