Run the selector
Answer each question as it appears. The path follows the decision logic in choosing a structure, and every result names the part of the guide it rests on.
Find a starting point
1.What are you actually trying to do?
Most bad BEE deals are bad because they were designed before this question was answered honestly.
This selector points you to a sensible starting point based on the decision path in the guide — it is general guidance, not advice, and it does not decide your structure. The right answer depends on your exact facts, your funding and your black partner. Take independent legal, tax, valuation and B-BBEE advice on the actual documents before you sign. See choosing a structure.
How to use it
The selector gives you a starting point, not a finished structure. Two things matter more than the label it lands on. First, be honest about what you are willing to give up — the scorecard measures exactly what black ownership costs you, so a structure that costs you nothing will score nothing. Second, wherever the answer involves funding, model the net-value line for years one to ten with the net value calculator before you agree the terms — that is where most deals quietly fail.
When you have a shortlist, sketch the deal in the ownership scorecard calculator to see what it actually scores, work through the questions to ask your adviser in choosing a structure, and take independent legal, tax, valuation and B-BBEE advice on the actual documents before anything is signed.
Frequently asked questions
No. There is a range of lawful structures differing mainly in who pays, who takes the risk, and how quickly the black shareholder genuinely owns something. The right one depends on your size, your funding and your partner — which is what this selector helps you narrow down. See choosing a structure.
Possibly not. An EME (turnover R10m or less) is exempt and automatically Level 4; black ownership lifts that to Level 2 or Level 1 by affidavit — but weigh the gain against the cost, and note that the affidavit’s strict definition must genuinely be met. See what your size means.