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In a surprising confession in a reply to a question regarding the policy of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) which excludes millions of people from minority groups, the ANC government acknowledges that it has no idea what the real impact of the policy is, Adv. Anton Alberts, the FF Plus’ parliamentary spokesperson on trade and industry says.

He says the ANC is blindly stumbling along with a policy of which the negative effects are not known.

Adv. Alberts says pointed questions regarding BEE, such as whether there has been any research on the subject and whether it stimulates economic growth or creates jobs, were bypassed with jargon and it appears that the only two investigations which were done, were aimed at establishing whether existing enterprises were adhering the BEE provisions.

Questions about the future impact of BEE and accompanying job creation and economic growth and on what research these assumptions were being based were merely answered by the statement that transformation is showing slow progress and that the government is not yet in a position to analyse the effect thereof.

“The vague idea government apparently has about the destructive effect of the policy of BEE which negatively impacts millions of people from minority communities and which has largely destroyed service delivery, is a report of the National Planning Commission about research which was done between 2008 and 2012 which indicates that the poverty levels in South Africa have improved.

“This state of affairs is not acceptable as BEE and affirmative action has forced large sections of the white and brown minority communities out of the labour market and has impoverished them.

“The FF Plus is insisting that an independent investigation is done immediately into the merits of BEE. To date, it has only been abused by the ANC government as an instrument to enrich cadres and in so doing entrench the ANC’s hold on government,” Adv. Alberts says.

Issued by FF Plus