South Africa
B-BBEE compliance, made simple
20 yes/no questions on where your business stands under the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act and the Amended Codes of Good Practice: how you are classified, your certificate or affidavit, the five scorecard elements, and fronting. You get a score for each area and a list of gaps with what to do about each one.
ComplianceDesk gives you 11 pre-built B-BBEE controls, an evidence vault, audit-ready reports, and reminders before anything falls overdue — so proving B-BBEE compliance stops being a spreadsheet exercise.
Take the free self-assessment: a score for each area and a list of gaps to close.
What is B-BBEE?
20 yes/no questions on where your business stands under the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act and the Amended Codes of Good Practice: how you are classified, your certificate or affidavit, the five scorecard elements, and fronting. You get a score for each area and a list of gaps with what to do about each one.
- Official name
- B-BBEE
- Status
- In force. Shown as in force as we understand it. Check the current text with the regulator or an attorney, since provisions can be amended or commence at different times.
Who it applies to
- Whether it applies to you depends on your size, activities and licences. Use the free "Which laws apply to me?" checker, or read the first section of the self-assessment.
- Businesses are measured by annual turnover: an Exempted Micro Enterprise (EME) under R10 million, a Qualifying Small Enterprise (QSE) from R10 million to R50 million, and a Generic enterprise above R50 million. Some sector codes use different thresholds, so check yours.
What you have to do
Your classification and proof
A business should be able to show that it can answer yes to these: Do you know whether you are an EME, a QSE or a Generic enterprise this financial year, and have you written it down? If you are an EME, do you have a current sworn affidavit confirming your turnover does not exceed R10 million and stating the percentage of black ownership? If you are a QSE or Generic enterprise, do you hold a B-BBEE certificate from an accredited verification agency that is still within its 12 months? Do you know your current B-BBEE level and how much your customers recognise your spend with you for (for example, 135% for Level 1 and 125% for Level 2)? Do you check the B-BBEE status of your own suppliers, since a better supplier level improves your procurement score?
Ownership
A business should be able to show that it can answer yes to these: Do you know what percentage of your company is owned by black people, and by black women, and can you prove it from your share register? If you are a QSE or Generic enterprise, do you know that Ownership is a priority element and that missing its minimum score drops your level by one? Where black people hold shares through a trust, a scheme or funded by debt, do you have the agreements and records to show the voting rights and economic interest?
Management control and employment equity
A business should be able to show that it can answer yes to these: Do you know what share of your board and executives are black people, and black women? Do you track black employees at the senior, middle and junior management levels and set targets for improving them? Do you also meet your Employment Equity Act duties (see the EEA assessment), since the same workforce data is used?
Skills development
A business should be able to show that it can answer yes to these: Do you spend on training black employees, and on learnerships, internships and bursaries, and keep proof of the spend? Do you have a workplace skills plan and submit an annual training report to your SETA? Do you record training spend by race, gender and disability for each person?
Enterprise and supplier development, and socio-economic development
A business should be able to show that it can answer yes to these: Do you buy from suppliers who are black-owned, black women-owned or small businesses, and track the spend? Do you contribute to supplier development or enterprise development, such as loans, grants, mentoring or favourable payment terms, with an agreement for each beneficiary? Do you pay your small and black-owned suppliers within the terms agreed (ideally within 30 days)? Do you make socio-economic contributions that benefit black people, such as community or education projects, and keep proof of the spend?
Fronting and integrity
A business should be able to show that it can answer yes to these: Do you make sure your B-BBEE claims, affidavits and certificates are accurate, and that nobody is used as a front for ownership or management that is not real? If you are a public entity, an organ of state or listed on the JSE, do you submit your compliance report to the B-BBEE Commission?
How to comply, step by step
- Your classification and proof. Take your annual turnover for the last financial year and record the category. Check whether a sector code changes the thresholds. Sign a new affidavit each year before a Commissioner of Oaths and keep it for customers who ask. Answer Not applicable if you are not an EME. Book a verification at least two months before your certificate expires, and check that the agency is accredited. Answer Not applicable if you are an EME. Record your level and the customers who ask for it. Make sure the right certificate or affidavit goes to the right customer. Collect a certificate or affidavit from each supplier each year and record their level.
- Ownership. Reconcile your securities register to your ownership claim, and keep the share certificates and agreements. Find out the minimum for each priority element and compare it with your current score before your next verification. Collect the trust deeds, loan agreements and board minutes into one verification file. Answer Not applicable if no such structure exists.
- Management control and employment equity. Make a table of your board, executive and senior management by race and gender for the verifier. Set yearly targets for each management level and record progress. Complete the EEA assessment and align your employment equity plan with your B-BBEE targets.
- Skills development. Budget skills spend as a percentage of payroll, and keep invoices, attendance registers and certificates for the verifier. Submit the plan and report on time every year and keep the proof. See the Skills Development Act assessment. Add race, gender and disability fields to your training register so the spend can be split for verification.
- Enterprise and supplier development, and socio-economic development. Run a yearly spend analysis by supplier level, and set targets for increasing it. Answer Not applicable if you are an EME. Document each contribution with the beneficiary, the amount and the outcome. Answer Not applicable if you are an EME. Review the payment run for small-supplier invoices and shorten the cycle where you can. Keep a register of each contribution with the recipient, the amount, and evidence that it benefits black people. Answer Not applicable if you are an EME.
- Fronting and integrity. Have an attorney review any arrangement where a black person is shown as an owner or manager but has no real control or benefit. Calendar the annual compliance report and file it with the Commission. Answer Not applicable if none of these apply to you.
Sources and review status
Compiled from the public sources below. It is not legal advice and has not been reviewed by a lawyer. Last researched 2026-10-31. This is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, so check the current text and the regulator's notices before relying on it.
Every B-BBEE control, organised for you
The real control library ComplianceDesk seeds the moment you activate B-BBEE — 11 controls across 5 categories.
Ownership
- BBBEE-1.1 Verified shareholding structure
- BBBEE-1.2 Net value calculation evidenced
- BBBEE-1.3 Valid B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit on file
Management Control
- BBBEE-2.1 Board and executive demographic records
- BBBEE-2.2 Employment equity plan in place
Skills Development
- BBBEE-3.1 Annual training spend tracked against leviable amount
- BBBEE-3.2 WSP/ATR submitted to the relevant SETA
Enterprise and Supplier Development
- BBBEE-4.1 Preferential procurement spend analysis
- BBBEE-4.2 Supplier development contributions recorded
- BBBEE-4.3 Enterprise development contributions recorded
Socio-Economic Development
- BBBEE-5.1 Socio-economic development spend documented
Frequently asked questions
How can I check where my business stands on B-BBEE?
Take the free self-assessment. It scores each area, lists your gaps with what to do about each one, and does not say you are compliant. You can save the result to ComplianceDesk to turn each gap into a task with an owner and a due date.
Is this guide written by a lawyer?
No. It was assembled from the public sources listed below and has not been reviewed by a lawyer. Treat it as a starting point and check the current law before relying on it.
How many controls does ComplianceDesk track for B-BBEE?
11, organised into 5 categories, ready to assign to an owner as soon as you activate the framework.
Can I track B-BBEE alongside other frameworks?
Yes — most teams activate several frameworks at once. Controls that overlap across frameworks can share the same evidence, so you don't collect the same document twice.
How long does it take to set up B-BBEE in ComplianceDesk?
Activating B-BBEE instantly seeds its full control library. Most teams assign owners and get their first controls moving within a day.
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