Africa-Press – Zambia. Scrap BEE? Growing Calls from South Africans Who Say Black Majority Still Poor While a Connected Few Get Rich”
Many South Africans are increasingly questioning whether Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) is still serving its original purpose — or whether it has become a system that benefits a small, politically connected elite instead of the broader black population it was meant to uplift.
BEE was introduced after 1994 with a clear and noble goal: to reverse the economic exclusion of black South Africans caused by apartheid. The idea was to open ownership, management, skills development, and economic opportunities to millions who were locked out for decades.
However, 30 years into democracy, frustration is growing.
🔹 Why many want BEE stopped or scrapped
Millions of black South Africans remain unemployed, landless, and trapped in poverty
Townships and rural areas still lack jobs, industries, and real investment
Access to BEE deals often depends on political connections, not merit or need
Small black entrepreneurs struggle, while the same names appear repeatedly in big deal
🔹 Who is really benefiting? Critics argue that BEE has largely benefited:
Politically connected individuals
A small black business elite
Tenderpreneurs and middlemen
Established corporations using BEE partners to secure contracts
Meanwhile, ordinary black South Africans see little to no improvement in their daily lives.
🔹 The harsh reality since independence Since 1994:
The majority of black South Africans are still poor
Youth unemployment remains devastatingly high
Inequality has widened, with wealth concentrated at the top
Many families remain dependent on social grants to survive
For many, this raises a painful question:
If BEE truly worked, why is the black majority still struggling after three decades of freedom?
🔹 What people are now calling for
A shift from elite-focused empowerment to mass empowerment
Policies that support real job creation, industrial growth, and small businesses
Skills, education, and ownership opportunities that reach ordinary people
Accountability and transparency in empowerment deals
The debate is no longer about whether transformation is needed — everyone agrees it is.
The real question is whether BEE in its current form has failed the very people it was meant to uplift.
🗣️ Is it time to reform BEE — or scrap it entirely and start again?
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