The Democratic Alliance has launched the Economic Inclusion for All Bill, a proposed new law that represents a significant step toward achieving the vision of genuine economic empowerment for all South Africans.

BBBEE has abjectly failed to uplift the lives of South Africa’s unemployed and impoverished majority. Since its inception, conditions have in fact worsened for those it claims to empower. Instead of redressing past injustices, BBBEE has entrenched a millionaire class of politically connected insiders.

Under the DA’s new model, preference for government business will be given to companies that make measurable contributions toward clearly defined goals – such as job creation, poverty reduction, skills development, and environmental sustainability.

Crucially, the framework uses poverty as an indicator of disadvantage, rather than the crude and divisive category of race.

WATCH: A New Framework for Real Empowerment

The Economic Inclusion for All Bill differs fundamentally from the ANC’s BBBEE policy in the following ways:

• BBBEE relies on race as its sole criterion; the DA’s model targets actual disadvantage.
• BBBEE benefits a politically connected few; the DA’s model demands no political ties.
• BBBEE fosters a fronting culture; the DA’s model rewards real social impact and value for money.

The DA has developed an alternative scorecard enabling government to allocate preference points in tenders based on a supplier’s demonstrated contributions to inclusive development and social impact.

The DA remains in the Government of National Unity (GNU) to champion the interests of all South Africans.

We will continue to oppose harmful policies such as BBBEE and instead promote genuine empowerment, which uplifts the disadvantaged, unlocks economic opportunity, and drives shared prosperity.