Today, the Democratic Alliance presented our Economic Inclusion for All Bill to Nedlac, marking an important step in reshaping South Africa’s empowerment framework.
We welcome the constructive engagement at Nedlac and value the perspectives shared by business, labour, and civil society. This feedback will be carefully considered as we advance the Bill through the legislative process.
We further welcome discussions on reviewing existing legislation, reaffirming the principle of “once empowered, always empowered”, and exploring alternatives to current ownership requirements, including employee share ownership schemes and the expansion of equity equivalent investment programmes (based on our non-racial, outcomes driven alternative scorecard).
For nearly three decades, Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment has served a small, politically connected elite, while millions of South Africans remain trapped in poverty and unemployment. Our Bill offers a new approach, empowerment based on real disadvantage, not political influence.
We call on business, labour, and civil society to work with us to build a system that truly benefits all South Africans, one that unlocks opportunity, supports those who need it most, and ensures that public resources serve the many, not the few.