Vusumuzi Simelane, stripped flat broke and denied business by short-term insurers, believes he has “let everyone down in the black townships” after he was declared insolvent. The most reputed Orlando West township panel beating businessman for 35 years, is now bankrupt, with most of his sophisticated panel beating equipment repossessed by the banks he owes tens of thousands of rands.
He took over the fledgling informal Simelane Panel Beating and Respraying Shop in the Orlando Industrial Park, Soweto from his parents in 1975. He used to employ about 20 strippers, panel beaters and painters, but now continued the business just to “earn from hand to mouth”.
Simelane, aged 58, says his woes started when the white-dominated short-term insurance industry channeled business to preferred larger white panel beating companies through the panel selection committees.
Lost millions”Diepmeadow municipality government garage in Diepkloof, Soweto used to send my workshop lucrative deals to repair fleets of damaged municipal and township government departmental cars, but this was cancelled by the introduction of privatised company Pick It Up,” he said.
He also lamented that he lost millions of rands because insurance assessors often refused to come into the traditionally African townships when clients brought their cars in for quotations. Simelane now employs only two workers, and even these he often finds difficulty paying at the end of the month.
Now 1000 other panel beaters like Simelane face the same fate. This could leave 20 000 workers in these companies without jobs.Black panel-beaters allege that the short-term insurance industry and white panel- beaters have conspired to create their own list of approved panel beaters by demanding that black suppliers meet their own stringent requirements in order to be registered. They also say that white panel-beaters have colluded to fix prices to ensure that budding black entrepreneurs are sidelined.
These claims are included in a memorandum handed over to the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industries in Auckland Park on January 19, 2006 after a march by the National African Association for Automobile Services Providers [NAASP].
They also mirror claims made by a black Western Cape panel beating association who last year complained to the department of trade and industry [DTI] of similar practices in their province. The black panel beaters demands among others include:-
The removal of the racist panel selection committees that were formulated by elitist groups.
The setting up of an empowerment fund to help promote skills development of formerly disadvantaged businesses.
Short-term insurers should stop promoting black fronting companies.
Numsa showed its support by marching with NAASP. It wants government to intervene because black economic empowerment practices will continue to be undermined in all economic sectors, if no action is taken. The union will also approach the Competition Commission to ensure that the short-term insurance industry does not make a mockery of the black economic empowerment ideals and the financial sector charter. Meanwhile Septi Bukula, DTI spokesperson, said a meeting aimed at addressing substantive issues raised by the concerned associations would be convened by the department on February 27, 2006.
Abacangcathi bezimoto abamnyama banengcindeziAbacangcathi bezimoto abangu-1000 balwa nemboni yomshwalense wesikhashana. Bathi abanikezeli bomshwalense babathathela ibhizinisi balinikeze abacangcathi abakhulu abamhlophe abahlala ngaphandle kwasemalokishini. Lokhu kubeka engozini imisebenzi yabasebenzi babo abangu-20 000 INumsa seyibanikeze uxhaso ezimfunweni zabo zokuthi kususwe amakomiti amathimba akhethayo abandlulula ngokwebala, ukusungula isikhwama sokunikeza amandla okusiza ekuthuthukiseni intuthuko yamakhono kulabo abancishwe amathuba kanye nabanikezeli bomshwalense besikhashana ukuthi bayeke ukuthuthukisa izinkampani ezibeke abantu abamnyama ngaphambili.
Swart paneelkloppers onder drukOmtrent 1000 swart paneelkloppers baklei met die versekeringsbedryf. Hulle voer aan dat versekeraars besigheid van hulle af weghou ten gunste van groter wit paneelkloppers buite die townships. Dit bedreig 20 000 van hulle werknemers se werk. Numsa het sy steun toegesíª aan hulle eise vir die verwydering van rassistiese paneelkieskomitees, vir die daarstelling van “˜n bemagtigingsfonds om vaardigheidsontwikkeling vir benadeeldes te help bevorder, asook dat korttermynversekeraars sal ophou om swart frontmaatskappye te bevorder.
Di-panel beater tsa batho ba batsho di tlasa kgatelloE ka ba di-panel beater tse 1000 tsa batho ba batsho tse lwanang le indasteri ya inshorense ya nako e kgutshwane. Ba bolela hore dikhampani tsa inshorense ha di ba nehe kgwebo empa di e neha di-panel beater tse kgolo tsa ba basweu ka ntle ho makeishene. Hona ho baka tshoso mesebetsing e ka bang 20 000 ya basebetsi ba bona. Numsa e fane ka tshehetso ditsekong tsa bona tsa hore ho tloswe diphanele tse nang le kgethollo tsa dikomiti tse kgethang di-panel beater, mme ho hlongwe letlole la matlafatso le tla thusa ho kgothaletsa ntshetsopele ya bokgoni ya bao ba neng ba tingwa menyetla le hore dikhampani tsa di-inshorense tsa nako e kgutshwane di emise ka ho kgothaletsa dikhampani tsa batho ba batsho tse emetseng ba basweu.