Cape Town - Transnet has boosted its procurement of goods and services from black empowered and black-owned enterprises from 37 percent of its total spend three years ago, to 65 percent, totalling R13.5-billion in the last financial year.
Briefing media ahead of her Budget Vote on Thursday, Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises Enoch Godongwana said of this amount, Transnet spent R2.7 billion on small enterprises with an annual turnover of between R5 million and R35 million.
He said the R13.5-billion spend also included R1.9 billion which was spent on small firms with an annual turnover of below R5 million and R837 million on black women-owned businesses.
Eskom is procuring 50 percent of the inputs it needed for its build programme from local suppliers. These included turbines, water treatment and electrical work.
He said state-owned enterprises were focusing on skills development, with Eskom looking to train over 2 700 artisans through its build programme and Transnet aiming to invest between three and four percent of its personnel costs training technical staff.
State arms manufacturer Denel would train 210 people, including unemployed youth, in various apprenticeship disciplines in the area of aerospace, engineering and defence industries.
