Mashatile: Scrapping BBBEE Equals Returning to Apartheid

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has strongly defended Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE), saying that scrapping the policy would be akin to taking South Africa back to apartheid.

Responding to questions in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday, Mashatile dismissed suggestions that BBBEE was responsible for the country’s sluggish economy and high unemployment. Instead, he argued that the policy had been a “great success” and needed to be implemented more rigorously, as much of the economy remained concentrated in the hands of a minority.

“BBBEE is not a race policy but a transformation policy, and many companies and South Africans have benefited from it,” he said.

Mashatile insisted that abolishing the policy was out of the question.
“It is not correct that in a country where black people are probably 90 percent of the population, 70 percent of the economy is still controlled by others. It cannot be allowed. It will never be allowed. We must have policies to change that. Anyone who says we must scrap it means we must go back to apartheid,” he said.

On the issue of youth unemployment, Mashatile stressed that government wanted young people to become creators of employment rather than job seekers. He said young South Africans must be supported to develop initiatives that would drive economic growth and open opportunities for others.