The government's failure to gazette the Financial Sector Charter is making it difficult for banks to continue reporting under the Charter, the Banking Association SA (Basa) said on Tuesday.

"The statutory position, particularly in government procurement, requires compliance with DTI codes," Basa managing director Cas Coovadia told a media briefing in Johannesburg.

"We are convinced a political decision is urgently needed to gazette the Charter without further delay."

Basa had come out strongly in favour of gazetting the Financial Sector Charter under Section 9 of the Black Economic Empowerment Act, to ensure that codes applying to the banking industry aligned with those set down by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on the transformation of the financial services sector.

This followed the release the Financial Sector Charter Review for
2007, which painted a solid picture of the banking sector's achievements in meeting transformation targets in employment equity, procurement and enterprise development, access to financial services for historically disadvantaged communities, empowerment financing, ownership and control as well as corporate social investment, Coovadia said.

He added that banks were delivering significantly in areas that made "a real difference in people's lives".

Coovadia said that the country's big four banks, ABSA, First Rand, Standard Bank and Nedbank had contributed over R14 million towards the Gauteng government's strategy to fight crime.

"The funding will go towards high-tech cameras and support at 40 ATM hot spots.