Africa-Press – South-Africa. A majority of South Africans agree that hiring and promotions should be merit-based, that Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policies have gone too far, and that race categories do more harm than good.
This was revealed in the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation’s (IJR) Reconciliation Barometer for 2025, which is based on responses from South Africans to over 200 closed-ended questions.
The survey is the longest-running national survey tracking public opinion on post-conflict reconciliation in Africa, with the first Barometer being released in 2003.
As part of its efforts to track the views of South Africans on inclusion, the IJR asks respondents various questions about economic transformation and specifically Broad-Based BEE (B-BBEE).
“B-BBEE was among the main policy instruments used by the previous ANC-led governments to bring about transformation in the economy and workforce,” the IJR explained in the barometer.
“It has also been highly contested between members of the government of national unity, with mounting tension and scrutiny ascribed in part to President Donald Trump.”
BEE is under increasing pressure in South Africa, with the set of policies being heavily criticised by members of the government, business leaders, and even high-ranking ANC leaders.
The policy framework has become closely associated with corruption and cronyism, with a handful of individuals benefiting from it.
This points to the heart of the issue with BEE, with the IJR noting that a majority of South Africans broadly agree with the principle of a racially representative workforce.
Overall, 82% of South Africans agreed that a racially representative workforce should be a national priority, and this was relatively consistent among people of different races, although slightly lower among white South Africans (77%).
However, survey results also found low levels of support for BEE and for preferential practices currently employed by the government.
It also found that there is low support for the continued use of race categories for measuring transformation.
Just over half of all South Africans (54%) strongly agreed/agreed that B-BBEE policies have gone far enough in addressing inequalities and should be phased out.
Three-quarters (76%) of South Africans also strongly agreed/agreed that hiring and promotions should be strictly merit-based, and two-thirds (67%) strongly agreed/agreed that using racial categories does more harm than good.
Source: IJR’s Reconciliation Barometer for 2025
Source: IJR’s Reconciliation Barometer for 2025
Changes to BEE in South Africa
Changes are set to be made to BEE in South Africa, with the government implementing a two-phase review of the legislation.
Many, including the DA, have called for BEE to be replaced with means-based redistribution policies to improve the effectiveness of legislation aimed at tackling inequality.
The DA has proposed a new Economic Inclusion Bill aimed at replacing BEE and ending years of what it called “ineffective empowerment policies that left millions of South Africans unemployed, impoverished, and hopeless”.
Some within the ANC, including the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, have said that BEE has become tainted by cronyism and corruption.
Tau has explained how the review of BEE will be conducted and hinted at the kind of changes that might be made to the policy framework to close loopholes exploited for corruption and cronyism.
“The review will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will be a short-term review focusing on refinement and an analysis of subordinate legislation, which should be completed by the end of this financial year,” Tau told Parliament.
“Parallel to that, we have been in the process of consultation to finalise the Transformation Fund, and the implementation of the fund is part of the review process.”
Tau explained that the implementation of the Transformation Fund seeks to aggregate different funding instruments to enhance efficiency and maximise value.
“The second phase is a long-term review which involves an analysis of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Act for substantive amendments,” Tau said.
“The review of the Act aligns with South Africa’s growth and inclusion strategy, outlined by the government. The path to economic growth, inclusion and transformation is underpinned by B-BBEE through preferential procurement policies.”
Tau said the government’s approach to BEE helps to create jobs in marginalised communities, strengthens local supply chains, and ensures that benefits are widely shared.
“Therefore, reviewing the Act in the context of socio-economic shifts ensures that South Africa’s legal framework supports broader transformation,” Tau said.
Tau’s proposed review and changes seek to remove loopholes that have been exploited by well-connected individuals to ensure they benefit from BEE deals at the expense of ordinary South Africans.
“In fact, we have said in the department that a review of the architecture of the entire transformation programme, policies, and instruments is called for,” Tau said.
The minister particularly singled out the practice of faking BEE compliance by individuals and businesses as one of the main failures of the policy.
This has resulted in the policy failing to bring about genuine inclusion in the economy and uplift millions of South Africans.
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