More than 300 delegates attended eThekwini Municipality’s recent KwaZulu-Natal Supply Chain Conference with Smart Procurement World to address the imperative to enhance KwaZulu-Natal’s infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities in order to ensure the region’s sustainable growth and resilience.

KwaZulu-Natal’s largest supply chain and procurement conference was a resounding success, according to the organisers, Smart Procurement World, which partnered with the municipality to host the event for the fifth time. Attendees of the three-day conference at the Durban International Convention Centre included industry leaders, experts and stakeholders from across the supply chain sector.

This year's conference, themed "Strengthening Infrastructure and Manufacturing Supply Chains for Future Growth," addressed the challenges and opportunities facing KwaZulu-Natal in the wake of the triple threat of Covid-19, the destructive riots and the floods that wreaked devastation in the province. Robust supply chains are crucial for navigating the ongoing challenges and seizing opportunities.

The conference provided a platform for discussing innovative strategies, best practices and emerging technologies shaping the future of supply chain management in the region and beyond. The event’s key takeaways included the importance of elevating supply chain management in the public and private sectors. Sessions at the conference emphasised how procurement must be leveraged to support enterprise and supplier development (ESD) in KwaZulu-Natal. ESD beneficiaries should be viewed as strategic partners, adding value and solving critical challenges for organisations, was the message from experts who shared their insights.

The need for partnership and collaboration was also highlighted. Given the provincial economy's disruptions in recent years, there is a pressing need for collaboration between public and private sectors. These partnerships are vital for addressing service delivery gaps, mitigating security risks, securing infrastructure funding and creating employment opportunities. Collaboration is essential for ensuring supply chain resilience and restoring economic confidence in KwaZulu-Natal.

Palesa Phili, chief executive officer of the Durban Chamber of Commerce & Industry, opened the conference and set the collaborative tone with an inspiring welcome address to attendees. Other speakers and sessions on the packed programme included Dorcas Kayo, director of Infrastructure Finance at National Treasury. She addressed infrastructure procurement challenges and opportunities, focusing on the Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) approach to gap funding. A panel discussion on Cities' Infrastructure Delivery and Management System (CIDMS) implementation was moderated by Stewart Russell, Road Network Manager at SANRAL. Panellists Santie Roy, Bongani Dladla, Ben Peters and Bongumusa Zondo examined successful infrastructure procurement and delivery management.

“Strengthening Supply Chains” was the topic of a panel discussion moderated by Siphiwe Mhlongo of Raizcorp. Panellists Siyabonga Gule, Nonkululeko Masikane, Dr. Rebecca Setino, Takalani Rathiyaya and Mpho Mokotedi shared strategies for enhancing supply chain resilience through enterprise and supplier development.

Post-event workshops

The conference included workshops focused on capacity building in key areas such as procurement reforms, including the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPFA). They also delved into industrialisation policy (TWIMS), infrastructure procurement and delivery management and public-private partnerships. The workshops provided practical support based on industry best practices.

Sandile Buthelezi, acting project executive of eThekwini Municipality, commented: “This conference has challenged us to adopt transversal collaborations to build an enabling environment that will promote regional value chain growth in the infrastructure and manufacturing sectors. Furthermore, it served as a strategic catalyst for engaging in interconnected public procurement reforms to support sector growth. The outcomes of the conference were embraced by both public and private sectors. The focused workshops provided practical support based on industry best practices.”

Attendees also had high praise for the event. Zulaka de Waal of Safe and Eco Driving said: “I must congratulate eThekwini Municipality for this brilliant conference. The panellists were outstanding. As an SMME, it was thought-provoking and enlightening.”

Bizfarm’s Atul Padalkar was pleased that the event had returned to Durban after a four-year hiatus. He commented: “ It was an absolute pleasure to be here. This event is very necessary as supply chain has become an instrument of transformation and economic value creation. This conference provides a platform to engage with all the relevant stakeholders. The sessions were well organised with the right experts and participants. This is a brilliant conversation that needs to be expanded and had more regularly in future.”

The KwaZulu-Natal Supply Chain Conference marked a significant step towards strengthening infrastructure and manufacturing supply chains for the province’s future prosperity.