The BMF wants to place on record that media reports about our President Jimmy Manyi gate-crushing the recent BUSA meeting are a pure fabrication and must be dismissed with contempt (see Sake24 report).

In April, Manyi on request by Tembakazi Mnyaka the Deputy President of the BMF who was abroad at the time went to convey a specific message from the Black business caucus at a BUSA/MANCO meeting which had been brought forward. The BMF further confirms that Manyi made a very brief appearance and the rest of the meeting was attended by the BMF MD Nomhle Nkumbi-Ndopu. The Black business caucus is a structure made up of a number of members of the Confederation of Black Business Organisations (CBBO).

The message conveyed at that meeting with the BUSA MANCO was premised on the fact that; now that both the BUSA President and the Chairman are members of established business, the Black business caucus must be given the responsibility to field candidates for the CEO position as a compromise, so that the so-called unity could be anchored by some concrete structure that shows intent to transform.

Mr Cas Covadia, the Vice President of BUSA who had knowledge that Manyi's presence in that meeting had the blessings of Both the BUSA President and Chairman did in fact clarify this matter that Manyi's attendance was both procedural and by agreement, yet media continued with misleading and defamatory headlines.

Furthermore, the report by City Press at the weekend that sought to pit the BMF against some of the Black business caucus members was simply ill-advised and malicious. Contents of the letter signed by myself as MD of the BMF were confirmed and ratified in a subsequent meeting by the Presidents of the mentioned Black business caucus members. We have minutes to that effect.

The breach of governance by BUSA continues to be the bone of contention that the Black business caucus will further discuss later today.

Statement issued by The Black Management Forum, June 6 2011

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