The Democratic Alliance (DA) has launched a sharp critique of South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) programme, describing it as benefiting only a small elite rather than the broader population.
During a National Assembly debate on Friday, the DA’s finance spokesperson, Mark Burke, argued that BEE “has nothing to do with Black Economic Empowerment” and primarily serves to “deny economic opportunities for South Africans”.
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The debate, sponsored by the DA, focused on the urgent need to review public procurement laws to ensure more inclusive economic participation. Burke stressed that the current framework mainly rewards a minority while excluding the majority of South Africans.
DA Warns BEE Benefits Only a Connected Elite
“In this country, you need to know the right comrades. You need to be born with a billionaire’s surname. That’s what looting has brought us. This is what BEE has brought us,” Burke said, emphasising the policy’s failure to reach ordinary citizens.
“BEE has nothing to do with Black Economic Empowerment,” he reiterated, highlighting what the DA views as the programme’s entrenched inequalities.
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In response, African National Congress (ANC) MP Seaparo Sekoati argued that BEE legislation does not exclusively target black South Africans. He pointed out that “white women who were also marginalised by white men” have also benefited under the policy.
Sekoati added that South Africa’s economic transformation would have been impossible without the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) framework, defending the legislation against claims that it favours only a select few.
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