18/08/2026
The dtic has finished receiving public inputs on the draft amendments. The Transformation Fund is moving closer to being a real decision, not a proposal on a page.
The Fund allows a 3% NPAT contribution as an alternative to running your own Enterprise and Supplier Development. And on the numbers, it is attractive. That 3% routed through the Fund is worth 20 points, against the 15 you would earn splitting the same spend across your own Supplier and Enterprise Development. Five more points, for money you are spending either way, with less administrative weight.
The extra points are easy to see. What they cost you in control is not.
When you fund your own ESD, you direct capital toward suppliers who strengthen your value chain. You can see where it goes and point to something built at the end of it. When that 3% flows into a central fund, that visibility leaves with it. You are contributing to a pool that someone else allocates.
And there is the harder question. Government does not have a strong track record of managing pooled funds transparently. This is not a prediction that the Fund will fail. It is an acknowledgement that the industry is cautious, the promises being made are significant, and a structure like this has to prove itself before it earns trust.
That is a real trade. Five more points, in exchange for less control and an unproven mechanism. It deserves to be weighed against your actual numbers, not decided on the strength of a headline.
If the Transformation Fund became available tomorrow, would you know whether it strengthens your position or quietly weakens it? BEE Chamber talks it through with you. Reach out in the comments.
