The Black Business Council (BBC) has accused Business Unity SA (Busa) of unilaterally claiming to represent the business community in the coming Business 20 (B20) summit.
Busa announced in a statement on Sunday that it would lead the summit scheduled for February 2025 and has appointed its leaders as sherpa, chair and co-chair.
“Busa will represent SA’s private sector in the B20 and will lead B20 SA in 2025,” it said.
The B20 summit, a key private sector engagement forum for Group of 20 (G20) countries, will bring together 1,000 business leaders to provide policy recommendations to G20 leaders.
Representatives from SA’s business community will play leading roles, including co-chairs Mxolisi Mgojo and Nonkululeko Nyembezi, sherpa Cas Coovadia, head of secretariat Anthony Costa and local advisory council chair Busi Mavuso, Busa’s statement reads.
Mgojo and Nyembezi would also chair the International Business Advocacy Caucus, in which global business leaders “advise on and advocate for the B20 policy proposals”, it reads.
The BBC objected to the “unilateral and unacceptable” move. The organisation contends that it perpetuates historical exclusion, particularly of black-owned businesses.
“Busa’s leaders appointed themselves as B20 sherpa, chairperson and co-chairperson. This is unilateral and unacceptable behaviour that perpetuates apartheid exclusion of [the] black majority by those who benefited immensely from apartheid,” BBC said on Tuesday.
In 2025, SA will make history as the first African country to preside over the G20, with the B20 SA launch event.
Due to the summit’s emphasis on inclusivity, the BBC argues that Busa does not represent the full spectrum of SA business.
“Busa, whom we engaged privately on this matter, knows very well that they don’t represent black business, women and youth-owned business, businesses owned by persons with disabilities, as well as micro, small, and medium enterprises.”
The BBC has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to “urgently and seriously intervene”, emphasising that no organisation should claim to represent SA without government endorsement.
The organisation said genuine inclusivity was essential to achieve the summit’s goals of growth and prosperity.
“B20 SA’s central theme is ‘Inclusive Growth and Prosperity through Global Co-operation’ and there is no way that the country can achieve any inclusive growth by perpetually excluding the majority of its citizens.”
There should be no confusion: Busa is not representing SA but rather hosting the B20 as the largest business organisation in SA.
— Business Unity SA
Responding to the BBC’s concerns, Busa said it did not represent all SA businesses, and maintained that its role as the country’s largest and most recognised business organisation placed it in a unique position to lead such initiatives.
“Busa does not claim to represent all of business, but we are the largest business organisation in SA. We have represented, and continue to represent, a significant portion of the business sector, and we are the recognised representative of organised business at Nedlac,” it said.
The organisation said hosting the B20 was not about exclusivity but rather about mobilising the broader business community to collectively shape SA’s economic agenda on the global stage.
Busa said it had engaged with the BBC and other business entities to ensure inclusivity, sharing key information and inviting them to participate in its B20 initiatives.
“We believe that the hosting of the B20 presents a critical and significant opportunity for SA, alongside the SA government’s hosting of the G20. We have dedicated substantial time, resources, and capacity to position SA to host the B20,” Busa said.
“There should be no confusion: Busa is not representing SA but rather hosting the B20 as the largest business organisation in SA.
“We have been engaging with businesses and Busa members on this initiative. Significant segments of the business community, including the Black Business Council and various black business people, are collaborating with us.
“We met the BBC CEO to brief him on our efforts and shared documentation regarding our structures with BBC. We will invite BBC to participate, as we are doing with numerous other business organisations.”
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