stable
14 June 2007
The Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) announced today that the South
African Supplier Development Agency (Sasda) will be incorporated into the
Central Energy Fund (CEF) Group of Companies as part of broader initiatives to
accelerate the empowerment of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) suppliers in the
oil industry.
Sasda was established in March 2005 by the DME in conjunction with the seven
major oil companies which constitute the South African Petroleum Industry
Association (Sapia). Its brief is to facilitate increased access by BEE
suppliers to procurement opportunities in the petroleum industry, in compliance
with the Liquid Fuels Charter of 2000. One of its key focus areas is the
development of black suppliers to meet the industry's required standards.
The Minister of Minerals and Energy, Ms Buyelwa Sonjica, said today that
Sasda's new role would also include a special focus on supplier development
within State-owned Enterprises. "As a department we remain committed to
achieving one of our major goals which is to develop globally competitive black
South African suppliers in the petroleum and liquid fuels industry. By locating
Sasda as a division within the ambit of CEF, which is an energy-focused
company, we believe that new momentum will be gained," said Minister
Sonjica.
Mr Connel Ngcukana, a spokesman for Sapia, which previously controlled
Sasda, welcomed the new development. "We as Sapia remain committed to supplier
development and meeting the transformation targets set out in the Liquid Fuels
Charter. We will continue interacting with Sasda and sharing best practices and
learnings from other development initiatives," Mr Ngcukana said.
CEF (Pty) Ltd manages specific energy interests on behalf of the Government
and primarily acts as a catalyst for the development of new energy entities. It
controls entities within the sector with commercial, strategic, regulatory and
developmental roles, housed in six operating subsidiaries. These are PetroSA
(the Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa), iGAS (the South
African Gas Development Company), Petroleum Agency SA, Oil Pollution Control
SA, the Strategic Fuel Fund Association and the South African National Energy
Research Institute (Saneri). Among other corporate functions, CEF (Pty) Ltd
also manages the Central Energy Fund on behalf of the Government.
Enquiries:
Ms Bontle Mafuna
Tel: 012 317 8086
Fax: 012 322 4954
Cell: 082 571 4310
E-mail: bontle.mafuna@dme.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Minerals and Energy
14 June 2007
Source: Department of Minerals and Energy (http://www.dme.gov.za)
