BMF Investments

17/06/2022

BMF Investments would like to welcome Mr Nkathazo Radebe as the new Chief Financial Officer. We look forward to the new journey and leadership.

16/06/2022

BMF Investments would like to say Happy Youth Day to all young South Africans.

07/06/2022

BMFI would like to announce that Mr. Mpho Motsei is the new acting MD of BMFI. We look forward to a bright future.

18/04/2022

My Freedom
My heart bleeds as I pen down this piece. This is simply because of the realisation that our generation continue to struggle even in the era of the democratic government. The white supremacy policies of the apartheid government empowered the white minority who descended from both the Dutch and the British settlers, while disempowering the Black Majority South Africans. The ANC Government as the first and the only democratic government in South Africa, should have worked around the clock to reverse the economic imbalances created by the apartheid government. Our ancestors and forefathers fought a different struggle and oppression. They fought for abolishment of the pass laws, they fought to be freed from white oppression, and they fought to participate in free and fair election just to mention a few. One can deduce that their hope was that, if they vote in the government of their choice, the government will use policy to reverse the imbalances that was created by the apartheid government. That their descendants would enjoy the fruits of their struggles. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The Black Empowerment Policies which were meant to counter the White (Empowerment) Supremacy Policies, are only good on paper but fails to achieve that which they were intended achieve in practice. They fail to address the issues they were intended to address. In South Africa today, skin colour is still viewed and used as a qualification for certain job positions. A white person who holds just a matric certificate is given preference over a Black fellow who holds a university degree or even a master’s degree in certain instances. Job experience continues to be used as a barrier to keep the black child out of the job but the same is not true for a white child.
True freedom for me will never be realised, until we experience total Black Economic Emancipation. A state where people are employed on merits and qualification and not because of the colour of their skin. The South Africa where the trading ground is levelled for the black child and where White Supremacy and Privileges are abolished, not only in paper but also in practice. Where the government uses policy to advance the Economic Empowerment of Black People, the same way it was used by the apartheid government to oppress them and advance the empowerment of the minority White population.
Much of the population remain caged in the prison of Socio-Economic distress, while the minority who were enabled by the apartheid policies to inherit wealth continue to enjoy the benefits of such policies. Twenty-eight years down the line, the black child is still not free!

By Mpho Solomon Motsei
BMF Chairperson Limpopo & Board member of BMF and BMFi

16/02/2022

We at BMF Investments would like to congratulate Mr Sipho Nkosi as the Chief Bureaucratic "Red Tape Cutter" for small businesses in South Africa. Well Mr. Nkosi.

12/11/2021

Mfundo Tsheketshe talks brand expansion, the gender agenda, human rights and commerce all under the African Free Continental Trade Area Agreement.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/africa-continental-free-trade-area-agreement-afcfta-bmf-investmentshttps://www.linkedin.com/pulse/africa-continental-free-trade-area-agreement-afcfta-bmf-investments

13/10/2021

BMFInvestments would like to congratulate Ms. Nompumelelo Zikalala on this historic appointment.

23/09/2021

13/09/2021

We at BMFInvestments would like to introduce Mr Mdu Godlo as our new Chief Investment Officer.
We look forward to this new journey.

09/08/2021

GENDER JUSTICE: FINDING HOPE IN HOPELESSNESS

Lamenting the state of gender justice in a country like South Africa can lead the sane to insanity and those already at the edge of the ledge, over it. We have too many laws and entrenched rights guaranteed by the Constitution to impede progress at a rapid pace in the realm of achieving gender equality. In addition, South Africa has ratified the Beijing Platform for Action in 1995, the Declaration on Gender Development and the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women. The legislative framework in all of its beauty exists. Yet, we are nowhere near to closing the gender gap or eliminating gender based violence. The sheer frustration and lived realities of black women in particular manifests the enormity of this struggle.

We live in a country that is so brutal and anti- women that a simple trip to the post office in broad daylight is no longer an act to be taken casually when this can result in our deaths. Let’s face it, it feels hopeless on the best of days.

Equally enraging are the rare and peppered announcements about black women being still referred to as the first CEO of a corporate company or state owned entity and this news is splashed on the cover of the trendiest and glossiest magazines in slow lounges across the nation and media outlets. Let us celebrate the success and achievements of these rare and endangered species but let’s not turn it into a Halley’s comet event, capable of only occurring every 75 to 76 years.

To add petrol to the raging fire, let’s talk about the intersectionality of being black young, q***r, trans, differently abled, poor or uneducated to this gender inequity equation. We cannot shy away from a society where these issues are alive but remain closeted or are no go zones incapable of being raised as we dig our collective heads deep in the sand.

In order to plot a journey one needs a start point. A road map to plot the way, the necessary vehicle filled with the right amount of fuel and tools to navigate and charter the path, the ability to be assured a safe and unhindered passage and to be guaranteed arrival at one’s destination alive, well and dare I say, even happy. So too, in plotting the path that women have taken since 9 August 1956 and all other marches to date like the Total Shutdown March gives a sense of hope and motivates women to keep going. We will arrive at the end goal but only if we remain deliberate and consistent in our planning and ex*****on of this road map. Only women can lead the change we want to see.

Measuring these milestones and marking them as rites of passage bit by bit motivates the weary and down trodden to keep going. The youth will be inspired to take over the reins without being asked and the older generation will share the pearls cultivated over the years ensuring an intergenerational formula. This marking of milestones engenders confidence, a factor that magically finds itself in men but is a genetic disposition for women.

UN Women have launched their global campaign: GENERATION EQUALITY: REALIZING WOMEN’S RIGHTS FOR AN EQUAL FUTURE on May 6, 2019 already but continue to roll out in various countries. It goes without saying that a campaign of this magnitude should be supported and endorsed by all governments and welcomed as another step towards reaching gender equality at a quicker and deliberate pace.

The Woman’s March of 1956, while memorable and forever etched in our minds did not immediately achieve emancipation for women but it symbolised the resilience and strength that inspires hope in the hopelessness of the situation.

The Black Management Forum subscribes to women led entities and we understand the value of having black women at the head of the table as opposed to having us seated at the side and close to the door where we are consistently marginalised socially, culturally, politically and economically.

09/08/2021

Pandemic Ushers a Mixed Bag of Hardship, Leadership and Agility for Women

By Jesmane Boggenpoel, Deputy Chairperson BMF Investments

Systems of patriarchy have characterized societies for centuries such that gender inequality is accepted as a norm. In this context it is encouraging over a time arch to see women rise and play a more prominent role in shaping economies and in all facets of society. Against a backdrop of gains over a time continuum, the last 12 months for women have brought to the fore a mixed bag of hardship, leadership and agile responsiveness.

McKinsey estimated that female job loss rates due to Covid-19 are about 1.8 times higher than male job loss rates globally and that women are disproportionately represented in industries expected to decline the most. In South Africa, Covid and the recent disturbing and heartbreaking outbreak of violence and looting in our country has underscored the intersection and reinforcing interplay of gender, race and poverty. For our women and children to have hope for opportunity and a reprieve from hardship, we must provide quality and affordable education, healthcare and finance.

The pandemic has brought to the fore global leadership by women, with the inclusive approaches of Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Jacintha Arden more science than ego based. In South Africa we can honor many stories of women leadership during the pandemic - both known and less familiar. My friend Tandi Nzimande leads Solidarity Fund that is assisting our vulnerable and providing much needed PPE. Another friend Maria Makhabane Leke has been instrumental in leading Discovery’s launch of their Prepaid Health product which leverages a digital platform to offer more South Africans access to high quality, affordable health services on a Pay-As-You-Go basis (not insurance). Further, a big acknowledgement to all our female front line workers who sacrifice so much to keep us safe, including my twin sister Julie Ann - a medical doctor.

A progressive and agile response to the pandemic has been remote and flexible work options, allowing more inclusion for women in the workplace. Corporates further get kudos for having identified pregnant women as a higher risk group during Covid, prioritizing their safety and remote work. Physical appearance on zoom meetings, with the option to opt out of video has in some way freed women with less restrictions and expectations. The virtual ‘hand up’ icon enables more equitable meeting air time. As companies eye returning to work post-covid, I urge corporates not to through throw out the baby with the bath water and rather develop hybrid models that retain elements of remote and flexible work options. Taking this agility further to the broader organizational design - we need gender action plans that incorporate the employment process, gender ratios and leadership training.