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The Department of Tourism’s appeal case was heard in the Constitutional Court today. The department is appealing the 2021 ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein, in favour of Solidarity and AfriForum, that the use of black economic empowerment (BEE) as criteria for the tourism fund is illegal.

In 2020, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, the Minister of Tourism, introduced the Tourism Equity Fund as an institution that would only grant loans and grants to businesses with at least 51% black ownership. According to Solidarity and AfriForum, awarding aid funds based on race is unreasonable; the Court of Appeal agreed and declared this action by the department illegal.

“It is clear that the government is determined to drive its race agenda at all costs. They are not interested in reason and in no way consider the owners of business enterprises or the employees who suffered hardships during the pandemic. It is time that government officials realise that they cannot just do as they please and that the taxpayer’s money cannot carelessly be spent or used to finance the ANC’s ideology,” says Anton van der Bijl, Head of Legal Affairs at Solidarity.

“All businesses, owned by entrepreneurs of all races, struggled during the government’s Covid-19 restrictions, and many were forced to close their doors forever. This speaks volumes of the ANC government’s cruel racial obsession that they can look a white business owner in the face and tell them that they are too white to be helped,” says Ernst van Zyl, Campaign Officer for Strategy and Content at AfriForum.

“Enough is enough. This systematic racial discrimination by the ANC government must come to an end. Therefore, Solidarity and AfriForum are fighting with everything we’ve got to ensure that this monster of racially discriminatory laws is laid to rest,” concludes Van Zyl.

“The fund’s criteria is simply racist. The state may try to disguise it as transformation, but it has long shown its true intentions. It is extremely offensive to exploit the damage the government has caused to the tourism sector with its unreasonable Covid-19 containment regulations to discriminate against people. We are ready to fight against this discrimination for as long as it takes,” concludes van der Bijl.

Issued by Solidarity