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New chairwoman appointed at SAWIT

Published:  23 July, 2008

By Sarah Ahmed
Dr Thandi Ndlovu, a former non-executive director of Wines of South Africa (WOSA) and a second-term trustee of the South African Wine Industry Trust (SAWIT), is to succeed Gavin Pieterse (who recently resigned due to conflicts of interest) as chair of SAWIT. SAWIT was created in 1999 and is responsible for facilitating black economic empowermenT(BEE) within the South African wine industry.

Ndlovu brings extensive board-level experience from outside the wine industry. She is founder and executive chairman of the Motheo Group, a construction company, and sits on various corporate boards.

Her appointment comes at a critical moment for BEE. The Wine Industry Transformation Charter, which has been facilitated by SAWIT, is due to be finalised by the end of the year. It introduces a scorecard as a framework against which to measure the BEE process in each of the wine industry's sectors. Ndlovu says SAWIT's role has been redefined to spearhead the transformation of the wine industry and mobilise the industry to organise itself to take on the role of self-regulation and self-monitoring.'

This follows the restructuring this June of the South African Wine and Brandy Company (now known as the South African Wine Industry Council). While SAWIT will maintain strategic responsibility for BEE and is a member of the council's Advisory Forum, the council's Development and Transformation Unit will focus on delivery of the charter.

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