Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions we get asked below; and if yours is not here, reach out and we will sort you out directly.
GENERAL B-BBEE QUESTIONS
Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) is a programme introduced by the South African government to address the economic inequalities created by apartheid. It creates pathways for previously disadvantaged groups — including Black Africans, Coloureds, Indians, and Chinese South Africans — to access economic opportunities previously unavailable to them. The programme encompasses employment equity, skills development, ownership, management representation, socio-economic development, and preferential procurement.
BEE refers to the original Black Economic Empowerment framework. B-BBEE stands for Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment, which is the expanded version of the policy. Where BEE focused primarily on ownership and control, B-BBEE takes a broader approach — spreading empowerment across multiple elements of a business through a scorecard system. B-BBEE is the current framework all businesses are measured against.
Your B-BBEE status directly affects your ability to access government contracts, tenders, and preferential procurement opportunities. Many corporate clients also require a verified B-BBEE certificate from their suppliers. Without a credible, independently verified score, your business is at a commercial disadvantage — regardless of the actual transformation work you are doing. Verification makes your empowerment status official, defensible, and useful.
The B-BBEE scorecard is the measurement framework used to assess a business’s empowerment performance. It covers five key elements: ownership, management control, skills development, enterprise and supplier development, and socio-economic development. Each element carries a specific weighting, and your total score across all elements determines your B-BBEE level — from Level 1 (highest) to Level 8 (lowest). Businesses below a certain threshold may qualify as non-compliant.
VERIFICATION QUESTIONS
The verification process is an independent audit conducted in line with the B-BBEE Act and the Codes of Good Practice, following the methodology outlined by SANAS and the dti. It involves a planning and preparation phase, a detailed assessment of your submitted documentation, an on-site verification visit, and the final issuance of your verification report and B-BBEE certificate. At Ingwane Verifications, every step of this process is conducted by accredited professionals against SANAS R47 standards.
Getting started is straightforward. Reach out to us via the contact form, email, or WhatsApp and one of our team members will get back to you. We will first establish which entity category your business falls into:
- Exempted Micro Enterprise (EME): annual turnover under R10 million per annum
- Qualifying Small Enterprise (QSE): annual turnover between R10 million and R50 million per annum
- Generic Enterprise: annual turnover of R50 million and above
Once we know your category, we send you the relevant application pack with everything you need to get the process underway.
Timelines vary depending on your entity size and how prepared your documentation is at the start of the process. During the planning and preparation phase, your assigned analyst will give you a clear timeline based on your specific situation. Being well-prepared going in — knowing what records to have ready and how to organise them — makes a significant difference to how smoothly and quickly the process moves.
The documentation required depends on your entity category and the scorecard elements being assessed. Your assigned verification analyst will provide you with a full list during the planning and preparation phase. Generally, you can expect to need financial records, payroll information, training and skills development records, ownership documentation, and evidence of enterprise and supplier development spend.
A B-BBEE certificate is valid for 12 months from the date of issue. After that, your business will need to go through the verification process again to maintain a current, valid certificate. Staying on top of your annual verification cycle — and planning for it well in advance — is something our team can help you manage.
Your verified level reflects your empowerment performance during the assessed financial period. If your score drops, it is usually due to changes in ownership, staffing, spend patterns, or compliance gaps that were not addressed before verification. This is exactly why services like Indicative Scoring and Scenario Planning are valuable — they help you identify and address potential score risks before they show up in your certificate.
ABOUT INGWANE VERIFICATIONS
SANAS stands for the South African National Accreditation System — the country’s official accreditation body. SANAS accreditation means that Ingwane Verifications has been independently assessed and approved to conduct B-BBEE verifications in line with national standards. When we issue your B-BBEE certificate, it carries the credibility and legal weight of a process that has been verified at the highest national level. Not all verification agencies are SANAS accredited — and the difference matters.
Yes. Ingwane Verifications is a 100% Black-owned business, led by experienced B-BBEE professionals. Transformation is not just something we verify — it is something we embody.
We work with businesses across all three B-BBEE entity categories — EMEs, QSEs, and Generic enterprises. Whether you are a small business verifying for the first time or a large organisation looking for a more rigorous verification partner, our process is built to fit your specific category and obligations.
Verification is where most clients start, but it is far from all we do. Our full service offering includes B-BBEE Training, Indicative Scoring, Ownership Reports, Scenario Planning, and Supplier and Enterprise Development support. We are equipped to support your business at every stage of the B-BBEE journey — not just at certificate time.
