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ANC Rejects Calls to Scrap B-BBEE, Insists Empowerment Still Essential
Transformation Still ‘Essential,’ Not Optional, ANC Says
The African National Congress (ANC) has made it clear that Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) will not be scrapped, no matter how strong the opposition’s push becomes.
This comes after the Democratic Alliance (DA) announced plans to introduce a new Bill that would replace B-BBEE, arguing that the current policy has failed to reduce inequality.
But according to the ANC, B-BBEE remains a cornerstone of South Africa’s transformation journey. Speaking to the media, ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said the policy has already changed millions of lives for the better.
“There will not be a day in South Africa when BEE is scrapped as legislation,” Bhengu said. “Amendments are acceptable as long as they do not deviate from the core substance of the law.”
Cosatu Joins the Defence
Backing the ANC’s stance, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) called any attempt to replace B-BBEE “unacceptable.”
Cosatu spokesperson Matthew Parks reminded critics that empowerment laws were designed as a direct response to centuries of racial exclusion.
“Transformation laws like B-BBEE and employment equity did not fall from the sky. They were a necessary response to more than three hundred years of systemic discrimination,” Parks said.
He added that while public debate often focuses on politically connected elites, the reality is broader. “B-BBEE is not just about billionaires. It’s about creating inclusive opportunities for women, people with disabilities, and working-class communities. Over half a million workers have benefited through employee shareholder schemes,” he said.
The DA’s Challenge
Meanwhile, the DA maintains that B-BBEE has failed in practice. Party head of policy Mathew Cuthbert argued that the system has widened the gap it was meant to close.
According to Cuthbert, Black unemployment remains alarmingly high, at 36% compared to 7% among White South Africans, and poverty continues to disproportionately affect Black communities. He claimed that instead of empowering the poor, the ANC’s policy has benefited a politically connected few.
“The policy has become a feeding trough for cadres at the expense of the vulnerable,” Cuthbert said.
ANC Fires Back
The ANC dismissed those accusations as both inaccurate and dismissive of South Africa’s progress. Bhengu said that affirmative action and empowerment policies have meaningfully changed the country’s workforce and given millions of South Africans access to employment and skills development.
“There’s an increase in Black, Indian, and Coloured professionals in the public sector because affirmative action worked,” she said. “Many women have been employed and promoted as a result. Not everyone who benefits is an ANC member.”
She also criticised what she described as the DA’s nostalgia for an unequal past. “The DA is content with the current status quo, where inequality remains high. Transformation laws exist precisely because we refuse to accept that as normal.”
The Bigger Picture
While the debate between the ANC and DA shows no sign of easing, the conversation strikes at something deeper: how South Africa measures success.
Two decades after B-BBEE was introduced, the question is no longer whether the policy should exist, but whether it’s doing enough to uplift those still excluded. Supporters see it as a necessary tool to fix historic injustices. Critics say it has been captured by the politically powerful.
Either way, one thing is certain: the battle over B-BBEE is about more than policy. It’s about who gets to shape the future of South Africa’s economy.
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Source: The Citizen
Featured Image: ANC
