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By Thapelo Molefe
While many black professionals in the freight forwarding and customs clearing subsector are skilled, they lack the support and opportunities to start and grow businesses, according to the CEO of Kwasisonke Logistics, Gino Del Fava.
Speaking at the Inaugural Forwarding and Clearing Summit in Ekurhuleni this week, Del Fava said black players in the subsector needed help.
“We need transformation. We need inclusivity. We cannot have 35 years of the same old status,” he said during a panel discussion on skills, access and transformation in the logistics industry, which formed part of the broader agenda of the summit hosted by the Transport Education Training Authority (TETA).
Del Fava, who has spent five decades in the freight industry, was frank about the lack of meaningful economic inclusion in the subsector.
He pointed out that many black-owned logistics companies remained on the sidelines, while multinational firms dominated contracts with state-owned enterprises such as Eskom and Transnet.
“Unless we as black businesses get our act together, we are not going to get the Telkom, the Eskom, or the Transnet contract. Those are multi-billion-rand contracts, and we need to bag that,” Del Fava said.
He also took aim at the absence of multinational company executives at the summit, accusing them of profiting off the South African market without investing in local transformation.
“Their CEOs are not in the room. They get the contracts, all those gantry train imports in Durban and Cape Town and no black players even touch that business,” he said.
Del Fava said real change would only happen through deliberate action, not endless conversations.
“No more talk shops. It’s all about action,” he said. “We need to have set-asides for those half a dozen or dozen black players who are sitting in the room.”
Florence Musundwa, moderator of the panel and convenor of the 2023 Road Freight SME Summit, supported Del Fava’s message, stressing the need for partnerships that lead to concrete business development support for smaller businesses.
“We need practical, implementable models that give real access to the market for SMEs,” she said.
The CEO of Shosholoza Operations at MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Innocentia Motau, also called for inclusive growth.
She urged the industry to ensure that transformation included women, youth and persons living with disabilities.
“Let’s unlock all the potential of SMMEs, women, youth and people living with disabilities so we can create a brighter future for all,” she said.
Del Fava highlighted his personal efforts to promote inclusive economic development in maritime services.
He said that without any government funding, he had established several maritime clusters across the country such as in Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City and Richards Bay, focusing on shipbuilding, repairs, fishing and other related services.
“I have expertise to transform the sector, but I can’t do it alone,” he said.
He ended with a challenge to both public and private sector players.
“Reflect the national demographics. Let’s not leave anyone behind.”
The event brought together logistics professionals, training providers and government stakeholders to explore challenges and solutions in the subsector.
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