Black Economic Empowerment for an elite few...

The Black Economic Empowerment system is currently being criticized for repeating the injustices of the past by being discriminatory towards a certain racial group. This system is criticized for disadvantaging the previously advantaged and advantaging the previously disadvantaged. In my view, this system affords justice to no one but it continuously cripples our country in many ways than one. Businesses consider the social background of job applicants instead of considering the experience that the person has, the qualifications and the skill that a person has to offer the business. Consequently, South African businesses including some structures of government are managed and run by incompetent individuals who have no idea of what they are doing. And what does that do to our economy? What does that do to our country?

Mismanagement of South African Businesses and structures of government result in poor social development and it cripples our economy. Not to mention the brain drain crisis, where qualified white expertise leave the country to seek employment in areas where they would not be discriminated against on the basis of their colour. Some of the leaders of our country, people who were in the forefront in the fight against Apartheid are critics of the BEE system. Mr Mangosuthu Buthelezi (President of Inkatha Freedom Party) and Archbishop Desmond Tutu are also strong critics of this system. Mr Buthelezi provided that “the governments redress implementation of the affirmative action policy is forcing white people to leave the country in search of work, creating a skill shortage crisis in South Africa’. The honourable Desmond Tutu has also warned that South Africa is sitting on a “powder keg” because millions are living in “dehumanising poverty” stating that the BEE only serves an elite few.

Imagine if the Government can change their focus on breaching the gap between the rich and the poor by educating the youth of the previously disadvantaged group instead of focusing on economic empowering an elite few. Educating the youth of previously disadvantaged groups (blacks, coloureds, Indians and some Chinese) for free would benefit each and every person instead of benefiting an elite few. The BEE system is clearly not working, instead it creates more problems of racial discrimination and it encourages incompetency as now a person`s race and skin colour is often the determining factor in finding employment.

How about changing Black Economic Empowerment to Black Education Empowerment, where the focus is on educating the previously disadvantaged groups and affording them the opportunity to empower themselves so that they can acquire the skills necessary to compete in the work force. The education system in South Africa is very poor; the majority of students who make it to varsity each year are students from private schools. There are students in South Africa who still attend classes in class rooms that have no chairs, they sit on the floor. There are schools with no libraries, no electricity. Lets improve these conditions and give the youth of previously disadvantaged groups education that is of same quality of those in private schools. That way, no race or skin colour will be a factor in affording employment. Each and everyone will be treated equally and fairly in affording employment because everyone has been exposed to the same level and quality of education from an early age, everyone has been afforded the opportunities to make something with their lives from an early age, should they fail to make something of their lives when opportunities were available, they will have no one to blame but themselves. This way racism will be eliminated and so will the crisis of brain drain. The BEE only benefits certain class of people and it leaves the poor and uneducated people in the rural and township areas out in the cold. The question is: Were they not also previously disadvantaged?

The Black Education Empowerment will cater even for those in rural areas in the hidden parts of the Eastern Cape. Instead of forcing Businesses to employ people based on race, how about putting provisions in place that will create an obligation on them to give back and invest in the education system of South Africa. Imagine how the education level of South Africa could improve. I believe that education eliminates poverty and poverty eliminates crime because most criminals commit crime because of poverty, because of hunger and because of the pressure to feed their families. I believe that we all should play a role in the development of our nation, that way we can all say without any hesitation that South Africa is a land of opportunities.