Gazetted: DA Bill to replace BEE, tackle poverty, and Economic Inclusion for All

Issued by Mat Cuthbert MP – DA Head of Policy
21 Oct 2025 in News
Soundbite by Mat Cuthbert MP.

The DA’s Bill to replace BEE with a new procurement model that will tackle poverty and create real economic inclusion for all has been gazetted in the Government Gazette.

The gazetting of this Bill is the first step in the legislative process that will bring South Africa a new, inclusive empowerment model ending decades of BEE failure.

BEE has turned ANC insiders into billionaires, while 44 million South Africans have been relegated to poverty, and 12 million are trapped in unemployment queues. The DA will not allow this to stand any longer, because we care deeply about the people of South Africa.

Our country needs economic inclusion for all people with a model that protects public funds, achieves value-for-money procurement, enables social investments, and results in genuine empowerment.

We need to dismantle this exclusionary system that has seen the same ANC cadres re-empowered time and time again. The DA’s new model will do this.

We are not surprised that after announcing our Bill yesterday, the ANC, its president, its spokesperson, and its alliance partner COSATU have all come out to defend BEE despite increasing evidence of its failures.

This demonstrates just how the ANC will protect their patronage machine at all costs.

Public comments on the DA’s Bill to replace BEE with a needs-based system of empowerment are now welcome.

Engagements with political parties that support genuine empowerment are a top priority for the DA. By working together, we can build a more inclusive country for all.